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Iin the absence of Kylian Mbappe, Didier Deschamps opted for a typically conservative approach in the 0:0 draw against the Netherlands. While France’s defense thrived, their (very few) attacking elements looked lost and ineffective.
Menian is getting stronger
L’Équipe deservedly rewarded Mike Meignan, who made four saves on the night, three of them excellent, with 8, praising not only his shot-stopping but also his distribution. An integral – if underrated – part of Lille’s title run in 2021, Meignan is no young man; he will turn 29 before the end of the tournament, but there were still questions surrounding his ability on the biggest stage. This was despite his continued strong form with AC Milan, being part of France established since 2019 and has made more than a dozen appearances since replacing Hugo Lloris as first choice following the latter’s retirement.
It’s true that Lloris – France’s all-time record holder – is a true legend in his country, but given his dominant play, it’s even debatable at this point Les Bleus are stronger overall with Mainan in goal. Now with four clean sheets in a row, he has developed into the type of goalkeeper whose presence and natural qualities could make him the quiet center of this team. His ability – both in net and in terms of organizing a defense – is able to help the team hold it together when things are as disjointed as they were elsewhere on the pitch against The Netherlands.
Rabiot’s positional problems
Playing in a hybrid wide central role, similar to how Blaise Matuidi was used at the 2018 World Cup, Adrien Rabiot’s tireless running did much to limit the effectiveness of the Dutch’s vaunted right flank as Jeremy Frimpong and Denzel Dumfries were silenced per night. His ability to share space with Theo Hernandez did leave something to be desired, but Rabiot showed once again how his efficient play for his country belies his sometimes indifferent form for his club.
Beyond his link-up with Hernandez, though, Rabiot’s more advanced position often left him in situations where his decision-making on the ball had a negative effect on his team’s ability to go forward – unfortunately. As willing a runner as Rabiot was, his play at key moments was poor, although the Dutch looked hard to work out how to track him. His decision to pass to Antoine Griezmann with both inside the six-yard box is the moment that sticks in his mind, but overall he seemed to struggle to both stretch the play and link up with Marcus Thuram and Griezmann in this, which was essentially an unfamiliar role – perhaps the game against Poland is an opportunity to start Bradley Barkola as a more conventional winger?
Kante’s importance is growing
At this point, there are few superlatives left for the level of surprise in these quarters at Kante’s high standard in this tournament. That he was even selected came as a surprise to many as he struggled with injury, a loss of form at club level and a subsequent relegation in the Middle East. But against the Netherlands he was as effervescent as he was in the first leg, despite playing a much more advanced role with Aurélien Tchouaméni deeper in the pair.
Kante worked hard to break up play and turned in another night filled with intelligent, precise passing, working to the limits of his ability to facilitate the attack. Constantly passing the ball to Griezmann and Rabiot, his efforts went unrewarded, but the fact that he would once again become a world-class performer, despite playing a different system with different players after a long absence from top-level international football, just highlights not only his quality but his importance to France’s hopes of winning this tournament.
Thuram misses again
Like Meignan, Thuram is no quiet youngster – he turns 27 later this summer and has won a host of major honors at club level, racking up more than 20 caps in the process. But he put up a disappointing figure for his country, at least when he was tasked with leading the line, something highlighted by his return to just two goals for Les Bleus.
Against Holland, without a more natural striker to work from (as he had with Inter this season), he looked lost more often than not. Eager to get the job done to drop deep and bring his teammates into play with his hold-up play, but with the imbalance created by having Rabiot as a nominal left winger, that combination failed in a major way. This second part of course comes down to Deschamps’ tactics, but it seems unlikely that Thuram will ever be a focal point for France, and one might even wonder if Deschamps missed a trick here (without Karim Benzema) in not having given Alexandre Lacazette, given his impeccable performance for Lyon over the past two seasons.
Lack of finish from Dembélé
If there is such a thing as a typical Ousmane Dembele performance, this match was it. The Paris Saint-Germain winger was excited at times, at one point taking down Cody Gakpo in a moment made for social media. He never stopped trying to create, various runs inside as well as pulling the ball out wide, but the problem – as it has been for PSG this season – was a lack of the sharpness that the occasion called for.
Neither of his two shots were on target and although he showed the odd moment of flair, including a fine strike for Griezmann in the second half, a lack of finish was again his undoing. His strong performance against Barcelona in the Champions League is but a distant memory. There is a small chance that Dembele could be dropped in this system, but one has to wonder if Dembele, in this kind of form, would even be in the frame if France were still playing with a back three.
Did Deschamps get his tactics wrong?
Finally, what about Deschamps? There is no doubt that France took advantage of their luck in this match – the saves made by Maignan were of a much higher quality than those made by his Dutch counterpart, Bart Verbrugggen, and France’s best chance was perhaps the strike headed by Chuameni in the second half. But was Deschamps wrong with his tactics? Yes, a good defensive draw against the Dutch is hardly embarrassing, but it also leaves France behind Oranje in the table and potentially facing a tough match in the quarterfinals.
But despite having a squad of proven attacking options (Kingsley Coman, Olivier Giroud) and intriguing wild cards (Barcola, Randal Kolo Muani) at his disposal, Deschamps was slow to make changes, making just two changes in 15 minutes of play. Perhaps he viewed three midfielders with Griezmann in a deeper role and Giroud starting as too much of a risk, but the team lacked a focal point or much coherence going forward, leaving individual skills to decide the game. It’s a gambit that often pays off with Mbappe in the team, but it seems to have its limitations in his absence.
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