7 out of 10. This is the rating given by the FM editorial staff to Désiré Doué following his performance against Northern Ireland for the France team’s final preparation match, last Monday. Technically safe, very solid on his legs and useful for recovery, he showed himself to his advantage. At least, we judged it positively. But this is not necessarily the case for the staff of the France team, reported this Friday The Team.
“Doué’s performance at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium was not entirely convincing internally while the investment from Barcola, who entered during the two friendly matches, was rather attractive”we can read in the sports daily. Not necessarily the general feeling, but it can also be explained by a question of profiles.
The last question mark to face Senegal
Indeed, Désiré Doué is a possession player, who likes to ask for the ball at his feet. However, this is already the case for Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise, who make up the attacking midfielder line. And like what we are already seeing on the PSG side, Bradley Barcola embodies a different profile, focused on depth, with more regular calls behind the defense.
Image generation in progress
It is for this reason in particular that Barcola’s rating would have skyrocketed in the minds of the French staff, a few days before his first match against Senegal (Tuesday June 16 at 9 p.m.). Barcola is also considered more complete than Doué on the defensive aspect. However, Doué showed himself to be quite invested in this area against Northern Ireland. One thing is certain, it is this left attacking midfielder position which remains uncertain for the entry of the France team into the competition. Gifted or Barcola? On the PSG side, it was the first named who won at the end of the season, also helped by Barcola’s injury in March. It remains to be seen how this will play out in blue.
