A 41212 with 2 offensive fullbacks who are not so good at defending ? Really doubt that.
France national team | Martial ruled out due to injury, Lemar replaces him
- Thread starter Santi_Mesut_Alexis_87
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Interesting post
- RUFFIER: I also rate him. Some rumours say he's blacklisted for complaining about his role for France.
- DIGNE & HERNANDEZ: I don't follow La Liga but I have the feeling that Hernandez is more robust and reliable. As a PSG fan, I can be biased about Digne.
- UMTITI & VARANE: they are not leader but followers, overly relax with their approach to football
- CB: I agree. Other options should have been tested this season. This week, Kimpembe should have played a bit.
- RABIOT: mixed feelings. I was one of those who thought he should have been part of the WC 2014 and Euro 2016. Unfortunately, he shoots himself in the foot with his 'diva behaviour' throughout the season. With a better mentality, he could have been the best midfielder by far. 'Shisha' doesn't help...
- CM: N'zonzi is a choice by default
- Lemar: the idea is also to benefit from a proven partnership with Mendy
- Thauvin: I find him good but certainly not world-class player. I would have taken Coman even if he needs time to be 100% fit
- I believe Deschamps only considers 2 tactical option
------ 4-3-3 with the appealing trio Dembélé+M'bappé+Griezmann
------ 4-3-3 with Griezmann + Giroud + M'bappé
- I don't think the following team has been tested: 4-2-Griezmann- (Dembélé+Giroud+M'bappé)
Conclusion
(1) Deschamps is a very conservative coach who doesn't like to change his habits
(2) His view is 'We reached the Euro 2016 final so I don't need to make substantial changes'. Domenech did take the same approach in 2008. France reached the WC final in 2006 and deployed the same starting 11 (without Zidane of course) but some players on the pitch were injured or unfit. France was ridiculed in 2008...
(3) He prefers a happy sheep than a big mouth more talented. Influenced by Aimé Jacquet and the management of players like Cantona and Ginola...
(4) He selected 17-18 competitive players and 5-6 players who will smile while being on the bench (Club Med G.O.)
The defence looked weak against USA and I definitely dont want Sidibe at United
Sidibé has clearly been rushed to be fit, just like Mendy. They really shouldn't start as their covers are rather good and in better form
@Ecstatic
Oh thanks you. Well I must say I do agree most of what you said.
I heard there was no personal problem with Ruffier just a understanding disagree as he wanted competition and Lloris was settled. I don't rate Mandanda, maybe Areola/Lafont would rise for 2022. But as long as he prevents Tot from growing up, not sure he is in danger.
I also do watched a few Atl. I'm not a fan of Hernandez as lb because he is not completely offensive, technical... but he is doing the job, brings supports for the attacks. Simeone ! Digne is a good n2 too, easy to manage, wasn't bad the few games he had at fcb and now Bayern looks interested for a n2 role. We can't ask him more. Do you really win something with Berchiche ?
I know N'Zonzi was a choice by default but my point was that he shouldn't. Not a big name but a true solution.
I could get the Lemar/Mendy thing but why didn't he play the games against Eire and USA with Mendy then? Weird...
There are 2 RW already. So I guess I just would have taken any 9 under Bernes if it was just the Thauvin's goal.
Maybe the problem is just the midfield's complication: a true 6: N'Zonzi, a true box to box/ polyvalent player: Tolisso/ Kanté (Tolisso is better at the passing(?)) and a true 10: Lemar/ Fekir and you resolve some of the issues. Pogba was really interesting as 8 against USA but not sure he can balance his defensive and offensive contribution. And DD is not Pep so
Conclusion
DD's view is biaised : if he reached the final, it's also because he had to do some involuntary changes during the Euro as his first team wasn't the best
DD's management has no coherence.
Watch sudam teams preferently if you want to enjoy your WC. Thankfully the team can advance and Brazil has an "issue" with France so who knows, if they pass Croatia/Nigeria and Portugal...
I should stop being so demanding for my own good, transforming myself into a Mou-out
Oh thanks you. Well I must say I do agree most of what you said.
I heard there was no personal problem with Ruffier just a understanding disagree as he wanted competition and Lloris was settled. I don't rate Mandanda, maybe Areola/Lafont would rise for 2022. But as long as he prevents Tot from growing up, not sure he is in danger.
I also do watched a few Atl. I'm not a fan of Hernandez as lb because he is not completely offensive, technical... but he is doing the job, brings supports for the attacks. Simeone ! Digne is a good n2 too, easy to manage, wasn't bad the few games he had at fcb and now Bayern looks interested for a n2 role. We can't ask him more. Do you really win something with Berchiche ?
I know N'Zonzi was a choice by default but my point was that he shouldn't. Not a big name but a true solution.
I could get the Lemar/Mendy thing but why didn't he play the games against Eire and USA with Mendy then? Weird...
There are 2 RW already. So I guess I just would have taken any 9 under Bernes if it was just the Thauvin's goal.
Maybe the problem is just the midfield's complication: a true 6: N'Zonzi, a true box to box/ polyvalent player: Tolisso/ Kanté (Tolisso is better at the passing(?)) and a true 10: Lemar/ Fekir and you resolve some of the issues. Pogba was really interesting as 8 against USA but not sure he can balance his defensive and offensive contribution. And DD is not Pep so
Conclusion
DD's view is biaised : if he reached the final, it's also because he had to do some involuntary changes during the Euro as his first team wasn't the best
DD's management has no coherence.
Watch sudam teams preferently if you want to enjoy your WC. Thankfully the team can advance and Brazil has an "issue" with France so who knows, if they pass Croatia/Nigeria and Portugal...
I should stop being so demanding for my own good, transforming myself into a Mou-out
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Probably that he's pretty average in general. Suits France I suppose. They appear to not be very physically imposing.
I don't know why N'Zonzi is not starting. I mean he's clearly France's only true CDM. Kante is a CM, he goes forward all the time.
I would start N'Zonzi-Pogba-Kante. With France's attacking power I don't think it's necessary to use Tolisso from the beginning, just take him on when the game is tough.
I would start N'Zonzi-Pogba-Kante. With France's attacking power I don't think it's necessary to use Tolisso from the beginning, just take him on when the game is tough.
I fully agree with you that the strategy of DD is unclear and inconsistent.
I think DD is lost because:
- He doesn't know how to get the most out of the offensive players... and he refuses to choose between a starting 11 with or without Giroud
- He doesn't have a defensive leader: he would have loved having a player like Makélélé
- There isn't a single full-back who makes a brilliant season: Mendy injured, Kurzawa failure, Sidibé
He struggles to fix the midfield and have a clear strategy:
- He made 3 choices by default: Pavard and Hernandez central defenders deployed as FB, and N'zonzi who is the new Pascal Chimbonda (see WC 2006)
- He consistently changes his tactical system. It means he still looking for the right starting 11...
Deschamps should have taken recently some decisions like "M'bappé will be the main striker and we will play 3 consecutive games with M'bappé as a #9"
We are still doing very diverse experiments a few weeks before the World Cup but as you suggested Deschamps is known for being a lucky coach...
The interesting thing is we don't know what to expect from that team despite having a fantastic offensive powehouse.
As far as I'm concerned, I would prefer Giroud as a 'super sub' and develop the team on the basis of the trio M'bappé-Dembélé-Griezmann who share the same language.
It's too early to throw DD
You need to wait for 1 week for that Who is Tot?
You're right to suggest the conflict of interests is obvious when we know Deschamps/Thauvin/Fekir share the same agent...
(1) Thauvin instead of Coman is a 'surprise' when we know Thauvin has never done a great game against a top team and that the latter has chosen Bernès several months ago...
(2) The case of Fekir who was picked instead of a central midfielder (the tradition is to have 2 players per role and we have now 5 central midfielders against 9 offensive players). The selection while still being unfit is another illustration.
https://www.foot01.com/equipe/ol/ol-fekir-une-selection-en-bleu-pas-vraiment-meritee,227728
2014, 2016, 2018: just a rehearsal.I fully agree with you that the strategy of DD is unclear and inconsistent.
We are still doing very diverse experiments a few weeks before the World Cup but as you suggested Deschamps is known for being a lucky coach...
The interesting thing is we don't know what to expect from that team despite having a fantastic offensive powehouse.
It's too early to throw DD
And who is Tot ?
- new players, new big names, new negative system, new preparation for the next challenge. Well tbh 2014 was good. The choices were "consistent". And there would have been some good continuity between 2016/2018 if there wasn't Monaco 2017...
I think it's More like 2 years to except that. Anyway Puel has no chance so no interest.
And tot ? Tottenham...
Puel with Monaco was brilliant: is he your preferred coach? Would you prefer Zidane instead of Deschamps?
After winning the Champions League with Paris in 2019, I want Tuchel to replace Deschamps in 2020
.
In general I do not have a favorite coach just a type.
And Zidane of course, not a fan of the person, but he knows to adjust quickly when he has done a bad formation and he really succeeded with the turnover to give most of his players some value. He benched Isco and Benzema when it was needed and gave a chance to the academy players... he still doesn't really have a proper team's style though, but I guess the most important for a NT coach is to find a specific identity depending the players.
Tuchel ? Maybe he will going to Mu next, trying to steal his mentor's kingdom. Good story.
And 2019 ? Atletico in its stadium.
If we're talking about french coach I would say Puel by far: qualification in C3 for Nice and of course first semis in Lyon's history. I was too young when he was at ASM and Losc but it looks like he did some good stuffs too.Puel with Monaco was brilliant: is he your preferred coach? Would you prefer Zidane instead of Deschamps?
After winning the Champions League with Paris in 2019, I want Tuchel to replace Deschamps in 2020
In general I do not have a favorite coach just a type.
And Zidane of course, not a fan of the person, but he knows to adjust quickly when he has done a bad formation and he really succeeded with the turnover to give most of his players some value. He benched Isco and Benzema when it was needed and gave a chance to the academy players... he still doesn't really have a proper team's style though, but I guess the most important for a NT coach is to find a specific identity depending the players.
Tuchel ? Maybe he will going to Mu next, trying to steal his mentor's kingdom. Good story.
And 2019 ? Atletico in its stadium.
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@Aurell
Excellent to have a new poster interested in the Ligue 1.
It's obvious that Zidane will be the head coach of the NT sooner or later.
And because I like to quote myself.
Excellent to have a new poster interested in the Ligue 1.
It's obvious that Zidane will be the head coach of the NT sooner or later.
And because I like to quote myself.
16 years ago, Puel was the coach of Monaco that won the title
What a superb team
Djetou was also part of the squad.
Costinha = Da Costa
@Ecstatic
Yeah too bad he didn't win anything with Lyon, the team was so talented. And also that issue at Nice with his son
But it's cool he set himself up, a little bit, in PL and found a new experience so quickly
...
However, to be less off topic, good news for Sidibe, Mbappe and Umtiti today as they participated to the collective training.
Yeah too bad he didn't win anything with Lyon, the team was so talented. And also that issue at Nice with his son
But it's cool he set himself up, a little bit, in PL and found a new experience so quickly
...
However, to be less off topic, good news for Sidibe, Mbappe and Umtiti today as they participated to the collective training.
That's a very french conversation, we are the only one liking him. I don't think that he would be a good fit for France, there is too much politic at the FFF.
Was watching a presser with M'Bappé. The level of questionning was appalling. French journos are truly trash.
In among 10 questions, maybe 1 was truly relevant to football and the WC
In among 10 questions, maybe 1 was truly relevant to football and the WC
When we read what we read, then hear what we hear from French journos, we are right to think what we think.
@kouroux
Didier Roustan made the point that Deschamps was more suited to club football than international football because he has strong opinions that don't really suit the job. I kind of agree, what do you think about it?
Didier Roustan made the point that Deschamps was more suited to club football than international football because he has strong opinions that don't really suit the job. I kind of agree, what do you think about it?
I think he is more suited to international football being a man manager more than a tactician.
Being a little intense and sometimes confrontational with players works better for him with the international schedule. Finally the higher freedom he has now is in his benefit while he ended up in conflict with the management at Juve and OM.
Being a little intense and sometimes confrontational with players works better for him with the international schedule. Finally the higher freedom he has now is in his benefit while he ended up in conflict with the management at Juve and OM.
Being a man manager doesn't make you a good international manager, in fact I would say that being a tactician and game manager is more important, mainly because you need to adapt to players that are not necessarily your cup of tea. I also don't think that he is a bad tactician either, Monaco and Marseille were both teams without great players that he turned into very difficult teams to beat and that was mainly based on tactics. He is just too stubborn and opinionated for international football, he has his idea of balance that don't necessarily suit the players at his disposal, it was a good thing between 2012-2016 because we had bad players with bad attitudes but now he needs to adapt to players with far better attitude which most likely won't happen.
The reason he succeeded between 2012-2016 is because he built a club like atmosphere around the national team.
I honestly don't know what he exactly means by that.
He is good at setting up defensively sound teams, which is the easiest and most efficient use of the limited prep time you have with NTs. Ensuring you don't concede then letting your attackers do their thing to score the 1 or 2 goals you need will work at international level but won't be enough at club level because you need to bully midtable fodder in the most efficient way possible to win titles.
He means that Deschamps is more suited to a day to day job because he lacks flexibility.
I wouldn't agree because Deschamps has showed a lot of flexibility and has been trying countless formations for months now.
I wouldn't call it flexibility when the intent is the same, in the last month he has tried to do the same thing with different players. And he ultimately went back to the tried and tested Giroud as an anchor and one defensively responsible wide man. It's also the same possession approach.
How awful is Deschamps? They are a lot like us
You can't really call it defensive football. It's just tumescent and awful.
You can't really call it defensive football. It's just tumescent and awful.
The knockout stages will be different, anyway they still aren't at their best.
Yet people want us to bring Mbappe into this same type of football.
I love their players but I can't warm to them as a team simply because of one man... Deschamps.
They're in the final because of their sheer quality. How can such a talented team play such disgusting football? It's somewhere between defensive and tumescent.
Anyway congratulations to the French on here.
They're in the final because of their sheer quality. How can such a talented team play such disgusting football? It's somewhere between defensive and tumescent.
Anyway congratulations to the French on here.
That's complete nonsense. We are in final because he built a team, for some reason the team raises its mental during tournaments and that's because of Deschamps. I'm not a fan of the tactics but he built a strong team.
They've been good for at least 3 games in a row now. It's not the best stuff we've ever seen in football but it's still solid stuff.
Do you still think Deschamps is more suited to club than international football?
I do, I think that if he was managing one of the top french teams we would have a very solid team in Europe.
I think he's set up this team very intelligently and he's getting the best out of it tbh. I don't know why people expect them to be playing samba football or something. They are extremely solid in midfield and lethal on the break.
They're also good to watch. Like, apart from the last group game, I have enjoyed watching them.
They're also good to watch. Like, apart from the last group game, I have enjoyed watching them.
They're ugly but solid. They haven't fascinated me, their football is a bit tumescent but effective.
We'll see, he'll probably have another shot after his NT stint, I'd expect a top club team managed by Deschamps to look like the early 90s Marseille.
In international football the easiest ways to score are set pieces and counter-attacks. We've been strong on set pieces on both ends of the pitch and what's remarkable is that not only we never looked like conceding from a counter, the opposition almost never were in position to run a counter against us the whole tournament. Credit to Deschamps for that.
I'm not denying their effectiveness. They make very few mistakes are quite conservative and play the percentages. Their quality gives them a great chance. As a neutral, it's though to watch but very effective.
My view of Deschamps is blinkered a bit. I haven't seen much of his teams outside the French NT but I remember when we played his Mersaille side. Remains one of the worst matches I've ever seen.
My view of Deschamps is blinkered a bit. I haven't seen much of his teams outside the French NT but I remember when we played his Mersaille side. Remains one of the worst matches I've ever seen.
Theyve played better than tonight but it's a WC semi? It's all about winning?
Enjoy the celebrations.
I'm at home, relax. We have the experience of losing a final: 2006, 2016
(I voted for France as my likely winners..... shhhh).I'm at home, relax. We have the experience of losing a final: 2006, 2016