Up until very recently France was being talked about as a team that could repeat, and bring the title back home once again after doing so in 2018. Key injuries in the squad which includes those to Paul Pogba, and N’golo Kante have certainly diminished their chances. Due to their poor results in their latest Nations League matchups we were left wondering whether the team was going to flop hard at the World Cup.
Antoine Griezmann, and Ballon d’or winner Karim Benzema are set to lead the team in Qatar. That’s arguably the main question though that manager Didier Deschamps is going to need to answer. His 2018 World Cup winning team predicated their success on their ability to control the midfield. They had plenty of good players on the wing even at both the right and left back spots that essentially had a free ride towards the attack because they knew the strong midfield players could cover their backs. That’s not necessarily the case anymore.
The New Blood That Has Been Infused Into The Squad
With Kante, and Pogba out it has actually opened the door for new faces to take over that French midfield. You never wish an injury upon anybody, but it is true that France seems to be able to continuously produce players. The Real Madrid trio of Aurélien Tchouaméni, Ferland Mendy, and Camavinga played together in the midfield alongside Pavard in the team’s most recent game, a loss to Denmark. The hope is that this trio continues to get more games under their belt as the season rolls on, and they arrive in Qatar in great shape.
It seems odd to say this because all 3 of them play on the same team they should be able to build chemistry that translates well into the national team. In their last few outings with France though, they’ve shown that they are nowhere near as in sync as Kante, Pogba, and Matuidi were in the last World Cup. The hope is that by the time the World Cup in Qatar rolls around this midfield particularly the tandem of Aurélien Tchouaméni, and Camavinga can play together with their eyes closed. At this point though it’s anyone’s guess what will happen.
How Are Benzema & Griezmann Going To Co-Exist? Where Does Mbappé Fit?
These 3 are going to be starting at the World Cup for France. How exactly could you make sure that they are able to coexist? The idea is that Griezmann will play more of a traditional number 10 role with Mbappé on one side, and Benzema on the other. Benzema doesn’t have as much mobility though as Mbappé, so it may be the PSG man who will have to do a lot of the dirty work. Is he going to be willing to play on both wings, and continuously be a menace for opposing teams? All while opening spaces or crossing opportunities for Benzema to poach in? We are more worried about Mbappé in that sense because Griezmann has shown that he’s willing to sacrifice for the team a lot more.
Our Prediction
They are facing Denmark in the group who they just lost to in the Nations League. That’s something that we don’t want to overlook. Australia and Tunisia though seem like teams that they should beat. Australia actually gave them fits in the last World Cup. Still, there’s just too much talent on this squad to say that they’re going to be dropped in the group stage. There is a concern that the team is not as dominant or as deep as it was in 2018. Again though their talent should prevail.
