FRANCE CAPTAIN: HUGO LLORIS M AN AGER: DIDIER DESCH AMPS NICKN AME: LES BLEUS FIFA RANK: 7 HOW THEY QUALIFIED: WINNERS OF EUROPEAN GROUP B AHEAD OF SWEDEN PREFERRED SYSTEM: 4-4-2 OR 4-3-3 STAR PL AYER: ANTOINE GRIEZM ANN (ATLÉ TICO M ADRID) ONE TO WATCH: KYLI AN MBAPPÉ (PARIS STGERM AIN)
Manger Didier Deschamps quotes “We are not at the same level as Germany, Spain and Brazil just yet”. “We may not control all our games with the same authority but still, we have a strong and competitive team with a great potential.” France blew hot and cold in qualifying, winning their group despite losing to Sweden and drawing against Belarus and Luxembourg. Deschamps has a thrilling and explosive attack of Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé. There is a strong midfield built around Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kanté, lots of technical ability all around with such as Thomas Lemar and a sound defensive axis. Still, France appear more effective when playing on the break and using their speed. The weakest link? The left-back position with the injury to Manchester City’s Benjamin Mendy.
ROAD TO RUSSI A The French team topped Europe’s Group B, which featured Netherlands and Sweden, but
qualification was closer than expected. Deschamps’ men finished four points ahead of both the Dutch and the Swedes, losing to Janne Andersson’s side away and also dropping points against Belarus and Luxembourg. A maximum points haul was not expected, but it was feasible, so the loss in Sweden and the home draw with Luxembourg was disappointing.
STRENGTH France boast an abundance of young talent and strength (not to mention quality) in depth that almost every other nation can only dream of. With the exception of a few select positions, notably left-back and right-back, Deschamps has an enviable array of proven star quality or exceptional promise to choose from. The 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship-winning captain is going to have a stronger headache than most in deciding who to leave behind this summer.
