Holders of the title, France probably has the densest pool of players of all those involved in the World Cup and will have to assume their status as favorites.
But given the resounding failure of the last Euro, the Blues are certainly less scary than before.
Anecdote
According to supercomputer The Analyst, France is the favorite for the World Cup, which it has a 17.93% chance of winning, ahead of Brazil (15.73%).
Form of the France team
Apart from the victory against Austria (2-0), the recent League of Nations campaign, although truncated by injuries, was disastrous for the French team, with in particular two defeats against Denmark, one of his opponents at the World Cup.
With players playing in the best clubs in the world, the experience of 2018 and a fairly weak group, the Blues should still aim far in the competition.
But the doubts around the poor form of certain executives of the first title, including Antoine Griezmann, are alarm signals for the Qatari campaign.
The list of 25 players
Goalkeepers:
Alphonse Areola (29, West Ham, ENG), Hugo Lloris (35, Tottenham, ENG), Steve Mandanda (37, Stade Rennais, FRA)
Defenders:
Lucas Hernandez (26, Bayern Munich, DE), Théo Hernandez (25, AC Milan, ITA), Presnel Kimpembe (27, PSG, FRA), Ibrahima Konaté (23, Liverpool, ANG), Jules Koundé (23, FC Barcelona, ESP), Benjamin Pavard (26, Bayern Munich, GER), William Saliba (21, Arsenal, ENG), Dayot Upamecano (24, Bayern Munich, GER), Raphaël Varane (29 , Manchester United, ENG)
Midfielders:
Eduardo Camavinga (19, Real Madrid, ESP), Youssouf Fofana (23, AS Monaco, FRA), Mattéo Guendouzi (23, Olympique de Marseille, FRA), Adrien Rabiot (27, Juventus FC, ITA) , Aurélien Tchouaméni (22 years old, Real Madrid, ESP), Jordan Veretout (29 years old, Olympique de Marseille, FRA)
Attackers:
Karim Benzema (34, Real Madrid, ESP), Kingsley Coman (26, Bayern Munich, GER), Ousmane Dembélé (25, FC Barcelona, ESP), Olivier Giroud (36, AC Milan, ITA), Antoine Griezmann (31, Atlético Madrid, ESP), Kylian Mbappé (23, Paris SG, FRA), Christopher Nkunku (24, RB Leipzig, GER)
The probable composition
Didier Deschamps has therefore announced it: he will go back to four defenders for this World Cup, after having tried for a long time in 2021 and 2022 a strategy with 3 men behind.
Concretely, it is still difficult to say what this changes for the Blues, but two options emerge.
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A first in 4-4-2 with a diamond midfielder, allowing Antoine Griezmann to be positioned in n°10 under the two attackers, Benzema and Mbappé.
In this configuration, Youssouf Fofana could be assigned a starting place in the midfield.
In defense, the question is open on the choice of men: who will accompany Raphaël Varane in central defense?
Who will hold the left side of the defense?
For the moment, Presnel Kimpembe and Lucas Hernandez could hold the rope but the form of the moment could decide otherwise.
The second option is to shift Kylian Mbappé to the left of the attack to move towards a 4-2-3-1, adding a winger like Coman or Dembélé on the right side.
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Player to watch: Kylian Mbappé
Kylian Mbappe battling Austrian Nicolas Seiwald, June 10, 2022.
While Antoine Griezmann has lost his aura and Karim Benzema has only recently returned to the national team, Kylian Mbappé has definitely taken the reins of the French attack.
The Paris Saint-Germain star already has 59 caps and 28 goals with Les Bleus, aged just 23, and has looked elusive in his recent outings with the national team.
He will be keen to erase the failure of the last Euro, where his missed shot on goal cost France his qualification against the Swiss.
France team match schedule
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The other teams in Group F are Canada, Morocco and Croatia.