Wasn't a surprise to hear that he may have a bit of an ego but the way Zidane puts it, sounds pretty bad. After the tournament he's had, there's an opportunity for him to take stock, sort himself out and come back strong this coming season to prove some people wrong. He has it in him to be truly great but he's not there yet. He's at a seminal moment and Zizou's comments should be considered as a wake up call for sure...
This France team reminded me of the 2006 Brazil team that I thought just didn't seem to take matters seriously. It seems that mbappe might have been a distraction on top of it. He can achieve so much though. Hopefully he pulls it together
Maybe he needs to move away from France.. New Challenge to get his shi8 together but who can afford him ? No one
The problem with this French team appears to be that the squad was mislead and mismanaged. To his credit, Deschamps did do very well to steer the team back after the fiasco that was their campaign in SA 2010 but it was pretty obvious that he got away from some of his own principles and ideas in regards to have a united/tight squad with some of his selections for this group. The squad looked fractured, with the cracks showing amidst the controversy between Mbappe and Giroud, when it never should have been a thing. Also, while they had good moments, due to the individual quality of their players, something was missing in terms of their collective play. Really came to a head when they were set up incorrectly with that 3 at the back formation they never used vs the Swiss and looked poor for large sections of the game. The individual brilliance of Benz, Griez and Pogba looked like it was going to bail them out, but they ultimately proved unable to hold onto to a 3-1, which is a pretty bad indictment for a team of that quality. It's time for him to go and be replaced by someone who will be able to regain control and also set them up in a manner that will get the most out of their talent.
Mentioned it previously but this is probably the easiest, most straightforward move there is, one that can be messed only if you actually tried to. If he still wants the job, you give it to him as soon as possible. Even more than Deschamps ever did, he would have tons of cred for all of his achievements both as a player and manager. And the love and respect from most of the current French players run deep for him. Can't think of a better person right now to lead that group forward: would give them a massive shot in the arm and they could go on another great run for the next few years.
Heard leboeuf talk about France's inability to hold on to that lead. He said forget everything else the players on the field needed to see it through. No excuses. Loved hearing him talk.
It's inexcusable for players of that caliber not to being able to do what it took to preserve that kind of lead. I also liked alot of what he had to say but stopped short of putting any responsability on Deschamps, which is simply wrong. The players have to bear responsability but as the coach, the buck ultimately stops with him. Leboeuf won't criticize him because he's a friend and ex teammate from the world and european champion sides of 98 and 2000. Great analysis overall but that part was disappointing, as it's a crucial part of why things went wrong for France during this campaign.
Zakaria finally gets an appearance today with Xhaka suspended: let's see how he does vs Spain. Another guy arguably worth keeping an eye on. He's about to start the last year of his contract with Gladbach and thus available at a very reasonable price. And he promptly deflects Alba's prospective shot into his own net to give Spain the lead, 1-0...
All square now as Torres and Laporte fluff their lines, with Shaqiri taking advantage. Switzerland down to 10 men now. Looked a bit harsh tbh. RED CARD! Freuler is sent off and Switzerland are down to 10 men 😳 pic.twitter.com/KIFa5LhNhg— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 2, 2021 Very harsh actually.
English referee's have shown their ass this tournament. They have shown: 1. How bad they are in comparison to the rest of the world 2. How bad they use Var Those two things combine are really criminal.
Unless Spain really decides to go for this, this could be a long 30mins. Imagine Switzerland will be looking to hold on to take this to penalties. Pretty clear so far that Spain is trying real hard for things not to get that point.
2 stupid red cards, no way it was a red and same for Danielson. Hope Swiss can take to Penalties and win ... Spain is boring too many sideways cutback FFS
On to the main event. XI: Donnarumma, Di Lorenzo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Spinnazola, Jorginho, Barella, Verratti, Chiesa, Insigne, Immobile XI: Courtois, Alderweireld, Vermaelen, Vertonghen, Meunier, Witsel, Tielemans, T.Hazard, De Bruyne, Doku, Lukaku KdB starting is huge but how fit is he? Interesting to have Doku in there as well.
Belgium lineup shows just how far Hazard has fallen. Cant get into the team ahead of Doku or little bro.
Edin Hazard injured - hamstring. KDB makes it though; On Kevin De Bruyne…Expect ankle is taped. But as discussed before, these injuries (even mild ones) can be difficult to rotate & make quick turns on. Hopefully can still be as effective as he usually is.#BEL #EURO2020 #MCI #MCFC #BELITA #EPL https://t.co/Z7WKLSy9NS— InjuryMechanisms (@IMechanisms) July 2, 2021
100 from Luis Enrique: mistakes don't define the man but his character (and how he responds to said mistake) does. Luis Enrique after the Croatia game: "Unai has taught everyone a lesson. After a mistake, your mistake does not matter, but your attitude after the mistake."It is a lesson for all his team-mates and for all the children who want to play football."#EURO2020 | #ESP https://t.co/eGguE7mvKx— GOAL (@goal) July 2, 2021