World Cup: Kylian Mbappe focuses on tactics after ‘sloppy’ France run into Spain

France’s Kylian Mbappe (10) after the World Cup semi-final match between France and Spain in Arlington, Texas. (AP photo) Kylian Mbappe didn’t hide behind excuses. He looked at what happened Tuesday night in Arlington and called it exactly what it was, a failure in every area of ​​the game.France’s 2-0 defeat by Spain in the World Cup semi-finals was as draining as any scoreline might suggest, and Mbappé, kept scoreless on the night and unable to add to his eight tournament goals, was brutally honest about where things went wrong. And his words appeared to be aimed squarely at his manager Didier Deschamps.“We were three against two in midfield and against Spain, that’s difficult,” said Mbappé after the match. “Fabián Ruiz and Rodri had a lot of time to play. There was a lack of communication on the press. I think we should have done the press between the men and made them run with us.”The frustration ran deeper than just the tactical setup. Mbappé was critical of France’s technical performance and admitted that the players themselves were just as much to blame for the defeat.“We didn’t play the game we wanted to, technically, tactically,” he said. “If you don’t do what you have to do in a World Cup semi-final, you don’t win. Spain respected their game plan. Our plan was to push them high so they couldn’t set their rhythm. We didn’t do it. We were too sloppy technically. We couldn’t hurt them when we could.”Although France won the ball back, Mbappé admitted the first touches weren’t good enough, gifting possession straight back to the Spanish side, who mercilessly punished every mistake. Oyarzabal’s penalty after Lucas Digne fouled Lamine Yamal gave Spain the lead and Pedro Porro’s second-half strike put the result beyond doubt.Young substitute Rayan Cherki was equally damning. “In many ways France lacked everything today. They really lacked everything today,” said the Manchester City striker.Mbappé, who earned a yellow card in the 86th minute after a collision with goalkeeper Unai Simón, finally accepted the responsibility that comes with the captaincy. “As captain I have to take all the responsibility and I have no problem with that,” he said. “We wanted to go to the final. We didn’t go.”France will now face the loser of Thursday’s semi-final between Argentina and England in Miami in the third-place play-off on Saturday. It’s a deeply humbling ending for a team that came in as tournament favorites.