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Thomas Müller (l.) And Kylian Mbappé (r.) Meet (archive images)
Photo: PATRIK STOLLARZ, JONATHAN NACKSTRAND / AFP
France: Deschamps spoiled for choice
Do you want to watch New Munich's Dayot Upamecano, Manchester United's striker Anthony Martial or Europe's top talent Eduardo Camavinga play football this summer? Well, nothing will come of it: The squad of world champions France (at 9 p.m. against Germany, TV: ZDF; Stream: MagentaTV) is so rich in incredibly talented football players that a number of professionals had to stay at home, who otherwise had no problems in the Champions League Kick level.
National coach Didier Deschamps therefore has the main task of setting up his star ensemble in such a way that it can bring its individual class onto the pitch in the best possible way. Most recently, Deschamps took a 4-4-2 with midfield diamond: Not only the clever world-class stopgap N'Golo Kanté and his massive, technically outstanding counterpart Paul Pogba can stand together on the field, also the offensive trio from Antoine Griezmann , Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappé find themselves in ideal roles.
Real Madrid striker Benzema was actually banned from the Équipe Tricolore in 2015: It was about a dirty video, an attempt at blackmail against teammate Mathieu Valbuena - misconducts with which the French association wanted nothing to do. After a strong season at the club, Deschamps surprisingly brought the attacker back.
Anyway: The French can almost only beat themselves in terms of sport, but the team's good mood balances on a fine line. Substitute striker Olivier Giroud clashed with Benzema in the past after he had a Formula 1 car and Giroud with a Go Kart had compared.
After the EM dress rehearsal against Bulgaria (1-0), Giroud then temporarily fell out with Mbappé, where he had complained about missing passes.
Officially, however, all dissatisfaction has now been resolved.
Germany: what will change after 2018?
Is there a threat of a debacle like the 2018 World Cup - or is the German national team simply grossly underestimated in your own country?
Probably both.
Because the DFB team goes into the tournament with a lot of potential, but also with some open questions that can turn into problems.
Above all is the return campaign by Mats Hummels and Thomas Müller.
The duo and Jérôme Boateng were eliminated from the team after the preliminary round in 2018.
At the time, there was a sporty justification for this: Müller's lanky style of play on the right wing could not support the sluggish DFB offensive.
Hummels' weak start contributed to a countermise that outshone his qualities in the build-up of the game.
Only: The failure of Hummels and Müller at that time was above all a failure of the collective. In 2021, Hummels will have to go into running duels less often - in the preliminary round there are no established counter teams, in addition to the Dortmund two more central defenders secure the depth instead of just one like in 2018. Müller now plays central in the club and in the DFB team and is thanks in this role indispensable for his comprehension and his strong communication on the pitch.
The individual players around the two veterans have not gotten worse: Robin Gosens caused a sensation as an attacking left-back at Atalanta Bergamo in Serie A and in the Champions League, Kai Havertz has just decided the final of the premier class.
Serge Gnabry, with an outstanding 16 goals in 21 international matches, is also taking part in a major tournament for the senior national team for the first time.
Another preliminary round is conceivable, but mainly because of the extremely strong group opponents.
Before the opening game, national coach Joachim Löw also has to answer two questions: Who is playing in midfield?
And: who is defending right?
Since only one of the two answers can be Joshua Kimmich, the national team will probably not be able to avoid a small predetermined breaking point.
