It wasn’t a great afternoon of football that took place this Monday in Düsseldorf. With a France far from reassuring and an apathetic Belgium, the supporters did not enjoy themselves. However, the essential was elsewhere for the Blues who snatched their ticket for the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 thanks to an own goal by Jan Vertonghen after a sequence of moves by Randal Kolo Muani (1-0). A lucky goal at the end of the match that rewards the more exciting intentions of Didier Deschamps’ men against their neighbors. Against ridiculous Belgians, France will nevertheless have to show a much better attack during the other matches of the tournament. Attack yes, because there is nothing to say about the defensive aspect. Since the start of the tournament, the French defenders have been a real satisfaction for Didier Deschamps. Having not conceded a goal since the start of the tournament apart from a penalty from Robert Lewandowski, stopped for the first time by Mike Maignan, the Blues continued their momentum on Monday.
Indeed, against the Red Devils, France was able to count on a totally reassuring defense against Belgian attackers in difficulty. Beyond a new clean sheet in this Euro, the French defenders were impressive against serious clients in front of them. Serious and applied, Jules Koundé, Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba and Théo Hernandez produced major defensive performances that allowed France to be serene. On his right flank, the Barcelona player was so strong that he was elected man of the match by UEFA but also by the FM editorial team. Imperial against a muzzled Jérémy Doku, he also contributed offensively. Interviewed after the match, the player trained in Bordeaux gave the keys to his XXL match at the end of the match: “There is no particular trigger, I am continuing what I have done in recent months at Barcelona. I feel good in this team, I try to adapt. When I have space, I try to contribute as much as possible. We knew that Doku is not a player who likes to defend so I had spaces.»
Didier Deschamps has found his defensive base
Complementary in central defence, William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano were able to perfectly manage the few inspirations of Loïs Openda and Romelu Lukaku. Impressive in marking the former Chelsea player, Saliba clearly asserts himself as a safe bet for the future in central defence. Less brilliant offensively, Théo Hernandez was very solid defensively, as illustrated by his valuable defensive return on Yannick Ferreira Carrasco at the hour mark. And even when the defence was overwhelmed by a flash of Belgian genius, Mike Maignan was there to show how reassuring he was and allowed the Blues to stay the course. A defensive impermeability that Adrien Rabiot savored: “It’s a real deliverance with this goal. We played a good game, we were solid. We have this ability to not concede a goal, to be very good at recovery. We know that it will only take one to put in the back of the net. It was the perfect game because with this goal at the end of the game, we broke their legs.»
Without being flamboyant in the game, the Blues can indeed count on this defensive base to go far in this continental tournament. A strength also praised by Didier Deschamps: “we have a defensive solidity that is interesting, essential at this level even if we start from a long way back. It is not just the aspect of defending well, in the use of the ball, going from behind, we have good control. They do everything necessary to not concede goals. They are confident. Koundé has practically been more offensive than Hernandez. They are high-level players. Through discussions with the players… You have seen where they play, it is Barcelona, AC Milan, Arsenal, Bayern, so there you go… That they do not have experience… it is obvious. From the moment I consider that it is better to put one rather than the other, I have high-level players. Few came back tonight, but I can count on the whole group.“We will now have to resolve offensive problems that are far from reassuring for the future…
