France’s original shape could resemble a 4-2-4 or 4-2-3-1, but the report says it became a stretched 4-4-2 without the ball. Mbappe and Dembele pressed from the front while Adrien Rabiot and Aurelien Tchouameni were left defending too much ground behind them.
That spacing gave Senegal routes from central defence into wide areas and allowed midfielders to receive between France’s front line and midfield. A high press loses value when the second line cannot support it.
Deschamps reportedly responded at half-time and has continued refining the structure since.
The key change has been Dembele operating on the right side of midfield, rather than staying as a second forward. His work-rate helps France form a more compact 4-4-1-1, protecting Rabiot and Tchouameni while reducing the spaces opponents can play through.
The alteration also gives France a clearer attacking platform. Olise, now in a more central position, can receive between defensive lines and combine earlier with Mbappe. His passing offers France a different route into the final third instead of relying only on runs behind the defence.
The report says Mbappe has continued to drift left from the centre-forward position, where he can influence more phases of the game. Rotations involving Olise, Desire Doue, Dembele and Bradley Barcola preserve unpredictability, but the midfield shape now provides greater protection when possession is lost.
That is the central improvement: France can still rotate aggressively, yet no longer needs every attack to become an all-out press.
The next World Cup fixture will test whether this balance survives against a side prepared to target the wide channels. For Deschamps, the challenge is maintaining Mbappe’s freedom while ensuring France’s attacking depth does not reopen the defensive gaps.