2024-03-23 22:03:09
Less than three months before the start of Euro 2024 in Germany, the French team, deprived of its leader Antoine Griezmann, lost (0-2) Saturday evening in Lyon against its historic rival.
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Germany’s offensive rockets highlighted the flaws in the French defense, too passive and beaten (2-0) on Saturday in Décines in a friendly match. We will have to tighten the bolts for the Euro.
The first goal conceded after seven seconds, from the kick-off, underlined the passivity of the blue rearguard, who retreated in front of Florian Fritz. A sea of red socks opened up in front of the Bayer Leverkusen winger, who was able to hit the top corner (1re).
Brice Samba, who was making his third selection, remained completely motionless during the strike, a bad signal in the absence of number one Mike Maignan, who was finishing treating a hamstring pain.
But the entire defense seemed very lethargic on this goal, and this feeling never dissipated during the next 89 minutes and added time.
Many of the subtle German attacking combinations were passed, the repeated passes from Julian Nagelsmann’s players often found spaces behind the Blues.
Didier Deschamps had redistributed quite a few cards in this sector and did not obtain a reassuring response.
Four goals in two matches for Samba
Samba has just conceded four goals in two matches, after Greece (2-2) in November. He is easily erased by Jamal Musiala on the second goal, where he progresses on all fours to try to catch him but cannot prevent him from crossing for Kai Havertz (49e).
He still saved two 3-0 balls in front of Maximilian Mittelstädt (79e) then Thomas Müller (81e), but it was too late to be decisive.
Very rich in many positions, the Blues only have one very high level goalkeeper. It would be better for the French team if the physical glitches which are hampering Mike Maignan’s season are resolved by June 17, for the first match at the Euro against Austria, who also scored on Saturday evening at the end. of six seconds, by Christoph Baumgartner against Slovakia (2-0).
Besides Samba, who did not score any points, Deschamps had chosen Jules Koundé rather than Jonathan Clauss in the race for the right-back position, Lucas Hernandez rather than his brother Théo on the left, and placed Benjamin Pavard in central defense, as the 2018 world champion dreams of.
In the rearguard lined up at the Olympique Lyonnais stadium, only Dayot Upamecano seems assured of his place in the starting eleven at the Euro.
The Bayern Munich player, who found a lot of teammates in the opposite camp, has been going through a slightly less good period since the start of the year. Saturday evening, he did not fulfill his role as boss. He let himself be beaten by Havertz on the second goal, for example.
The Blues are struggling
Jules Koundé struggled against Fritz, and Lucas Hernandez was often caught behind his back by the Germans’ passing exchanges. Clauss and Théo Hernandez entered for the last half hour (61e) but suffered too. As for Pavard, he sometimes relaunched with a vengeance.
Deschamps was not worried before the match about conceding a goal in each match for five matches before this one, except against the very weak Gibraltar (14-0). “Being pragmatic, and I am a little bit, you just need to score one more to win,” he said.
The coach assumed his risks and did not want to return to a more defensive scheme which also made him successful, as at the 2018 World Cup.
“I’m not sure we would win defensively,” he said the day before the match, preferring to rely on the strengths of the current team, “project ourselves, bring a lot of players into attack.”
But against Germany, the attackers were not very dangerous, and the whole team really pressed their opponent very little.
The aggressiveness in the recovery of Antoine Griezmann, absent from the France team for the first time in 85 matches, was lacking. Without him, the Blues seemed defenseless.
With AFP
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