The former Bafana Bafana striker has questioned France’s approach in their semi-final defeat to Spain, singling out Kylian Mbappe for criticism.
Speaking on Sportpesa’s Shaun Bartlett World Cup Special, Bartlett said he expected more from the team’s biggest names.
“I was disappointed with France’s performance, to be honest. I was very disappointed. I thought the big players would come to the party, Mbappe, Dembele, Barcola, all these guys would come to the party, and it didn’t work out like that.”
“It’s almost like Mbappe wanted to win the game on his own. There were a lot of things he did that were quite abnormal, as far as taking every set play and wanting to be the front man, as far as trying to get the goal back instead of looking to work with your teammates.”
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Bartlett also questioned N’Golo Kante’s absence from the squad despite a strong build up to the tournament.
“Kante played all the practice matches up to the World Cup. He even captained one game. In the World Cup, non-existent. I don’t know what’s exactly happening there.”
He pointed to the lack of a controlling midfield presence as central to France’s struggles.
“What France missed in that midfield was somebody to dominate possession. Rodri did it well for Spain, keeping the ball, moving the ball, circulating the ball, breaking down attacks. France didn’t have that same player, and that control is massive if you want to end up creating opportunities.”
Photo: REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
