Didier Deschamps: Was France boss right to stand down and will Zinedine Zidane replace him?
Deschamps will lead France until they face Croatia in the Nations League quarter-finals in March before qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and subsequent matches if they advance. Some questioned whether he should leave immediately.
Horncastle: “It depends on how many players identify with Deschamps and want to give him the best send-off. Sometimes it can be an emotional moment when loyalty to a coach is shown in a positive way.
“(In the Nations League) you can see Deschamps trying to change the team but the loyalty may not be there. The core has changed.
“It also depends on how the French Football Federation behaves. When do they think it is appropriate to announce a successor?”
Lawrence: “Jacques Santini was a very different coach, but when he announced before Euro 2004 that he was quitting and joining Tottenham, it had a negative impact on the team and made things very bad.
“He didn’t announce it 18 months in advance like Didier Deschamps did, but it felt like something was broken, like you abandoned us.
“I wonder if it will have a similar impact or if, as many French people think, it will bring peace and tranquility and the atmosphere will be better for it and the players will want to give him a perfect farewell.
“I’m not sure which direction it’s going to go.”
