This video went viral for all the right reasons. Speaks volumes of our two nations. Gives you hope for humanity.
Kante was hugely credited for his performance in the matches he started because of his high pass %. Yesterday Pogba completed the most passes of all players (100 out of 105, 95%). Problematically given Pogba's positioning, all these passes tended to occur in non-threatening areas. Worse, seeing how deep Portugal were playing, Pogba's long passing game wasn't necessary or useful. ESPNFC had great analysis found here http://www.espnfc.com/video/espn-fc-tv/86/video/2911567 http://www.espnfc.com/video/espn-fc-tv/86/video/2911548/whos-to-blame-for-frances-failings
One guy said he was out of position and the other said that if he's really worth 100 million he should be superhuman in every match and regardless if he plays slightly higher or lower on the pitch. I really dont agree with either opinion. Noone was talking about Pogba being out of position against Ireland or Germany. He had good matches those two games. And while he may have been better when he was slotted into the lefthand side, Matuidi was clueless on the right. What was clear to nearly everyone was that France as a team played better in the 4-2-3-1 formation with Griezmann in the playmaker role. In a sense DD decided to build the team around Antoine at that point and not Pogba. So Pogba was forced to play a more defensive role. Could DD have tried to keep experimenting and tried a 4-4-2 diamond shape with Kante in the holding role and maybe Giroud and Griezmann up top and Payet in the number 10 role and Pogba on the right side of the diamond? Sure, maybe. But he would have been criticized for too much tinkering. Never settling on a formation, game plan etc. It may have destabilized the whole balance of the team. Plus then Pogba would have still been out of position on the right side. I also think that these astronomical valuations of young, basically unproven young players is messing things up at a certain level.
Pandore, I used to wonder why you criticize Deschamps so much, but after this debacle, I understand why. I had always liked Deschamps. He made his name at Marseille, my favorite French club. He also managed to hold his own with Juventus in Italy, at a time when French football was at a low point. He has a very impressive resume when you consider he was our captain when we won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. As an ancient, it seems he used his charm to secure the French management job. His unwillingness to play Pogba in his natural position and to start one or two fresher players in the final cost us the title. I have to agree with you when you say that he is inept. Ronaldo's injury was an excellent opportunity for him to go for the jugular, and yet he let it slip through his fingers. What really worries me is that if he stays on as manager as has been reported, these sorts of gaffes might repeat themselves. He is known for being stubborn. France has an impressive array of talent at the moment. With the right person in charge, the team could be virtually invincible. Right now, to my mind, Deschamps is not the right man to lead this team forward.
so who do u suggest ... DD may not the best but the others are worse .. zidane is not leaving madrid , wenger isnt leaving .. these two are the only world class coaches we have .. patrick vierra is another candidate
Yeah i agree. Stick with DD. France have achieved stability and reached a major final, a major achievement since the disaster 6 years ago. So tired of the same old sports discussions; team does well, goes on a long unbeaten streak, loses one match and everyone seems to want a complete overhaul. Of course there are going to be questions about tactics. Anytime a team loses, the easiest thing to do is find mistakes with 20/20 hindsight. Keep in mind, France had not played a competitive match in 2 years and wentbthrough this tournament with a seriously weakened defense. Considering the lack of managerial possibilities at the moment, its best to stay with DD and build on the Euro experience before 2018.
For a country which continues to produce technically-adroit players and helped launch international football as we know it, France certainly has a dearth of top-level managers. A friend of mine who lives in Madrid and thinks that Benzema is the best number 9 in world football(I beg to differ) believes that France should consider hiring a foreign manager. I'm afraid we're too proud for that. It seems that observers outside of France blame Deschamps for the final loss whereas the French footballing establishment wants to pat him on the back.
Exactly. DD has now had a chance to see how the players and team react to pressure in competitive games and can make adjustments going forward. Realistically noone knew that the Umtiti-Kos partnership would be so successful and Deschamps has more freedom to create more attacking lineups knowing that the backline is safe.
My 2 cents: FIFA should change the rule to where managers must come from the country just like the players. I hate the idea of mercenary managers at national teams. All of the "experts" in the media are blaming DD because hes the easy target. Managers are always the easy target and the "easy" fix is to find a new one. I see progress that requires patience. As we all know, 2010 was horrible and the rebuild began. Progress under Blanc was slow and shaky but under DD, France finished wc 2014 in QF to Germany, the eventual winners. 2016 saw them beat those world champions for a berth in a major cup final (with a rag-tag defense). Sure, it ended badly but its very good progress. This team could very likely win 2018 especially once they go thru a qualification campaign and work out the few kinks that remain.
The progress made since the 2010 fiasco is indeed impressive. It was thrilling to see someone like Griezmann seize the opportunity to make a name for himself. I still can't shake the feeling that with a few tweaks to Sunday's starting eleven and a bit of impudence that France could have been celebrating a third European Championship crown. This will haunt French football until we win another major competition. I take courage from the fact that the bulk of our squad should still be in place come 2018 with new faces emerging, but two years is a long time in football. I imagine that the parity we saw at these Euros will continue unabated. You always hope for the best, but other factors will come into play.
Plus, France only needed to go through Germany and Ronaldo-less Portugal to win the tournament given how things unfolded. As we also saw with Portugal and Madrid in CL, the road to the final in KO competitions matters a great deal. France may not be so fortunate next time in that regard and yet may very likely play at a higher level at WC 2018 once these the team comes together tactically only to get unlucky on the path to another final. Luck plays a huge huge role in determine who wins these types of tournaments.
Yes, you're absolutely correct! It felt like this thing was written in the stars, only for Deschamps to drop the ball. I have to admit that I was very worried when Ronaldo went off injured. I felt that it would have the knock-on effect of strengthening Portugal's resolve, and so it proved. What a weird, sad end to what was supposed to have been France's moment!
Today, France won the Under 19 European Championship after thrashing Italy 4-0 in the final -- I suppose it can serve as a consolation for French football after missing out on Euro 2016. PSG's Jean-Kevin Augustin ended as tournament top scorer with 6 goals. What I like most about France right now, both at senior and junior levels, is the emphasis on attacking football. The country seems to be finally producing strikers who can score on a consistent basis. The future looks bright.