France head coach Didier Deschamps defends captain Kylian Mbappe He insists the public perception of the star striker does not reflect his true identity in the national team squad, following criticism of his leadership style.After France beat Paraguay 1-0 in the last 16 of the World Cup, Deschamps dismissed suggestions that Kylian Mbappe has become too authoritative since taking over as captain.“No, he hasn’t changed. You make him look like a dictator. The image Kylian has in the eyes of some people outside is not at all realistic,” Deschamps told reporters after the game.France sealed their place in the quarter-finals thanks to Kylian Mbappe’s second-half penalty in a tight contest at Lincoln Financial Field. Despite dominating possession, the Gallic Roosters struggled to break down Paraguay’s disciplined defence, with neither side having a shot on target before half-time.The game had several flashpoints, including a challenge on Mbappe that sparked a massive confrontation between players. However, Deschamps said his side were prepared for Paraguay’s aggressive approach and handled it well.“I’ve seen a lot of things,” Deschamps said.“I have prepared the players. The players are looking forward to this game. I don’t want to criticize Paraguay. Every team plays the way they want to play. But there were some insults on the other benches and I could have done otherwise,” he added.“The most important thing is that by the end of the game there were no disagreements and we (didn’t) get another card,” he said.The French team finally made a breakthrough in the 66th minute when Douai won a penalty and Mbappe calmly took the penalty. Paraguay tried to equalize in the final seconds but France held on to face Morocco in the quarter-finals.
