France’s potential is scary
NIZHNY NOVGOROD: France got off to a slow start at the World Cup, but four goals against Argentina last weekend will be a stark reminder to Uruguay of what they are capable of producing when the two sides meet in the quarter-finals today.
Didier Deschamps’ men were always among the tournament favourites, but an underwhelming set of warm-up internationals plus a timid start in Russia suggested their reputation rang louder than reality.
That was dispelled last Saturday in Kazan as 19-year-old Kylian Mbappe and cohorts thrilled in a 4-3 victory over Argentina in the last 16.
Not only did the French midfield cleverly nullify the threat of Lionel Messi, but upfront the pace of the teenager and his combination with teammates showed what their squad can achieve.
“The group matches were laborious at times,” agreed assistant coach Guy Stephan, of their two wins and one draw in Group C. “But it must be understood that we came up against well organised opponents.
“We understand the desire for this French team to be successful, to score goals and be creative.”
No more will that be needed than against Uruguay, who have conceded just once in the tournament and pride themselves on their stingy defence. “They are a compact block, tightly aligned next to each other and with a massive solidarity,” added Stephan.
But if any side has the armoury to break them down, it is France, with Mbappe at the attacking helm, and Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud alongside.
“I don’t think France has had as powerful an attack since 1998 when they won the World Cup,” said former Croatia coach Slaven Bilic, who is a TV pundit in Moscow during the tournament.
“When I saw Mbappe sprinting some 70 yards to earn France a penalty, I thought to myself ‘that’s incredible’,” former Switzerland striker Stephane Chapuisat told reporters this week.
“In addition, he has another quality that you don’t often see in goal scorers: altruism.”
Mbappe feeds off teammates as much as he contributes to the collective.
“Mbappe is not going to have a 10th of the space against Uruguay that he got against Argentina,” predicted former Uruguay international Diego Lugano of today’s match at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium.
“But it means maybe Griezmann and Giroud will be able to enjoy not having as much attention.”
Should they win, France will face either Belgium or Brazil in the semi-finals.
A clash against Brazil would evoke memories of France’s only World Cup title triumph 20 years ago, certainly an inspiration if needed to get past Uruguay.
Meanwhile, Brazil coach Tite has defended Neymar from criticism over his histrionics on the pitch and said he was just happy to have the team’s talisman playing “at his best” ahead of tonight’s quarter-final.
Neymar has scored two goals in Brazil’s four matches, but he has been slammed by soccer pundits across the world for diving and rolling on the ground theatrically in Russia.
He has, however, also suffered a disproportionate number of fouls in the tournament so far, with his tally of 23 more than Uruguayan duo Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani combined.
“I’ve already talked about Neymar and I’ve been very specific about what happened,” Tite told reporters on the eve of their match at Kazan Arena.
“You should look at the videos. All you have to do is look at the images.
“What makes me happy is to have him playing at his best. It’s not just with the ball, it’s not just dribbling. There are actions, there are transitions, defensive transitions and if you look, you see how much he has contributed.”
Tite confirmed that his preferred left-back Marcelo would return to the starting side in place of Filipe Luis after the Real Madrid defender missed the 2-0 win over Mexico through injury.
“I’ve spoken with both Marcelo and Filipe Luis. Filipe played very well in both matches.
“But now we are going with Marcelo again,” said Tite.
Fernandinho is also expected to replace suspended holding midfielder Casemiro who picked up a second yellow card against Mexico.
The dominant win over the Mexicans cemented Brazil’s status as favourites to win a record-extending sixth World Cup trophy, but Tite said it would take a whole team effort to get past Roberto Martinez’s Belgium and their array of attacking stars.
“It will be a great match. Both teams excel with beautiful football. Belgium have great players and a great coach as well. I’ve always put them in the group of favourites (for the title),” Tite said. “It’s the same now.” With Brazil’s last World Cup ending on home soil with a 7-1 semi-final humiliation by Germany that shocked the soccer-mad nation, Tite called on his players to ignore the pressure and expectations inevitably put on the side.
“If you ask me what is the greatest challenge of a World Cup?
“It’s the mental fatigue, the pressure is immense, it’s extraordinary,” he said.
“(It) proliferates through the family. I hope the family can keep their heads cool. Don’t listen, don’t watch (the attention) because there is a lot of psychological pressure.” – Reuters