Rumours swirled that several Les Bleus players had been ravaged by a virus prior to the game, with Adrien Rabiot and Dayot Upamecano missing the semi-final loss to Argentina with illness.
Olivier Giroud and Ousmane Dembele were both substituted before half-time too, as Argentina went on to win 4-2 on penalties after a thrilling 3-3 draw.
“The whole squad has been facing a tricky situation for a while now, maybe that had a physical and psychological impact,” Deschamps told reporters.
“But I had no concerns about the players who started the match tonight.
“They were 100 per cent fit but we only had four days since the last match so perhaps there is some tiredness.
“That’s not an excuse but we didn’t show the same energy as previous matches and for the first hour we weren’t in the match.
“In those first 70 minutes or so, we were playing a very aggressive and dynamic opponent and we weren’t at the same level for a number of reasons.
“We managed to come back from the dead and made a magnificent comeback from a very difficult situation.”
Deschamps was visibly critical of referee Szymon Marciniak’s performance throughout the game but bit his tongue afterwards.
“I need to be careful what I say. You saw as well as I did. It could have been worse, could have been better,” he said.
“There were some decisions that gave rise to discussion but that’s the case in every game. I said before the game that Argentina had been lucky, not that they were helped by decisions.
“I don’t want to take anything away from them, they fully deserve the title. It’s not because of decisions that they came out victorious, and I just discussed this with the referee.”