Benzema back in France squad for the Euros, as per reports…..

he occupies the same space as mbappe lots of times open on the left. giroud also pressed much more
Nonsense. He and Mbappe don't occupate the same space at all. He scored 4 goals in 4 games and you're trying to put the blame on him, like Mbappe didn't get plenty of chances at a goal and simply wasn't in a mood to score.
Mbappe was also involved in borh Benzema goals last night, the partnership was fine

We were playing like crap at WC 2018 too. The difference is that we were allowed to sit back and counter plus we had a LOT of luck with set pieces.

Deschamps knew he couldn't win Euro 2020 by playing the same way as WC 2018, he said it to former teammates in private.
 
Nonsense. He and Mbappe don't occupate the same space at all. He scored 4 goals in 4 games and you're trying to put the blame on him, like Mbappe didn't get plenty of chances at a goal and simply wasn't in a mood to score.
Mbappe was also involved in borh Benzema goals last night, the partnership was fine

We were playing like crap at WC 2018 too. The difference is that we were allowed to sit back and counter plus we had a LOT of luck with set pieces.

Deschamps knew he couldn't win Euro 2020 by playing the same way as WC 2018, he said it to former teammates in private.



What was your strength then, defense, is now your weakness, thats why you couldnt sit back and counter as much, if it wasnt for that you could have done what you did in 2018 and been successful at it.

Strange how much the defensive structure changed(for the worse) in the span of 3 years.
 
The way he brought that pass under control was right up there with the Bergkamp turn vs Newcastle as one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in football. So good I will always wonder if it was entirely planned or not.
I think it was planned as much as a desperate attempt to get a ball under control can be, I just dont think he meant it to happen as smoothly as it did.
 
Dont think it was intentional. He put his leg out, but i dont think he meant the skill and to do it the way he did in the end

Benzema is one of the most skilled players in history. There's no reason to believe Benzema couldn't do it on purpose.

If you've watched him play regularly on Real Madrid, he tries and pulls off exquisite touches in quick plays all the time. But even if you didn't, look no further on YouTube with´multiple videos showing Benzema's technique.
 
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Benzema makes the team worse than the sum of its parts
Nah, he’s moved that attack up a couple of gears. They exited last night because the centre-halves had a bad night and Deschamps made an arse of the shape.
 
The way he brought that pass under control was right up there with the Bergkamp turn vs Newcastle as one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in football. So good I will always wonder if it was entirely planned or not.
Yeah pure class. Believe it was 100% intentional - it was his only option for taking it into his stride.
 
Yeah pure class. Believe it was 100% intentional - it was his only option for taking it into his stride.

Yeah, it was instinctive and only option.

I hope that goal gets the hype it deserves.
 
Recalling Benzema seems to be the only call Deschamps got right, then.
 
He did something similar against Odriozola in a training session at Madrid.

 
That control looked like a piece of improvised genius to me. The video above kind of proves it, I guess.

What a player - the one I enjoyed watching the most this season. (Okay, alongside Messi of course.)
 
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Yeah my impression was also that it was intentional. And I wouldn't be surprised either, Benzema is technically amazing, he could pull that off.
 
Nah, he’s moved that attack up a couple of gears. They exited last night because the centre-halves had a bad night and Deschamps made an arse of the shape.

Correction, the centre halves are shit. And Deschamps is very very shit. Theo Hernandez not even in the squad.
 
Just received a pm from a newbie asking to share a tweet in regards to Benzema and what some of the French press are saying.


Courtesy of @Drygon

Benzema is already the biggest scapegoat in France after what happened last night.

I'd be very thankful if you did it :)

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[RTL France] Sanfourche Philippe on France being eliminated from Euro 2020 by Switzerland: "Deschamps paid the price for taking Karim Benzema, it was too late for him to be integrated into the squad"

 
Yeah a right footed player controlling the ball and also finishing like that, all with his left foot is just absurdly good
 
I think it was planned as much as a desperate attempt to get a ball under control can be, I just dont think he meant it to happen as smoothly as it did.
This kind of touch always seems to me like a matter of self confidence. I don't think you can plan that, but I do think that you can have the believe "it could work if I'm lucky, so I'm going to try it". Or you could just think "Damn, no way I reach that ball" and don't try it at all. This isn't a conscious thought, this is just instinctive believe I think.
 
He's such a good player. Doesn't get the attention his career deserves.
 
Just received a pm from a newbie asking to share a tweet in regards to Benzema and what some of the French press are saying.


Courtesy of @Drygon
That's just crazy. The fact alone that he scored three goals from open play should be enough proof that he was quite well integrated into the team.

How you can blame a striker after that horrible breakdown when leading 3-1 is beyond me to be honest.
 
He's such a good player. Doesn't get the attention his career deserves.

Most people just don't rate Benzema. So, they just can't believe that he can be that good.

Look no further people questioning his goal vs. Switzerland.
 
Most people just don't rate Benzema. So, they just can't believe that he can be that good.

Look no further people questioning his goal vs. Switzerland.

Probably the most criminally underrated player of the past decade or so. I personally put it down to the fact that he had to spend so much time playing with CR7.
 
Courtesy of @Drygon:

'[BFM TV] The Karim Benzema miracle didn't happen in Switzerland game



Quick Summary

The first guy claimed that even though Benzema wasn't bad on a individual level and perhaps didn't affect the entire team negatively, he's affected Deschamps negatively. Descahmps was forced to start him because he and peopleall wanted to see the Mbappe, Grizmann and Benzema up-front.

The second guy was arguing that we don't know what effect Benzema's return has had on the dressing room and that perhaps some players might have been upset by that because that now means they wouldn't play. My guess is by some players, he means Giroud.'

For my own part I think Benzema is mint and would have loved to see him playing for us. Brilliant player.
 
I'm not surprised with the scapegoating of Benzema with the French media. They have a clear agenda against him, similar to Sterling with England. Him and Pogba are probably the only France players that can go out out of the tournament with their heads held high, yet he get's the blame.
 
Man, people blaming benzema are crazy. The guy scored 2 goals, and were up 3-1 with 20 minutes to go. It’s not his fault that his team shit the bed.

Although, he should not have passed it to Pogba in that situation. 3 men were onto Paul before he even had time to breathe. I am not even sure iniesta would have maintained possession in that moment.
 
Another post courtesy of @Drygon:

[RTL France] Sanfourche Philippe on France being eliminated from Euro 2020 by Switzerland: "Deschamps paid the price for taking Karim Benzema, it was too late for him to be integrated into the squad"

 
Could see Benzema taking the Cavani role with us once Cavani is finished. We seem to like bringing world class strikers in their twilight these days. Next season maybe, Mbappe to Madrid, Cavani back to South America and Benzema to us.
 
Another post courtesy of @Drygon:

[RTL France] Sanfourche Philippe on France being eliminated from Euro 2020 by Switzerland: "Deschamps paid the price for taking Karim Benzema, it was too late for him to be integrated into the squad"



That's a bit dishonest. Here he is criticizing Deschamps, Benzema isn't a scapegoat, the criticism is about how Deschamps selected too late and then made changes that he didn't control properly which messed the overall structure. All of that is true defensively and offensively the new front three collectively failed to provide what was needed, that's on Deschamps and provoked by the late addition of Benzema.
 
When the squad was announced, so at the very last minute. Didn't play in a single qualifier or friendly.

Strange management for sure.

it is strange.surely a player who has played with many of these players before - doesn’t need integrating. Him and Giroid for example seemed to get on well despite their previous issues.

Mpabbe (not for the missed pen) was a bigger problem for them. Benzema was excellent.
 
it is strange.surely a player who has played with many of these players before - doesn’t need integrating. Him and Giroid for example seemed to get on well despite their previous issues.

Mpabbe (not for the missed pen) was a bigger problem for them. Benzema was excellent.

They are talking about tactic.
 
it is strange.surely a player who has played with many of these players before - doesn’t need integrating. Him and Giroid for example seemed to get on well despite their previous issues.

Mpabbe (not for the missed pen) was a bigger problem for them. Benzema was excellent.

He was out of the squad for blackmailing a national team colleague, not for playing reasons.

Get him back in a few months before the tournament to see how he fits in with the group. If there's still a load of issues/resentment then you can deal with it outside of a tournament situation.

There's no benefit in leaving it to the very last second, not for Benzema and not for the rest of the squad.
 
He was out of the squad for blackmailing a national team colleague, not for playing reasons.

Get him back in a few months before the tournament to see how he fits in with the group. If there's still a load of issues/resentment then you can deal with it outside of a tournament situation.

There's no benefit in leaving it to the very last second, not for Benzema and not for the rest of the squad.

i know that - my point is he’s not a complete stranger to many of the squad.