Stage is right for France to be a little adventurous
I am not sure whether France makes the world’s best automobiles but they have managed to send a football team to Russia that cruised into the final without having used all their gears.
That said, I think France should really come out all guns blazing against Croatia in Moscow on Sunday.
They should emerge from the defensive shell and be proactive. Despite all that has been said and all that Croatia have done --- and it does seem superhuman at times ---- they will be tired after three successive games didn’t end in regulation time. So, the setting is just right for France to be adventurous.
Just right for Paul Pogba to stride gazelle-like through the middle instead of lending his shoulder more to the defensive wheel where Samuel Umtiti and Raphael Varane are the leaders. I am talking of Pogba because I am sure Croatia won’t make the mistake of letting Kylian Mbappe get space.
Frankly, it is for France to lose this final. I know they did that once two years ago in the European championships and if there is one thing I am worried about, it is a repeat.
France seem to do well against teams whose reputations precedes their coming, such as Argentina, Uruguay and Belgium. They quelled the challenge from those strong teams without really breaking sweat.
But don’t forget they struggled against Australia and could only beat Peru 1-0. Don’t also forget they lost to a Portugal that played without Cristiano Ronaldo after 25 minutes in a final in Paris.
Croatia came back in the semi-final because England let them. They stayed back and let Croatia take charge of the game when they should have put it to bed.
If France get an early goal, I hope they won’t do that. And that is why I think France should cut back on their emphasis on defensive solidity and unleash their huge attacking talents on Croatia.
So far, Didier Deschamps has not done that in any game and it is a ploy that has worked well. Even though you don’t fix a thing that is not broken, maybe France could take a different approach on Sunday.
It was their constant stressing on formation that unhinged Argentina. They went to three defenders against Croatia and were carved open. So, I am saying France should stick to their 4-2-3-1 formation, only that they should start with a more attacking mindset.
Croatia will again have a lot riding on how Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic perform and it will have to be seen whether they again start with Marcelo Brozovic to provide additional defensive cover in the midfield.
A lot will also depend on how fit Ivan Perisic is because he was so crucial to Croatia’s resurgence in the semi-final. Reports have it that Perisic has a thigh injury. He may have sacrificed himself to ensure Croatia got over the line.
Croatia winning it will make for a greater story but having backed France all through because of their overall strength, I am still going for Deschamps’s men.
CROATIA WILL AGAIN HAVE A LOT RIDING ON LUKA MODRIC AND IVAN RAKITIC. IT WILL HAVE TO BE SEEN IF THEY AGAIN START WITH MARCELO BROZOVIC