Facing Italy in the first day of the 2024-2025 Nations League, the French team, eliminated at the gates of the final during the last Euro, was back in school this Friday evening at the Parc des Princes. Organized in 4-2-3-1 with Ibrahima Konaté and William Saliba in the center of defense, the Blues could also count on their new kid, Michael Olise. In attack, Antoine Griezmann and Bradley Barcola accompanied Kylian Mbappé, alone at the forefront. For its part, the Nazionale presented itself in 3-5-2. Gianluigi Donnarumma started in goal, as did Lorenzo Pellegrini and Matteo Retegui, starting at the forefront. A clash that started with a bang. With Bradley Barcola’s historic opening goal after 13 seconds, everything suggested that France were going to have a quiet evening full of events.
Certainly, the evening was indeed historic. It will remain etched in the minds of many French supporters for the coming months, but not in the way that everyone thought. While it managed to equalize before the break, Italy then brought out the steamroller to crush the French team with ease and mastery in front of a Parc des Princes stunned by the level displayed by the Squadra Azzurra. An XXL victory for a nation in reconstruction that is looking for confirmations to regain its letters of nobility: “We have to be factual, we started very well, we did some good things in the first few minutes, but we didn’t have the ability to keep up the pace throughout the match. The opponents got us through mistakes on our part and that hurt us. We have the quality, we do some good things with the ball, but defensively, they hurt us.”said at the microphone of TF1 coach Didier Deschamps, who also admitted to being the “responsible” of this slap at home.
A total drowning on all levels!
Interviewed by the Italian channel Rai, coach Didier Deschamps commented on the defeat (1-3) of his Blues: “We started very well by scoring goals and putting good pressure on Italy. It is difficult to maintain the high intensity, already in the second part of the first half we made mistakes that allowed them to equalize. I am used to criticism, even if I have won more than I lost. I knew that the condition of the key players was not at its best. Olise and Koné started tonight, there are necessary steps to improve. I have always been clear about what we were doing, unfortunately Italy did more than us physically and in intensity. It bothers me that after the first twenty minutes the light goes out“. A bitter but honest observation. The Blues were simply unrecognizable. France has won only 36% of its matches in all competitions in 2024 (4/11), its lowest win ratio in a calendar year since 1992. Accustomed to deploying a solid, compact and tight block, the French team left too many spaces and holes without showing a wave of efficiency, intensity, regularity or even offensive realism, explained by the lack of consistency of Kylian Mbappé, the still too raw status of Bradley Barcola and Michael Olise or the unrecognizable face of Antoine Griezmann. It had been a long time since the Blues had fallen so low. For example, France had not conceded 3 goals in an official competition match at home since June 5, 1999 against Russia.
Another point more representative of the crisis of the DD recipe: France lost 2 consecutive matches in all competitions for the first time since June 2015. Already questioned on certain points after a turbulent Euro, the French team had not been so badly treated for a long time. Moreover, Italy won its first victory against France in Paris today since 1954. However, it was a Squadra Azzurra plagued by doubts, in full reconstruction that arrived at the Parc des Princes. A team that was forced to do without certain key players, including Nicolo Barella, Giorgio Scalvini, Gianluca Scamacca and Federico Chiesa. However, Italy managed the feat of dominating the Blues in Paris, while having conceded the opening goal after 13 seconds. We thought Italy was on the verge of drowning but Luciano Spalletti’s troops broke through the Blues’ axial block too easily. The Youssouf Fofana and N’Golo Kanté duo was disastrous and totally dominated by their opposite numbers, accumulating 15 ball losses. The main strength during the Euro, the defense, illustrated by a duo of Ibrahima Konaté – William Saliba, also sank this Friday evening, too easily overtaken by the Italian attackers. The French team had not lost 2 consecutive matches while they had opened the score each time since 1962. Against Belgium, the Blues must react.
