France has always been a potential contender for the title
in the history of the football world cup. They won on 2 occasions in 1998 and 2018. In 2006 they lost in the final to Italy, many blame their ace then Zinadine Zidane for losing his head in between the match, hitting an Italian player (Materazzi) through a head butt, and saw a red card.
The 2018 French team under coach Didier Deschamps was not centric on any particular player, rather was stuffed with great men and superstars playing for big clubs in the world. This was not the only reason though, under Deschamps France played as a unit, with great build play, passing, understanding, team chemistry, etc. Players who were struggling in their respective clubs even managed to find the form under the coach for eg Paul Pogba.
Let us move on and see the players France has got this season and why France can defend the title. This time France again has players, that many countries dream of having in their squad, and along with their coach, these players can create magic on the pitch. They have a very balanced squad with a mixture of old, experienced players and young skilled players, as follows:-
GOALKEEPERS:-
Hugo Lloris – One of the most experienced goalkeepers in the world, plays for Tottenham and was part of France’s 2018 World Cup winning campaign. France has got good backups too.
Centre Forward:-
Got Karim Benzema, who I think is a unique player in the history of football. He is an out-and-out striker, he is a center forward who drops deep to help his team to build up, he sometimes even plays as a creative playmaker. He is the kind of player who has got different modes but and he likes them to switch according to match circumstance. Then there is Kylian Mbappe who can dribble past the whole defense of a team. They have got Antoine Griezman as a second striker, Ousmane Dembele who will probably interchange wings with Mbappe, and his performance for Barcelona this season has been ecstatic.
CENTER-BACKS:-
They have got players like Jules Kounde(for whom Chelsea and Barcelona were on the run in this summer window and Barcelona finally being able to sign him, Lucas Hernandes a Bayern Star, Raphael Varane who needs no introduction, Presnel Kempembe who has been impressive for PSG, Ibrahim Konate a guy from Klopp’s Liverpool, William Saliba ( a 21 yr old, lad playing in Arteta’s Arsenal currently sitting at the top of Premier League).
OTHER NOTABLE PLAYERS:-
For the defensive midfield, they have got N’Golo Kante, someone who is known as a heavy workhorse on the pitch, the new Real Madrid signing Aurelien Tchouameni, Boubacar Camara who was on demand in this transfer window, Kingsley Coman – the Bayern Right Winger, Adrian Rabiot, Paul Pogba in the midfield.
So the squad depth and quality that France has is fantastic, now it is to wait and watch whether they can play as a team and successfully defend the title.
What do you think?
Yes France can
No France will fail to defend
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