The France team lost on Thursday, November 12, to Italy at San Siro in Milan. Les Bleus had nonetheless made a convincing start before collapsing.
Heavily reshuffled and rejuvenated because of the many injured players, the French dressing room also lacked the character and personality to steady the ship when the match turned.
The rainy Milan evening then ended in fog. Pushed around and without a response, Les Bleus lost the thread, overwhelmed by the Italians' intensity and aggressiveness.
Defensively, the performance was more fragile, and that fragility grew as the match went on.
The coach called on many young, less experienced players. The squad is young, and several footballers had never played together before.
The message conveyed to all the players after the match was not to panic.
Even Dayot Upamecano, hitherto unsinkable in recent months, wavered. He conceded the penalty that made it 3-1.