The French experiment has officially hit a wall

If you were expecting a tactical masterclass from Didier Deschamps this afternoon, I have a bridge in Paris to sell you. France looked like a group of influencers trying to solve a Rubikโ€™s cube in the dark. They were static, uninspired, and frankly, completely outclassed by a Spanish side that actually knew what to do when they possessed the ball.

Watching this French squad limp through the tournament has been like watching a prestige drama that lost its showrunner three seasons ago. They had the talent on paper, sure. But the chemistry? Nonexistent. The energy? Flat as a warm soda after a three-hour tailgate.

Oyarzabal and Porro are the new architects

Letโ€™s talk about the two guys who actually showed up to work today. Mikel Oyarzabal was a headache for the French backline from the opening whistle. He wasn't just running around looking busy; he was finding the pockets of space that Griezmann and Rabiot spent the entire match ignoring. He took his goal with the composure of a man checking his watch while waiting for a train.

Then you have Pedro Porro. If youโ€™ve spent any time watching him at Tottenham, you know exactly what he brings to the table. He isn't interested in playing it safe at the back. He bombs up the flank with more intent than a runaway freight train. Seeing him link up with the movement in the middle was a reminder that modern football isn't about parking the bus and hoping for a set-piece miracle.

Itโ€™s about transitions. Itโ€™s about being bold enough to push your fullback into the final third when the opponent is busy nursing their ego. Spain played like they wanted a trophy. France played like they wanted to get back to their hotels so they could post their vacation photos on Instagram.

Deschamps has nobody to blame but himself

Look, I love a good tactical breakdown, but sometimes itโ€™s simpler than that. When you have the depth that France has, exiting in such a toothless fashion is a coaching failure. The substitutions were late, the shape was rigid, and the midfield looked like a graveyard of missed opportunities.

We saw this same brand of stagnation during the recent transfer windows where big clubs spent millions just to realize they bought a luxury car with no engine. France is the international equivalent of that. They have the pedigree and the names on the back of the jerseys, but the actual product on the pitch is a boring, predictable mess that gets solved by any team with a coherent high press.

Spain, meanwhile, has been doing the work on the training ground. They aren't relying on one guy to do everything. Even when they were up by 2-0, they didn't just tuck their shirts in and quit. They kept moving the ball with purpose, stretching the French defense until they were essentially playing 'keep-away' for the final ten minutes.

The reality check

Letโ€™s be honest for a second. Spainโ€™s finishing still has moments where it makes you want to pull your hair out. There were three separate occasions in the first half where they should have put this game out of reach, but they insisted on taking the extra touch. If they play like that against a team with more clinical bite than this shell of a French side, they are going to get punished.

But today? Today, it didn't matter. France never showed the level of intensity needed to flip the script. They looked like they were reading from a script that was written years ago, acting out roles that no longer suited the requirements of the game. It was a deserved win for Spain, and anyone whining about luck or officiating is just trying to cope with the fact that their favorites didn't show up with a game plan.

We saw some wild stuff in the market recently, but nothing was as shocking as the total apathy on display from the French coaching staff today. They needed a pivot, a substitution early in the second half, or even a tactical shift to clog the wings. Instead, we got the same stagnant cross-the-box passing lanes that lead to absolutely nowhere.

Spain moves on, and quite frankly, they look like the side that actually understands the assignment. Itโ€™s refreshing to see a team that prioritizes rhythm over raw reputation. Weโ€™ve had our fill of big names getting by on vibes and history. Football is played with your feet, not your press clippings.

If you think Iโ€™m being hard on the French, you haven't been watching the same sport I have for the last decade. A team with that much resources shouldn't go down without at least causing a scene. Spain didn't just beat them; they silenced them. Thatโ€™s the kind of tournament football that turns casuals into lifelong fanatics. I for one am ready to see how Spain handles the pressure of the final. If they keep playing with this level of hunger, someone is going to have to play the match of their lives to stop them.

The scoreline ended at 2-0, but it felt much wider. It felt like a changing of the guard. Whether this is just a blip for France or the end of a very long, tired era is up for debate. But for now, credit where it is due: Spain is the story of this World Cup, and they definitely earned the spotlight.