FReims showed more energy in the 1-1 draw with Poland, thanks in large part to the return of Kylian Mbappe. The captain played the entire game and coolly took penalties, but the team did not live up to the level they had been almost unanimously considered favorites before the game. There are bright spots for Dortmund, who have reached the last 16, but there are as many questions as answers for France as they have drawn two of their three group games and scored just two goals – one penalty. and an own goal.
Kylian Mbappe: The game changer
Over the past decade, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have become the embodiment of their respective national teams. It looks like Mbappe has now reached that level, at least in terms of France’s attack. That’s not to mock the quality of the players around him or their performance against Poland – no one really disappointed – but the captain, returning from a broken nose against Austria, was the only one who looked like he had any chance Players who want to score goals.
Mbappe, a direct character eager to get his teammates involved, acted like a coiled spring and was helpless against the outstanding performance of Polish goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski. He looks as sharp as he has in weeks or even months, much to the relief of head coach Didier Deschamps. Nonetheless, his performance also highlighted the lack of attacking threat elsewhere, especially given the relatively conservative selection in midfield.
William Saliba: Faith is rewarded
Although Willian has had two excellent seasons with Arsenal in the Premier League (and previously excelled at Marseille), Willian Saliba was not Deschamps’ unanimous choice. This is partly due to the emergence of Raphael Varane, to whom Saliba is often compared. They are both excellent passers of the ball and good tacklers, and both are right-footed defenders who often play to the left of the two central defenders.
Just as Varane continues to repay Deschamps’ faith in him, Saliba has done the same in this tournament, with his side making no mistakes in three games. Despite the lack of cohesion in France’s attack, it’s also important to highlight that the team has not conceded a goal in open play since March. They are walking a tightrope but, with Saliba at the back, they look a far cry from the team that conceded seven goals in four games at the last World Cup.
Bradley Bakla: Sprout
Just 18 months ago, Bradley Bakla was a promising but untested Lyon player. At that time he only contributed one assist in Ligue 1, so he was usually left out of the team by Karl Toko Ekabi. But the next six months in Lyon were legendary. Bakola scored five goals and provided nine assists in just 16 starts, earning him a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
He has produced more of the same in the capital, with four goals and seven assists in 2024, mostly playing on the left wing. Although he was an obvious choice to provide the team with some attacking spark, he has been on the bench for France’s first two games, even when Kylian Mbappe was not on the side against the Netherlands. is also like this. The 21-year-old impressed on his international debut against Poland, his involvement almost allowing Mbappe to score twice from the air. Bakla combines dynamic energy and unpredictability with a willingness to blend in, showing that he belongs in the team no matter the opponent.
Ousmane Dembélé: Need to rethink?
Is the same true for Ousmane Dembélé? Dembélé has been a regular for Deschamps since 2018 and did well to win penalties and looked sharper than he did against the Netherlands, but he seemed to lose focus, especially in the first half, and Continue to flatter and deceive. How France’s tactics at this World Cup compare to those from their 2018 World Cup win, with Adrien Rabiot playing a hybrid winger role to Blaise Matuidi, and whether Deschamps can use Giroud Starting, moving Mbappe to the right, further returning to the form of six years ago?
The Milan striker isn’t getting any younger but he could be an option if France need goals. It’s also worth noting that Dembélé only played two minutes in the knockout stages of the World Cup in Russia, with Griezmann playing in Giroud’s place. Such a switch might be too radical at this juncture, but if Kingsley Coman is fit for the start of the last 16, he might be a better option than Dembélé.
Theo Hernandez: A mature performance
Theo Hernandez has long been considered a defensive liability, but it’s important to remember that he has started in each of the past two World Cup finals and has provided eight assists in 30 international appearances. He might have had two more chances last night, the first finding Mbappe at the back post and the second coming in before half-time.
Hernandez lost nothing in the rest of the game and his defense became increasingly solid, providing good cover for an inexperienced Bakola side against Poland. He is the most experienced defender in the squad and his clinical presence will be crucial for his country, especially with some around him still getting their hands on Championship football.
Didier Deschamps: Caution in extreme situations
With Poland already eliminated and France needing a better result than the Netherlands to secure top spot, Deschamps is, as always, overly cautious. Despite Kylian Mbappe’s return to fitness, the manager stuck to his unbalanced 4-3-3 formation, surprisingly dropping Antoine Griezmann and once again fielding a rather conservative midfield trio that avoided More improved players such as Youssef Fofana and Warren Zaire Emery were opened.
When he did make a change in midfield, he replaced N’Golo Kante, France’s best player at this World Cup. In theory, bringing in Griezmann is an attack-minded change, but it would only destabilize the team, especially with Aurelian Chumeny still recovering from fitness and Rabiot going through Had a night off. Poland never came close to winning the game and Dayot Upamecano’s penalty penalty was a personal error, but Deschamps desperately needs to find a more progressive system as Mbappe alone is not enough to win this game.
