If doubts still persisted on the association of the middle trio at the dawn of this Euro 2021. If some were wondering if Rabiot would advantageously replace Matuidi.
Or even if Tolisso was not a better choice than the Juventus player, the last reservations were lifted with the performance of the triplet Pogba, Kanté, Rabiot against Germany.
The France team imposed its law in the middle as rarely on a Mannschaft all in sterile possession.
It is a constant in football: the winning of the match was played at the heart of the game and these three are among the main architects of this first and precious success.
“The three midfielders were enormous, confirms Philippe Montanier, the former coach of Rennes or Real Sociedad.
Tactically it was well coordinated, they were fair, as if it was natural.
Often, we have backgrounds that complement each other with different profiles, the box-to-box player, another more technical, and the last more physical.
But there, they know how to do everything: defend, strike and compensate, and they do it in turn.
It really is a wealth.
According to Montanier, it would not necessarily be a question of a complementarity of different profiles, but more of an addition of polymorphic talents endowed with a formidable tactical intelligence.
Each in his field
If each member of this magic triangle is able to take on the role of his partner, depending on the circumstances of the meeting, dominants are nevertheless observable in their respective palette.
Elected man of the match with 50 attempted passes (40 successful) and 48 balls received - the best total of French players proof of his influence - Paul Pogba has often replaced Griezmann in the role of organizer.
VIDEO.
The minute Paul Pogba lit up France-Germany
“Paul has this rare ability to be physically powerful and technically fine with very high class actions to his credit,” recalls Montanier.
Kanté is interesting, because it is always him who instills the pressure and even if he does not catch the ball, he makes the opponent move back 15 m.
And then, he gained confidence in his attacking game.
Finally, I liked Rabiot in his diversity.
He is able to bring out the balls well, he puts the defensive impact of the head in particular and he allows himself to make calls in the opponent's area.
If I had to nitpick, I would say that these three just lacked offensive efficiency and yet it did not go far for Rabiot (
Editor's note: the Juve player touched Neuer's post in the second half
).
"
Tactically, the ideal match
Jean-Marc Furlan, the current coach of Auxerre in Ligue 2, however, adds an essential tactical notion. "The balance and performance of our national team come above all from these three players who are above all three recuperators, even if Paul Pogba has a profile a little more creative than the other two, decrypts the discoverer of Blaise Matuidi, in Troyes au early 2000s. In a match where France led quickly and where Germany had possession of the ball, this trio was able to express themselves in an ideal way and give the full measure of their talent. Their complementarity on the defensive level was perfect. On the other hand, faced with a very low block like that of Sweden against Spain, I do not know if these three boys would have expressed themselves as well. But if during this tournament, France does not have the ball,Like during the 2018 World Cup, so this midfielder is and will be very successful and I don't see many people being able to beat us. "
