France head coach Didier Deschamps has criticised Danish counterpart Age Hareide, saying he must "take responsibility" for his words on the eve of their World Cup clash on Tuesday.
Before the tournament began, the Denmark manager had a dig at France, calling them "nothing special" and hinting that they were "not a team." He also launched an attack on Paul Pogba saying "he cares too much about his looks."
"It is not nice for him to say that," Deschamps told the journalists during his news conference on Monday. "Will it spice up the game? Salt, pepper, vinegar, whatever you want to call it. He has to take responsibility for it. My players know and remember what he said."
Last week, Paul Pogba, Florian Thauvin and Corentin Tolisso all mentioned this incident during their respective news conferences.
"We have talked about it between us. We know what he said. That's his point of view. It is down to us to prove him wrong," Tolisso told the media on Sunday.
France only need a point to secure top spot in Group C. Deschamps insists he is not taking risks by changing half of his starting lineup and resting key players like Hugo Lloris, Pogba or Kylian Mbappe.
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"I take a lot of things on board before making my decision. There are a few criteria like the individual form, medical and physical information, yellow cards. Every case is different. But in a competition like this, you cannot always keep the same starting eleven, the same formation," Deschamps said.
"Ideally, I would like all my 23 players to play. If I called them up for this World Cup it's because I know they could all play or start in the competition. They all deserve to play so I am not taking risks by changing my team.
"Our objective is to finish top of the group. A draw would be enough but I will never tell my team to play for a draw. We will play to win and I am sure Denmark will do the same."
Raphael Varane will be France's captain for only the eighth time in his career in the match, on his 55th cap.
"It is a great honour and a lot of pride. It is a proof of confidence from the coach. I will have the same emotion and sense of responsibility as in the previous occasions," he explained on Monday.
After the game, the French players will be reunited with their wives and families for the first time since the start of the World Cup and they will be off on Wednesday to spend the day with them.
"We are happy and looking forward to seeing them. If it was down to us, we would see them more but the coach has decided to do it this way. Other teams do it differently and the players see their families more. The coach wants us to focus on the football and on our objectives," Varane concluded.