DOHA, Qatar -- France manager Didier Deschamps had the perfect summation of why it's so important to have a squad that's happy to be together, work hard together and spend so much time together: "You won't win games because you have a happy camp, but you can lose games if you don't have one."
After all, the successes and failures of a team in a major competition like the World Cup are often linked to, and consequences of, the off-field aspects.
For example, Belgium players had several simmering interpersonal tensions in their dressing room, and they struggled on the pitch.