As Team 33 found out with Matt Spiro, there was a quiet confidence that France could rebuild their reputations and have a half-decent World Cup.
But how has the injury to Franck Ribery dented optimism?
We were joined on Off The Ball tonight by French football journalist Xavier Rivoire and he believes that the Bayern Munich winger was right to be sent home.
"In the last few months at Bayern Munich, he was not playing well. He had been unable to train with France with the back problem. For a long time we did not think Deschamps would have the guts to send him home and do exactly what his predecessors had done with Zidane and Vieira. In both cases, it turned out to be a catastrophe," said Rivoire.
He believes the younger make up of this team, led by the likes of Paul Pogba and Raphael Varane is exciting the French public and bringing back "hope" which had been "erased" by events of the recent past.
Rivoire highlighted some of the youngsters that can revitalize France during this World Cup and explained why having players that can be moulded is important for Deschamps, compared to bona fide stars.
And making an analogy to D-Day, Rivoire believes the French squad are united for once.
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