The France team will adopt a third tactical system on the occasion of this round of 16 of the Euro against Switzerland, Monday evening in Bucharest (9 p.m.).
As we explained on Saturday, some executives, including Lloris, Varane and Pogba, campaigned with Didier Deschamps for the establishment of a three axial defense instead of two since the start of the competition.
"It is an option that can be taken, but the choice I make is to be the most dangerous for the opponent," Didier Deschamps said on Sunday, who, in his management, repeats making the final decisions alone.
This evolution of the tactical plan is partly linked to the uncertainty linked to the presence of Lucas Hernandez, victim of a knee contusion against Portugal.
It is also Clément Lenglet who should be aligned with Raphaël Varane and Presnel Kimpembe.
But that is not only due to the embarrassment of Hernandez, especially as the coach announced Sunday evening that the left side will finally be fit.
No, since the start of this Euro 2021, the Blues have struggled to develop a fluid and attractive game.
They often have to rely on the kicks of Pogba to touch an attacking trio Griezmann, Mbappé and Benzema which is far from giving the full measure of his talent.
Read alsoEuro 2021, France-Switzerland: the Deschamps method, 2021 edition
The staff has still not found the martingale to melt the Madrilenian, with a more drop-out profile than Giroud, in the French collective. The move to three defenders in a 3-5-2 or 3-4-1-2 device is an option that would replace Portugal's 4-2-3-1 (2-2) and 4-3-3 of the first two matches of the competition where Griezmann, exiled on the right, had difficulty expressing himself.
"The 3-5-2 allows you to embrace the entire width of the field," explains Elie Baup, the former coach of Bordeaux or Saint-Etienne.
The two lane players, here probably Pavard and Rabiot, must provide solutions to the teams who play together and close the spaces.
In the orientation of the game, you have to use alternation to try to find these moving lane players, and if that does not seek solutions in the axis or switch to the other side of the field.
The idea is to exhaust the opponent with this search for the width and the contribution of these pistons.
Especially since this system opens spaces inside, which can benefit Griezmann or Benzema, who like to touch the ball between the lines.
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A system already tried against Sweden and Croatia
Here is for the theory, very attractive. For the rest, France has very few benchmarks in this device. When he decided to set up for the first time the system with three central defenders (Varane, Lenglet, Kimpembe), in November 2019, against Albania, Didier Deschamps had the objective of widening the tactical palette of the Blues . The Covid crisis put this test phase on hold, which could not resume until the start of the 2020 school year with the return of international matches. The France team therefore continued with this device during the first two meetings in September of last year against Sweden (1-0) and against Croatia (4-2). Two games with a lot of rotations, which did not leave lasting memories regarding the animation and the ability of the Habs to use the entire width of the field.
“The presence of three defenders makes it possible to secure the axis, but in the defensive transition, the opponent can quickly play behind the back of the piston. It's a risk, explains Elie Baup. This is why the lane players should not be positioned too high or too low. It is a difficult system that requires a lot of work and repetition. Unfortunately, we rarely have that time in selection. "
