Kylian Mbappe Criticizes France's Tactics, Must Be Improved Ahead of England

JAKARTA - Kylian Mbappe seems to question the approach and tactics of his coach, Didier Deschamps, after France's 0-2 defeat to Spain in the 2026 World Cup semi-final, Wednesday, July 15, 2026, early morning WIB.

The result ended France's bid to reach a third consecutive World Cup final, with Mbappe failing to score.

Spain's central midfielder, Rodri, was dynamic throughout the match as the reigning Euro champions, who have now beaten France three times in a row, outclassed Deschamps' team who had dominated the first six games at the 2026 World Cup.

"We played three against two in midfield and against Spain, it was difficult. Fabian (Ruiz) and Rodri had a lot of time to play."

"There was a lack of communication in the pressure. I think we should have man-to-man pressure and force them to run with us," said Mbappe.

Mbappe also scored eight goals four years ago in Qatar, which France lost to Argentina in a penalty shootout in the final. Meanwhile, France beat Croatia to win the World Cup eight years ago in Russia.

However, against Spain, France disappointed in every phase of the game, which Mbappe acknowledged along with his tactical analysis.

They never got a foothold in the game, with Spain in complete control, especially after Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring from the penalty spot following Lucas Digne's foul on Lamine Yamal.

"We didn't play the game we wanted to, technically and tactically. When you don't do what you have to do in a World Cup semi-final, you're not going to win."

"Spain respect their game plan and what the team usually does. They like to control the ball and the tempo. Our plan is to press them high so they can't build their rhythm."

"The reason is, they were better than us in controlling the game. We didn't manage to do it. We were too careless technically. We couldn't harm them when we could do it," said Mbappe.

However, the Real Madrid star also highlighted the mistakes made by the players after Spain managed to snatch the ball back from France even when they lost possession.

"Even when we recovered the ball, our first touch was not good enough. That led to the defeat. It's a big disappointment."

"If it's objective, we didn't display all the elements needed to reach the final," Mbappe said.

Deschamps tried to change the course of the game with a substitution in the second half - pulling out Adrien Rabiot at half-time and bringing in Desire Doue and Manchester City forward Rayan Cherki - but none of the changes had an impact on the final result.

"I don't know what to say. They were better than us in every aspect of the game. I think they were more excited than us."

"It's sad because I still believe that we are a better team than them, but Spain are better than us. Even on a bad day, we have to be a little better technically, tactically, and in terms of spirit."

"In many ways, France lost everything. Really, everything is lost. We will come back in four years, and we will not make the same mistakes," Cherki said after the match.

Frustration seemed to peak in the 86th minute when Mbappe rushed towards Unai Simon as the Spanish goalkeeper bent down to pick up the ball. The two collided, causing Simon to fall and Mbappe to get a yellow card.

"As captain, I have to take all the responsibility and I have no problem with that. We want to qualify for the final. We didn't qualify," said Mbappe.

France will play against the team that loses the semi-final on Sunday, July 19, 2026, early morning WIB, for the third place against England.

Even though it's not a much-anticipated match, France certainly needs to make amends after learning the lesson from the defeat against Spain.