|
The 1998 winners have not blazed their way to a
third final in 20 years. Instead, their path has been a
calculated shuffle, with coach Didier Deschamps abandoning plans
for a free-flowing side in favor of a no-frills but highly
effective winning machine that has kept four clean sheets in six
games.
France's only truly impressive display in Russia was their epic
4-3 win over Argentina in the last 16, when they cut through
Jorge Sampaoli's disheveled side on the counter-attack as Kylian
Mbappe used his frightening power and pace to devastating
effect.
That thriller was followed by solid 2-0 win over Uruguay in the
quarter-finals and a slender 1-0 victory over Belgium in the
semis. In both games they found an opening from a set piece and
then sat back, ceded possession, stayed solid and looked to pick
their opponents off on the break.
It has not been the sweeping display many believe the team are
capable of, but it has been good enough to take them to a second
consecutive major tournament final and Deschamps has altered his
strategy to get them there.
The captain of the 1998 side who was nicknamed the water
carrier, Deschamps appeared to have ambitious plans for France
when he picked speedy winger Ousmane Dembele in a front three in
their opener against Australia and benched the powerful but
ungraceful Olivier Giroud.
But with his plan falling flat and his side drawing 1-1 midway
through the second half, Deschamps reverted to type, bringing on
Giroud for Dembele and replacing Corentin Tolisso with the more
experienced Blaise Matuidi.
The team instantly had more balance and grabbed a 2-1 win with a
scrappy deflected goal.
Deschamps has largely stuck with the same side since, and the
key to his strategy has been his ability to convince flair
players like Paul Pogba to take on extra defensive duties.
Assisted by the tireless N'Golo Kante, the once most expensive
player in the world has limited his attacking tendencies to
construct a formidable shield in front of the defense.
Deschamps called the Manchester United man's display against
Belgium in the semi-final win "monstrous". Pogba, meanwhile,
said he was happy to oblige his coach's requests in order to win
football's biggest prize.
"I want to win this World Cup and to do that you have to make
sacrifices. Defending isn't my strong point, I'm not Kante, but
I'll happily do it. I have grown up and matured," he said.
HIGHLY CAPABLE
France's defense consists of the highly capable center back
pairing of Raphael Varane and Samuel Umtiti, key players for
Spanish aristocrats Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively and
who each broke the deadlock in tight knockout games.
Varane's powerful header from a freekick opened up an
unforgiving Uruguay side, while Umtiti's glancing nod proved the
difference against Belgium.
Both deliveries came from Antoine Griezmann, the top scorer at
Euro 2016 who has enjoyed little freedom in attack but who has
proved just as effective in other ways.
The background of France's two full backs is another sign of the
durability of Deschamps' side. Both Lucas Hernandez and Benjamin
Pavard have plenty of experience playing in central defense,
meaning they do not madly commit themselves forward.
Both have proved highly useful in attack, though: Pavard struck
a sensational equalizer against Argentina, striking first time a
pass made by Hernandez.
(Reporting by Richard Martin; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
|
