It is a rise in the steps, failing a rise in power. By abandoning the draw (1-1) against Hungary this Saturday, the France team took a point and the head of group F, which reminds that a bad performance can lead to a very good accounting operation . Even if the Blues do not qualify for the round of 16 this morning, they cannot fall lower than third place, which looks like a very strong clue anyway. The collapse of reigning European champions Portugal against Germany makes the final group game decisive for the final order, with a Nationalmannschaft still able to climb first.
In the meantime, for the Blues, it is therefore time to focus on the content and not the splinters, this first place or the equalizer of Antoine Griezmann. Nothing really worked against Hungarians carried by the fervor of a sunny red people for the return of noise and fury in a stadium. We couldn't hear anything, but we didn't know that we wouldn't see anything, either, or not much.
First amazement: the offensive animation of the Blues becomes a problem and no longer really a solution when Karim Benzema no longer plays as relaxed as in Real Madrid and Griezmann does not achieve anything, except a goal, sufficient for an overall score, but disappointing for a general score.
The Barcelona must turn into the organizer of the new attack redesigned by Didier Deschamps and he does not succeed, getting lost in the draft of his transmissions, tasteless set pieces and a very neutral overall influence, even if its volume of races remains impressive.
A story of ego or technical incompatibility?
The return of Karim Benzema in the selection seems to split the French attack in two, by tilting it on the side of Kylian Mbappé, at ease with the Madrilenian, when France before worked a lot around the Griezmann-Giroud duo.
“The quality, they have it.
Complementarity, they can have it, objects the coach.
Again, it's not just them.
You separate full-backs and midfielders that can free up spaces, offer passes.
It can always be better, even if there are some interesting things about the chains.
"
To read also Hungary-France (1-1): the notes of the Blues
Socially, the new territories offer for the moment two worlds which do not join, the KK (Karim and Kylian) not joining the GG.
Is it a story of ego or technical incompatibility?
For now, the promised fire does not reach a guard candle to light up at night.
And the entry of the Chelsea striker again showed the inability of the bench to switch a meeting, a reproach that extends to Ousmane Dembélé, blazing an action, annoying all the others, before leaving injured.
If he caricatures himself in a few minutes ...
No plan B
The offensive failures, after a goal against his camp against Germany, identifies the room for progress of the Blues and indicates that it has no more solutions when the opponent offers the ball. Didier Deschamps' men only know how to play in quick attacks: they have a plan A and not really a plan B. But they have at least a very good plan A. It is both a limit and perhaps a false concern in a competition where it will be necessary to go far in the face of strong selections, who will like to own the ball.
Now looming a Portugal-France, Wednesday June 23 at 9 pm, which can be roughly summarized as follows: the Blues win and finish in the lead; the draw would propel them at least to second place; a defeat would relegate them a priori to 3rd place, with the suspense of knowing whether they integrate the four best thirds of the formula. “I do not exclude that there may be a turnover between the players. This sequence means that freshness is an important element, "warns Deschamps before giving names:" Paul (Pogba), by virtue of his size, it is immediately obvious. Maybe a little juice was missing. Adrien (Rabiot) also missed some in the second half, that's why I changed them. I could see they were a little worse off. "
The hour of the bench has struck. Corentin Tolisso and Thomas Lemar should integrate the middle at the same time that it will be necessary to blow Benjamin Pavard, lost in the first period. The burning question refers to the offensive sector. The puzzle has no solutions: Benzema, Mbappé and Griezmann need to play together because they know each other little, but the risk of lack of lucidity, later if the qualification occurs, weighs at least as much. After the victory against Germany, there had to be lightness. It is the trouble that arises.
