Special Envoy in Munich
Didier Deschamps did not shy away from his pleasure by offering himself a big embrace, in the arms of his evening hero and in front of a jubilant French turn.
The coach of the Blues loves Paul Pogba.
And even more when he releases a match as gigantic as that of Tuesday night.
If the Blues offered a real show of force on the lawn of the Allianz Arena, "the Pickaxe" is one of the symbols, with a close to perfection copy.
Immense.
Magistral.
That will of course have to be confirmed subsequently and from Saturday (3 p.m.) against Hungary, then on June 23 against Portugal.
But during the first act, the world champion touched the sublime against the Germans unable to solve the problem posed. As subjugated and powerless in the face of such ease and ease, but also aggressiveness and volume of play. It must be said that for weeks, we have been constantly harping on Joachim Löw's men to monitor the trio Mbappé, Benzema, Griezmann, while ordering them to keep an eye on Kanté, just in case. A perfect moment for the 28-year-old Mancunien to come out of his box Tuesday night in Munich. And how ! During a first period that he went through as seized by grace. In a silky mix of play, most often with a minimum of touch of the ball for maximum success, like his bright pass to Lucas Hernandez for the opener (1-0, 20th).
Biting ... and bitten
Add to this a flawless activity in the gift of oneself and abnegation, between freshness and omnipresence.
Like a symbol of a radiant French team on the lawn of the Allianz Arena.
It is often said that the big matches are for the big players, from the top of his 81 selections with the blue jersey, Paul Pogba is one of them.
On top.
So much so that Rüdiger, who had promised to "
play dirty
To beat the Blues, kept his word since he even came to ... bite the French just before the break. Without reaction or sanction from the refereeing body and despite the complaints of the midfielder of the world champions, surprised by the gesture of a man he knows well to face him in England during the Chelsea-Manchester United. Once the pressure has subsided, the two men have also discussed the subject for a few seconds during the second act, between a smile and room.
If he was less prominent in the second half with the ball, although the reverse was true in the famous invisible work and dark spots. With his swaying gait, he has not stopped breaking, harassing, oppressing his direct opponents, perfectly in tune with world champions at the rendezvous for their entry into contention in the Euro. The trio formed in the midfield with Kanté and Rabiot - also incisive and bleeding - only disgusted the block of the Manchsaft for ninety minutes.
In a match of enormous intensity, worthy of legendary evenings, he even kept some under the sole at the end of the match to drive the public of the Allianz Arena crazy after a series of leg passes in front of Kimmich (79th). Monstrous. End to end. With a Paul Pogba of this level, like his masterful World Cup in 2018, the Blues know how to count on a frame never so strong when he puts on the jersey struck by the rooster. Strongly the continuation.
