France Coach Didier Deschamps has called for his Spain counterpart Vicente Del Bosque to be given time to rebuild La Roja.
Les Bleus dispatched the former world champions last night through a Loic Remy goal and Deschamps said after the match that it’s not fair to compare the sides.
He argued that Spain are at the beginning of a cycle of renewal whereas his France side are well into their development.
“Del Bosque isn’t a magician. He needs time to build a new team,” AS reports Deschamps as saying.
“We have continuity and we’ve been together for two years. It’s not automatic. My players know.
“We have a history and I think it’s been seen in this game. Spain have new players and a team isn’t built overnight.
“When you see you don’t have players like [Gerard] Pique, Xabi Alonso, [Andres] Iniesta or Xavi [Hernandez], who have more than 100 international matches and play with their eyes closed…Del Bosque is a great Coach but not a magician.”
Deschamps added that beating Spain is a great achievement for his side as it shows how far they have come over the last few years.
“It’s eight years since we beat Spain. During that time they have dominated Europe and the world,” the former France captain continued.
“It’s a game against a Spain team that has quality, it’s no small thing. We have confidence and this allows the group to grow.
“I think it’s a progression compared to our last match against Spain.”
