World champions France out to make history
June 14, 2021
In Ligue 1, France's top-flight football league, Lille recently sealed a surprise league title ahead of PSG. France coach Didier Deschamps will hope no such shocks occur when the national team kicks off their European Championships campaign in Munich against an inconsistent Germany side.
Group F has been designated the "group of death" at Euro 2020. Under Deschamps, France have so far had quite an easy run in the first stage of tournaments. At their home Euros in 2016, they made light work of Switzerland, Albania, and Romania, topping the group with seven points.
France finished first with that same tally against Denmark, Peru and Australia, in their successful World Cup run in 2018. Four years earlier in Brazil, they also claimed that haul against Switzerland, Ecuador, and Honduras.
This time out, they’ll have to collect points against far tougher opposition. Hungary may present the easiest task, while Portugal are much improved since they came out on top against Deschamps' side in the Euro 2016 final. Germany are quasi-hosts and their heavyweight clash on Tuesday will set the tone for the rest of their tournament.
Germany vs. France — a history
Since 1931, Germany and France have faced off 31 times. "Les Bleus" currently have the upper hand, with 14 wins and seven draws.
Their first competitive meeting only came at the 1958 World Cup, but it was worth the wait. France beat the then reigning World Champions 6-3 in the third place playoff, a game in which the prolific Just Fontaine scored four.
More recent encounters have been far less goal-laden. Since their 1982 World Cup semifinal faceoff, just one game between the two sides has yielded more than 3 goals.
France have in recent times caused major problems for Joachim Löw. Since Germany knocked France out of the World Cup on their way to the title in 2014, Deschamps has not lost to Löw. His side knocked them out of the 2016 Euros and then beat them in the inaugural UEFA Nations League.
Deschamps out to make history
Deschamps has some extra motivation this summer. Success in this tournament would make him the first person ever to coach and captain their national team to a European Championship, having led the so-called Golden Generation to the continental title in 2000.
He called time on his playing career after that success and may be tempted to leave on a high if France win at Wembley. Back in 2018, Deschamps became only the second player after Franz Beckenbauer to win the World Cup as both captain and coach.
Playing style
The coach, who has led Les Bleus since 2012, will draw on tournament experience as few others can. A defensive midfielder in his playing years, Deschamps has prioritized organization and solidity in his time at the helm. His France side was accused of being boring and even of playing “anti-football” by Belgium keeper Thibaut Courtois when they beat the Red Devils in the 2018 World Cup semifinal. But this safety-first, win-at-all-costs approach makes France a real threat at tournaments.
In Bayern pair Lucas Hernandez and Benjamin Pavard, Deschamps has two players at full-back that can also operate at the heart of defense. They can also get forward, but these player types allow him to minimize risks, especially when it comes to defending dead-ball situations. It’s a tactic that also worked for Löw at the 2014 World Cup, where he initially fielded center-backs Jerome Boateng and Benedikt Höwedes on either side of the back four.
An embarrassment of riches
France have mainly lined up in variations of 4-4-2 or 3-4-1-2 formations. In midfield and attack, Deschamps has a clear core of players. Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante run things in the center of the pitch, while Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe, and Karim Benzema form the attacking triumvirate. Clarity like this helps the man in charge, as France have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to personnel.
Real Madrid's Ferland Mendy, Manchester United’s Anthony Martial, and Tottenham's Tanguy Ndombele are among the high-profile names left at home. However, there is a surprise return for veteran striker Benzema, back for the first time since 2015 after a blackmailing scandal saw him ousted.
With pace and skill in abundance, France can hit teams on the counter or create chances against sides who sit back in a low block. Expect Les Bleus to play classic tournament football once again.
French connection
Four Bayern players feature in France’s 26-man squad, joined by Borussia Mönchengladbach forward Marcus Thuram as a further Bundesliga representative. That means there will be a few known quantities for a Germany team laden with Bundesliga players, especially with Bayern stars again dominating the ranks.
There will be no love lost on the pitch when these two face off, though. Löw has struggled to outfox his French counterpart since that successful World Cup campaign. A title tilt this summer would likely require knocking the current world champions off their perch in Germany’s first game.