#League #Nations #questions #arise #draw #Blues #Croatia
The Blues have not fully healed the wounds from Friday’s loss to Denmark. They were controlled by Croatia (1-1) on Monday, June 6, despite a good opening goal from Rabiot (51st). Kramaric (83rd) equalized from a penalty after a foul by Clauss. With a very remodeled team, France was not very calm and is in penultimate place in this group 1. Franceinfo: Sport returns to the four questions posed by this draw.
Is Tchouaméni becoming the true boss of the Blues?
He was the sole survivor of the loss to Denmark. Aurélien Tchouaméni played an hour, won 67% of his duels and scored 7 balls. These statistics made him the best French midfielder in this area, although he started in 62. Not everything was perfect, but his security and technical quality make the Monegasque unstoppable. “I found that he performed better in March, but he was also the only player that followed.”, analyzed the technician at a press conference. Revealed in blue in the last Nations League final, he impresses and has started four of France’s six matches since then.
At his side, Mattéo Guendouzi and Adrien Rabiot offered serious performances. But they seem, in the hierarchy, far from Tchouaméni. Will the former Bordeaux player threaten double pivot Kante-Pogba in the World Cup? The physical fragility of the pair surpasses it. In attitude he already has everything of a boss, at 22 years old. Although it wasn’t obvious on Monday, we did see him repeatedly haranguing his partners against Denmark.
Can Maignan compete with Lloris?
Hugo Lloris had not seen the bench in an official match for four years (France 0-0 Denmark, in the 2018 World Cup). Mike Maignan knew the opportunity, the Milan goalkeeper took advantage of it. After some random starts in the first act, the ex-Lillois recovered perfectly, for his third start in Blue, the first in official competition. He finished the game with four saves on the clock and couldn’t do much on Kramaric’s penalty.
71 ‘ Good save by Mike Maignan who goes down well to Modric’s shot!
0-1 | #CROFRA | #proudofbeingblues pic.twitter.com/1Us556FKbM
— French team ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) June 6, 2022
Italian champion and chosen as the best goalkeeper of the season in Serie A, Maignan (26) has reached a milestone this year. He demonstrated and confirmed everything he does very well with his club.Deschamps confirmed. I am lucky to have two very good goalkeepers available.” A welcome progression, as Lloris will blow out all 36 candles in December. The hierarchy seems at least fixed until Qatar, but the question of after Lloris may arise after the World Cup. There is currently no reason why Maignan should not inherit the position.
Is a permanent return to 4 defenders possible?
For the first time since September, Deschamps presented a device with four defenders. This choice, which follows Varane’s injury against Denmark, did not have all the expected effects. The alignment problems glimpsed on Friday have not been solved, Pavard’s mistake in the penalty test attests to this. The central Saliba-Kimpembé hinge, for its part, experienced some setbacks.
We will have to wait, at least, for the other two Nations League games (Friday and Monday) against Austria and again against Croatia to judge the sustainability of the system. Although the 3-4-1-2 is not perfect, it seems the most suitable for executive profiles. It has the advantage of better enhancing the offensive qualities of the corridor players, who have more freedom to project themselves than in Split.
Can we learn any real lessons after this game?
Didier Deschamps does not hide it: such matches serve in particular to “have more answers”. “We play all the games to win them with this objective, but they are also preparation games. It is a preview of what awaits us at the end of the year. [la Coupe du monde]“added the boss of the Blues after the meeting.
With ten changes since the loss to Denmark, the coach did not stop halfway on Monday. Inevitably, the Blues didn’t shine by automatism, although the goal came from a combination between Ben Yedder and Rabiot. The French were very inexperienced: the starting 11 played 16 games on average, compared to 56 on Friday, and again, full-back Pavard and Digne account for half of the total.
The starting line-up of our Blues against Croatia
Starts at 8:45 p.m. @M6 #CROFRA | #proudofbeingblues pic.twitter.com/UKvhIgyNGt
— French team ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) June 6, 2022
It is difficult, under these conditions, to place a real value on overall performance. What’s more, Croatia also turned around and didn’t really blow the screen apart from a successful last quarter of an hour.
You also have to take into account the physical variable, since it was very hot and humid in Split. This game, in relative play, came in the twilight of an exhausting season, which was felt in the repetition of efforts, sometimes inconsistent, although Deschamps did not take advantage of his five changes. Therefore, the pace of the meeting was slow.