Rabiot joins Mbappé in criticizing France's tactical preparation against Spain

Adrien Rabiot joined Kylian Mbappé in criticizing France’s tactical preparation before their 2026 World Cup semi-final against Spain, which ended in a 0-2 defeat. The AC Milan midfielder spoke on Friday at a press conference, ahead of the Nations League match against Turkey.

“Against Spain, it wasn’t a lack of quality. We don’t have less quality than that team, in all humility,” said Rabiot, named vice-captain by Zinédine Zidane. “They were better tactically, they may have prepared this match better. Spain managed to put us in difficulty.”

These words echo those of Mbappé, who told Spanish newspaper AS that the French had “failed in their initial game plan,” also pointing to the tactical dimension as a determining factor in their elimination. Under Didier Deschamps’ orders at the time, the French team apparently did not approach this major event in the best conditions, according to its two senior players.

Rabiot, however, is already looking ahead. “If we have to face them again, we’ll need to find the key. It’s certainly on this tactical point that we’ll need to work. We have the collective and individual talent,” he added. The French midfielder also stressed the importance of the Nations League as a first test under the new cycle: “The coach is here for four years. We need to take this competition seriously and make the most of it.”

The convergence of Mbappé and Rabiot’s criticism retrospectively puts Deschamps’ staff under scrutiny, even though neither explicitly named the manager in their statements.