France – The latest curse in World Cup history is waiting to be broken. In the last 5 World Cups, 4 defending champions from Europe have made it past the first round.
France in 2002, Italy in 2010, Germany in 2014 and Germany in 2018 all exited in the first round. In this case, France is preparing to break that curse. What are the team’s chances, strengths and weaknesses in this series? Who is the hope of that team?
Coach: Didier Deschamps
FIFA Ranking: 4
2022 World Cup Division: D
Teams in the group: Denmark, Australia, Tunisia
So far in the World Cup:
This is France’s 16th World Cup. He has won two World CupsN. Finished second once and third twice. The team beat Brazil in the 1998 final and beat Croatia in the last World Cup final. The team lost the 2006 World Cup final to Italy in a shootout. No one will ever forget Zidane’s red card for headbutting Italian player Marco Madarasi in that match!
Qualifying Round Activity:
That’s not to say that the 2022 World Cup qualifiers have gone very well for France. The team drew 3 matches even in the easy division which included Ukraine, Finland, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kazakhstan. However, it topped the category with 18 points. The team scored 18 goals in 8 matches and conceded only 3 goals. Antoine Griezmann scored 6 goals and Kylian Mbappe scored 5 goals.
Trainer:
Didier Deschamps, one of the world’s greatest coaches, continues his tenth year as France coach. The team, which had been making good progress, has been faltering of late. A quick exit from Euro 2020 saw the team win just one of their six matches in the UEFA Nations League. Deschamps, always decisive in his plans, used different formations and different approaches during this period. It did not help the team in any way. However, as a coach who can get the best out of his players, he is still trusted by the French management and fans.
Strength:
France’s attack is packed with world-class players. Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele are several hundred million dollar players in this team. So, surely there will be no dearth of goals for that team. Also the defense is quite strong. The fact that some of the team’s defenders will play in both positions, such as center back and full back, will enable them to switch between different formations mid-match.
Weakness:
The team’s midfield is missing two big heads. Both N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba, who were instrumental in winning the 2018 World Cup, are out of the series due to injuries. With the absence of two big veterans, Rabiot, Kamavinga and Suwameni will have to take charge of the team’s midfield. Although they play in the biggest teams, it is not known how much they can make an impact in the World Cup.
Faithful Man:
Kylian Mbappe, who won the Young Player of the Year at the last World Cup, will be looking to give an even better performance this time around. He has made good progress in these 4 years. With Benzema a doubt to play at the start of the series and Griezmann not in good form, the onus will fall on Mbappe.
Opportunity:
If this team will win the World Cup again, the chances are slim. The teams that win the World Cup are always the teams with the best midfield. There is also the possibility that the usual World Cup curse will surely affect France. Even a little miss in the first match will change everything. If you make it past the group stage, you can advance to the quarterfinals. Nothing is certain about France!
Squad:
Hugo Lloris, Alphonsa Areola, Steven Mandanda, Benjamin Boward, Jules Coonde, Presnel Kimbembe, Raphael Varane, William Saliba, Lucas Hernandez, Theo Hernandez, Diot Upamagano, Ibrahima Konade, Adrien Rabiot, Eduardo Kamavinga, Aurelien Suwameni, Jordan Veradout, Youssef Founa. , Matteo Gunduzi, Kingsley Coman, Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele, Karim Benzema, Christopher Ngungu, Olivier Giroud.