Didier Deschamps Replaces Laurent Blanc As France Coach

Didier Deschamps Named France Coach

France have found their replacement for Laurent Blanc -- Didier Deschamps is taking over:

Didier Deschamps has reached an agreement to be the new France coach, the French Football Federation (FFF) have confirmed.

— Guardian sport (@guardian_sport) July 8, 2012

This isn't much of a surprise. From the moment that Blanc stepped down at the close of France's Euro 2012 campaign (which, while more successful than their last major international tournament, was still marred by infighting and under-performance), Deschamps has been the favourite to take over, and now it's all official.

Deschamps, who captained France for their 1998 World Cup win, saw his stock fall with Marseille's poor 2011/12 season, but he did win the league in 2009/10 and managed to nab six trophies in three years with the club. That's good enough to manage France, apparently. His main task with the national side will be to prevent the fault lines that have been repeatedly cropping up in the squad from recurring in Brazil.

Laurent Blanc Steps Down As Coach Of France National Team

Laurent Blanc has stepped down from les bleus, with Didier Deschamps the current favorite to replace him as coach of France.