France praying stars will click
THE ego-driven problems that saw France players go on strike at the 2010 World Cup seem consigned to the past as the current squad seek the ultimate football glory, 20 years on from their last triumph.
Yet the side who open their campaign against Australia today are not exactly a picture of tranquillity.
The nature and timing of Antoine Griezmann’s announcement that he is resisting advances from Barcelona and staying at Atletico Madrid were bizarre— an arty video clip released by him on Twitter barely 48 hours before France’s campaign kicks off.
La Decision, the clip was entitled. ‘Mi aficion, mi equipo, MI
CASA!’ (‘My fans, my team, MY HOME’) he tweeted. This did not look like an individual whose heart and soul resides with Didier Deschamps’ France squad.
There’s been a prickliness about Griezmann recently. He said earlier this month that becoming the attacking player who has flourished for France in previous tournaments was not his objective and he rejected any notion that, at 27, he has become his country’s key player. ‘I am not the boss,’ he said.
Playing for the French national side can bring out that kind of reaction. The players like manager Deschamps but there is not that collective every squad needs. The best of Paul Pogba is as elusive a commodity for Deschamps as it has been for Jose Mourinho at Manchester United.
Country, like club, have failed to carve the ideal mould for him.
There’s also a huge weight of expectation as France try to take the next step with a new generation — including two of the four most expensive players in world football: Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele.
There was strong criticism from the French media after the defeat by Colombia in the last friendly.
‘You don’t win competitions on talent alone,’ warned 1998 World Cup-winner Christophe Dugarry this week. ‘You win because you’ve got the right mentality.’
A good start can mean those problems melting away, of course. With N’Golo Kante and Blaise Matuidi delivering the kind of work-rate they do in midfield, and with Peru and Denmark also in the mix, finishing top of Group C certainly looks well within France’s capabilities.
Bert van Marwijk, the Australia coach, has yet to decide who leads his attack, with A-League reject Andrew Nabbout leading the race from Tomi Juric of Swiss side Luzern.
The Australians’ defensive game has been a top priority for Van Marwijk since he was parachuted in to replace Ange Postecoglou in January, though that still looks like a work in progress.
Outstanding player Aaron Mooy — who had a good start to the last Premier League season with Huddersfield Town — is not in the same class as the French.
But defender Josh Risdon, who postponed his honeymoon after a call-up from Van Marwijk, encapsulates the resolve of a side who arrive here after the most arduous qualifying campaign in World Cup history: 27 games and more than 250,000 miles travelled.
‘The bigger the occasion, the tougher the opponent, the better we get up for the game,’ he said.
Mbappe sought to bring down expectations on the eve of the campaign by saying: ‘Let’s face it, Brazil, Spain and Germany are a little ahead of us. But you never know what can happen. We have potential.’
Hugo Lloris, the France goalkeeper and captain, raised more questions than he gave answers when he was asked yesterday about the timing of Griezmann’s Big Reveal. ‘We are very focused on the World Cup — we had a laugh,’ he said. ‘The most important thing is that he feels good.’