Giroud comes back through the window, as usual
Who can still doubt the monumental mental strength of the tricolor striker? Not a word higher than the other since DD threw him in the dumpster without regard after the Euro, a return through the back door due to Benzema’s package, a starting place thanks to Kylian Mbappé’s little cold , and a 47th goal for the France team, four lengths behind Titi Henry.
Giroud made Giroud, pivot, deliveryman, first defender, even if one can reproach him for having grumbled rather than having replaced before the opening of the score of Pépé. The Vélodrome celebrated his goal as if it were Milik, which says the respect, now, of the tricolor supporters, for the Milan striker. And players. “He deserves this opportunity, he seized it, reacted Lloris. It’s not just anyone with the Blues and even if in attack there are a lot of talents, the choices belong to the coach. We know what he is capable of giving for our team and that’s good. He had the opportunity to get closer to Titi’s record. He owes it to himself “.
We have the right to think that DD got into the sauce on his own by recalling a player who is ALWAYS present in the France team, but that’s a debate for later, replied the coach in substance: “I don’t I’m not here to relaunch the debates, I trust you to find new ones if there are needs or to continue existing ones. I don’t create problems for myself, I make sure to be consistent with what I say to the players. When I put on Olivier, I don’t put it on for it to go wrong. He found the group, so much the better for him that he increased his counter. After you will say: “After? What if? “We’ll see.
Can we put Tchouaméni on the bench? (no)
82 balls played, 12 duels won out of 16, 2 successful dribbles out of two attempted dribbles, 9 balls recovered, 2 interceptions, and a noggin in the 92nd to give victory to the France team. Aurélien Tchouaméni has only 8 selections in blue, but we are already wondering how to get him out of the team. Of course, Kanté can make everyone agree with his activity when he is not injured, of course he does not have the virtuosity of the Pickaxe in his long distance openings, but he is a mini-Pogba in power feels the air pockets of its elder, sometimes.
DD was very moved: “Aurélien, it’s high level. He has enormous potential with a lot of control. With Paul (Pogba), it’s a pair. He has this ability in aggressiveness and recovery which is a little better than Paul. Paul is carried a little further forward anyway. They really worked in doublet, even in triplet with Antoine Griezmann who is important. »
Asked by M6 at the edge of the field, the Monegasque midfielder appeared as serene as on the pitch “I try to stay calm. It’s true that it’s beautiful what’s happening to me but as I said from the start I have different objectives and there, for example, scoring my first goal was an objective. Now let’s move on. There is the team and the staff who help me a lot to show my personality and that’s what makes me feel great on the pitch.
Théo Hernandez attacks better than he defends
The 3-4-3 tricolor, which we imagine defines in the minds of the staff, has confirmed its virtues and its faults. In this configuration, the French team is very attractive, sometimes irresistible, as estimated by Patrice Beaumellethe Ivorian coach, but she sometimes weakens all alone defensively without us always understanding how the chain of responsibility can mess up at this point, as on the goal of Pépé.
Théo Hernandez alone embodies this double face. The Milanese moped ravaged its hallway, waking up all the neighbors for its rodeo in the middle of the night. No less than ten decisive climbs, half of which ended in a strike or a duel with the goalkeeper. The youngest of the Hernandez could have afforded a double, he finally manages with his 4th dice pass in five selections.
Battery side, now. Théo struggled like hell with his brother to fill in the gaps in defense, sometimes out of position, sometimes in a bad position to fill in the passing intervals, even if he was more solid after the break. “In the first half we really attacked, which means that on certain counter-attacks Côte d’Ivoire had the possibility of piercing us, conceded Tchouaméni. In the second half we tightened the screws a bit and I don’t think we even conceded a single chance”.
It’s easy to say, since Lloris had to relax twice at full length to avoid drama on long shots, at a time when the tricolor game was dangerously falling apart. But it will be something else with Mbappé and Benzema, whose attacking power can be enough to plant three in ten minutes and suffer the rest of the time. At the Vélodrome, it was Coman who had to take care of everything when things no longer looked like anything, after a very discreet first hour. But that almost wasn’t enough.