Team Focus: Fierce Competition Apparent as France Brush Aside Denmark
Didier Deschamps came close to his Aimé Jacquet moment but the worst, it appears, has since passed. The run of three defeats in four games that led into the last international window hadn’t put the former Juventus, Monaco and Marseille boss in any serious danger - and he hadn’t had to cope with a crowd chanting for him to resign, as Jacquet had to bear at Montpellier when England won there during 1997’s Le Tournoi - but plenty of observers were shifting uncomfortably in their seats.
It’s always so hard to judge progress and assuage public anxiety when a nation prepares to host, shorn of truly competitive context, but four wins in four games, with just two goals conceded in the process, have come just at the right time for Deschamps. With eight months to go until the start of Euro 2016, France are beginning to look the part ahead of an enlarged competition lacking any blindingly obvious favourites.
Sunday night’s win over Denmark at Copenhagen’s Parken Stadium was their second in the space of four days, and they’d have got through both without so much as conceding a goal but for Erik Sviatchenko’s superb swerving shot from outside the area for the home side in stoppage time. In truth, such a bolt from the blue looked like the only way Morten Olsen’s side were going to score.
The final scoreline - 2-1 in France’s favour - was clement on Denmark. Even if these centralised friendlies might be unavoidably lacking a certain sort of edge, there is no lack of competition within Deschamps’ ranks. Even with a host of absentees, including the injured Karim Benzema - who scored twice on Thursday against Armenia - Paul Pogba and Laurent Koscielny - with the Arsenal defender not quite fit enough to take his place in the squad in the first place - the depth available to France remains impressive.
Eight changes were made to the XI that started against Armenia at the Allianz Riviera, but there was still an appreciable gap in class between the home side and next summer’s home nation. Albeit aided by two early Olivier Giroud goals, which both owed plenty to some uncharacteristic negligence by Kasper Schmeichel, France were comfortable throughout, and there was also the sense that they could step it up when they wanted to.
This was another notable example of greater possession equalling neither dominance nor control. Denmark shaded it, with 51.6% of the ball, but in most other departments were not even close, with France winning the shot count (14-7), aerial duels (8-4) and tackles (17-12) by a distance.
For a team whose resolve was being questioned by its national media such a short while ago, France have a surprisingly definitive identity now. When we last looked at Les Bleus’ progress, Deschamps’ head was in a slightly different spot. As we recounted, a rejig to the 4-4-2 formation - with the midfield losange, or diamond - to get the best of Nabil Fekir had been effected by the coach for the visit to Portugal, but the Lyon man’s serious injury early on in Lisbon quickly flipped that plan to the scrapheap.
It was by no means a waste of time, however. Sure, France have gone back to a 4-3-3, but finding a place for one of Deschamps’ go-to players, Moussa Sissoko, in a more narrow position on the right of midfield is getting the best out of the Newcastle powerhouse. Sissoko was again key at Parken, rating 7.33 and was again very tidy in his distribution, hitting the mark with 89.1% of his passes. He also made 3 tackles, a joint team high with Lucas Digne and Antoine Griezmann.
The contrast between Sissoko’s form for his club and country is marked - the 26-year-old has an average rating of just 6.65 in the Premier League this season and has landed only 74.4% of his passes - and although his issues at Newcastle are complicated against the background of a struggling team, his happiness under Deschamps is clear. Presuming the coach sticks with 4-3-3, it is hard to imagine Sissoko not kicking off the tournament next to Blaise Matuidi, who again shone, making 4 key passes among his 72 touches, and presumably Pogba when France get under way in Saint-Denis on June 10th.
Perhaps Deschamps’ biggest quandary remains in finding the balance up front. Giroud, the target of heavy criticism from fans in France’s game with Serbia last month, responded positively here, making the most of his luck for both his goals, which were two of five efforts he had on goal, which were all on target. Even if he remains of the fringes of Arsène Wenger’s Arsenal XI, it’s difficult to imagine him dropping out of the squad given the different profile he has in terms of style, gait and physicality compared to his apparent rivals.
Either side of Giroud, both Griezmann and Anthony Martial made convincing cases for their own inclusion. Griezmann’s form over the last couple of seasons speaks for itself, with only Cristiano Ronaldo (48) and Lionel Messi (43) bettering his total of 22 La Liga goals last season, of course. That he has already learned so much at Atlético Madrid is clear, with Diego Simeone’s use of him as an out-and-out striker allied to his growing up as a winger making him a versatile talent to have. Having opened the scoring against Armenia, Griezmann made three key passes against Denmark as well as doing his defensive share.
On the left, there’s a growing sense of excitement around Anthony Martial. Manchester United’s recent signing was excellent in his first senior start, having three shots, a key pass, two dribbles and managing to set up Giroud’s opener with a superbly disguised ball. His sense of ease on the big occasion, as well as his fine early season form for Monaco prior to his move to Manchester United, suggests he’d have been in the mix even if he hadn’t made the move to England. He’s certainly in strong contention now.
The pair’s rises may well worry the Lyon pair of Alexandre Lacazette, who only has two goals to his name so far this season, and the reliable Mathieu Valbuena. What is certain is that right now, France can field a first or second XI with little sign of a seam. Competition is fierce.
Can the players at Deschamps' disposal help France to European Championship glory next summer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
