Former England midfielder Jermaine Jenas believes France have everything they need to be World Cup champions this summer, while Chris Waddle is backing Kylian Mbappé to win the Golden Boot.
Former Tottenham star Jenas is in awe of Mbappé and his squad, but is sticking with his earlier prediction that Spain will emerge victorious as they grind into top gear.
During an exclusive sit-down interview with 10bet, Jenas said: “I said Spain at the start, so I’m going to stick to Spain.
“France are scary, I know that. They’re very scary. When it comes to stopping France, it’s tough because I look at Spain and they’re starting to kind of click into gear now.
“Spain are still better going forward than they are defensively, whereas France does have the complete package, and are fully in flow.
“I’m going to stick with Spain because that’s what I said.
“But I have to say, I’ve really enjoyed watching France play.”
Embarrassing for Paraguay
Former England winger Chris Waddle, meanwhile, believes that Paraguay’s tactics against France were “not football”.
Paraguay put in a controversial and aggressive display, with the fallout between the two countries going as far as their politicians.
After winning 1-0, France are tipped as the likely winners – and Mbappé the probable Golden Boot winner – by Waddle.
However, Waddle believes Morocco have the talent to spring an upset when they take on Les Bleus on Thursday evening (kick-off 9pm UK time).
In an exclusive interview with 10bet, Waddle said of Paraguay’s tactics: “It’s not in the nature of football, is it?
“You always get a team who think they can bully opponents and break the laws.
“Really, let’s be honest, the way they were treating Mbappé was embarrassing.
“We know he’s a top-quality player, but there are ways of stopping players without aggravating them, bumping into them, and trying to get a reaction out of them so they get sent off.
“That’s not football.
“People say “win at all costs,” and they were trying to do just that by unsettling France, especially Mbappé.
“I didn’t enjoy it, and I was really glad France won.”
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Strong referee
France are set as firm favourites to lift the Jules Rimet trophy, and Waddle has been particularly impressed by Mbappé, adding: “I’m sure Mbappé has had that hundreds of times before, people trying to bully him.
“But you need a strong referee, and if you’ve got a strong referee, you haven’t got a problem.
“France are just so well-equipped. Whatever you want to play – if you want to play football, they can play; if you want to fight them, they’ll fight you.
“They’re an all-around side with a squad of quality and confidence.
“When they get the ball, they look so confident. They don’t show any nerves or play in fear.
“They look dominant on the pitch, and they are definitely the team to beat.”
Mbappé in the best team
Mbappé is in the race for the Golden Boot with fellow superstars Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland and England captain Harry Kane.
Waddle thinks Mbappé will end the tournament as top scorer, saying: “I’m going Mbappé, he’s the one. I think he’s in the best team.
“And I just think the thing I like about Mbappé is he just can make his own goals.
“There are not many players who can do that.
“Lionel Messi does, obviously, we know that – he’s done it for years.
“Haaland needs service, Harry Kane needs service. But Mbappé can pick the ball up 30 yards out and go past two guys and put it in the top corner, he makes his own goals.
“He’s not relying on service. He’s not thinking about getting on the end of crosses or set-pieces.
“He scores his own goals and he’s such a great player to watch – balance, pace, technique. I’ll be very surprised if he’s not the top goal-scorer.”
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