France boss Didier Deschamps will be drawing up his final tactical plans for the World Cup in Russia in the coming weeks. There is still a lot of debate about how Les Bleus will line up, with dips in form and injuries affecting various players as well as the manager trialling various formations. There is no doubt that the French will be one of the favourites going into the tournament as they have a fantastic amount of depth in almost every position across the pitch.
Only three international friendlies remain for Deschamps to try to find the perfect solution, but at the moment, France’s tactical setup is up for debate. As of late, fans have seen mixed performances. A 2-0 lead was thrown away to Colombia, and victory over Russia was not without conceding a second half goal to Fedor Smolov. The last three games will be against Ireland, USA and Italy, preparing Les Bleus for their quest for glory in Russia.
Leicester’s Success
4-4-2 is the quintessential football formation. In recent years, it has become linked with a simple, outdated style, as teams drift towards having one central striker supported by wingers or attacking midfielders. However, as recently as two seasons ago, Leicester City conquered the Premier League using the system, proving it can still be successful. Claudio Ranieri executed his plan with two skilful, hard working wingers in Riyad Mahrez and Marc Albrighton supporting Jamie Vardy and the resourceful Shinji Okazaki. Two deeper lying central midfielders were also key to their success.
The player linking that history making Leicester team and the French national team is Ngolo Kante. The former SM Caen player has become a vital cog in both his club and national squads, often the first name on the team sheet due to his effervescence on the pitch, constantly regaining possession for his team. Kante does not have the range of passing that others do, which is why he is often paired with more creative players, who can provide the brain to go with his brawn.
Central Midfield
In the France team, the prime candidate to sit alongside Kante in central midfield is Paul Pogba. His talent is undoubted. His consistency, though, is challenged by onlookers. For Manchester United this year, he has been underwhelming for the majority of the campaign, leading to manager Jose Mourinho axing him from the squad on multiple occasions. His form for France, though, is another matter. Against Russia, he provided a beautiful assist for Kylian Mbappe before scoring a goal himself from a first half free kick. Pogba has the potential to be one of the best players in the world, but he needs to put in those performances on a more regular basis. It does beg the question, though, of whether his dips in form are due to his manager at Manchester United, or simply down to the player himself.
One definite weakness of Pogba is his discipline. Not in the sense of fouls and cautions, but in his position. Too often is the former Juventus player overzealous in his attacking play and pushing up the pitch that the space behind him is exposed for opposition to exploit. Even having the strong defensive midfielder Nemanja Matic at club level for cover is not enough, such is the misplay on his part at times. For this reason, he may not be the right option in central midfield for Les Bleus when it is limited to two players.
Blaise Matuidi is five years his senior, but could be a more sensible choice in midfield. Matuidi has started 20 league matches since he joined Juventus in the summer of 2017, and is a very composed, well-rounded midfielder, who complements Kante’s defensive work while contributing less to the attack than Pogba. He provides a safer, more reliable option, but Deschamps could be accused of wasting the talent on his hands should he leave out the Manchester United man. Matuidi started alongside Kante against Colombia when Deschamps played a 4-4-2, hinting that he sees this as a potential pairing.
Another option is the promising PSG midfielder Adrien Rabiot. Barring Edinson Cavani, he has played the most minutes of any outfielder for the Ligue 1 champions elect. His strengths are mostly in the passing department, and Rabiot is a great middle point between Matuidi and Pogba. He averages more tackles and interceptions per league game than his two compatriots and sits above Matuidi but below Pogba in creativity, as per key passes per game. If Deschamps were to elect for just two central midfielders in a system, Kante and Rabiot could turn out to be the perfect balance between attack and defence.
Width
The two wide players in the system need to be able to work hard not only moving forwards, but also provide support when their team are under pressure too. The prime candidates for this position are Anthony Martial and Ousmane Dembele after they started wide for France against Russia, but Thomas Lemar and Kingsley Coman are also contenders. Although Mbappe is comfortable playing on the wing, he would be better suited to a forward role in this system, due to the defensive responsibility required.
Martial, who plays alongside Pogba at Manchester United, seems to have more in common than just where they ply their trade; he also suffers from the wrath of Mourinho in the Premier League and has had his game time limited by the Portuguese manager. Martial started from the bench for the majority of the first half of the season but has forced his way into the Mourinho’s plans due to his performances. Now, he has broken into the French team and looks like he could be a key player for Deschamps, though he will have to prove he can work defensively to fit a 4-4-2 system.
Dembele has recently recovered from a serious injury sustained in the early months of his move to FC Barcelona. The former Rennes man is currently the fourth most expensive player of all time, and the Catalan club paid over €100m for a good reason. Dembele is a fantastic dribbler and equally as skilled with both of his feet, leading to a great level of unpredictability for opponents, and versatility for his manager. Deschamps seems to rate him highly and he should be challenging for a starting position with Les Bleus, perhaps occupying the right hand side of a four man midfield. Dembele has a great energy about him and is very used to playing as a wide player already.
Up Front
For the two strikers, France actually have very similar options stylistically to Leicester’s winning combination too. Antoine Griezmann is the resourceful Okazaki-esque player who, while short, is strong in the air, and is very adept at linking play. His strike partner should be Kylian Mbappe, whose pace and trickery will be invaluable for many years to come for the national team and echoes Jamie Vardy’s strengths. Expect to see Griezmann holding up the ball and playing it through for Mbappe or either one of France’s wide players to run in behind.
Other choices also include deploying Giroud with either Griezmann or Mbappe, to create the classic “little and large” front line, where long balls and flick ons become part of the game plan. This does also give Deschamps a degree of flexibility within the same system, not forcing him to switch formation to accommodate his forwards.
Deschamps elected for Griezmann and Giroud (who found the back of the net) against Colombia with Mbappe occupying one of the wide positions. With Mbappe and Griezmann’s form for both club and country, Deschamps cannot afford to leave either out, but he also has a fondness for Giroud, his country’s highest scoring active player, who seems to be at his best in a France shirt.
Verdict
With France’s current squad, 4-4-2 suits them well on paper, although it creates several notable absentees. Assuming Kante is guaranteed a starting spot, as mentioned, two of Pogba, Matuidi and Rabiot miss out as the team is limited to two central midfielders. While Dimitri Payet is not in the frame currently, both he and Nabil Fekir would not suit this formation too well, as neither have the pace to contend with the other wide options, nor are they adept enough at wing play. Nevertheless, this is a good headache for Deschamps to have: his squad is so rich in talent that no matter what starting 11 he picks, he will have strong players sat in the dugout alongside him.
France still have three more test runs to use, and the most simple formation in the sport could yet turn out to be the most effective if Deschamps is bold enough to stick with it. Defeat against Colombia may have been a big slip up, but 4-4-2 can definitely work for Les Bleus.
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