France: 3 things that went right … and wrong
by Ed Pham
If people were to look at the France’s results from Euro 2016 years from now, they would say, “France had an easy game against Albania during the group stage, since they won 2-0.” However, Wednesday night was a game that made fans nervous, only to find a relief as Griezmann managed to get a last-gasp header in the 90’, followed by Payet with a strike of his own.
It was a game that had plenty of frustrations and concerns as to whether or not France could actually replicate the success of winning another trophy on home soil. But what exactly went right and what went wrong for this French squad on Wednesday night?
3 Things that went wrong
1. Matuidi playing a role he shouldn’t have
For a player that’s been known to be a steady piece to this French midfield, it’s been quite surprising that Blaise Matuidi looked so poor. It may have had to do with his role in the lineup. Instead of the free-roaming shuttler that he’s use to with playing on Paris Saint-Germain or when France plays in the 4-3-3, he was positioned in the double pivot.
As a result, his passing was completely off, and he didn’t find any rhythm with teammates. His tackles were mistimed and punished. But who could blame him? For a guy that typically works hard, runs box to box and cover so much ground, having to play as defensive-minded as he did made him look off his game.
This had more to do with the wrong lineup that Didier Deschamps put out against Albania’s particular tactics though.
2. Wrong lineup
After the relatively poor performances against Romania, Antoine Griezmann and Paul Pogba found themselves on the bench. This turned out to be a huge mistake on the French manager’s part. ESPN’s Taylor Twellman pointed out during halftime about how Albania defended against the hosts.
Whenever a French player had the ball in Albania’s defensive third, there would always be two players looking to cover that player. Neither Anthony Martial nor Kinglsey Coman could dribble towards the endline like they usually do. Dimitri Payet didn’t have time on the ball because he had two guys on him all the time.
Without another playmaker to help Payet, the French team struggled to create anything other than from set pieces. Deschamps realized his error by bringing in Pogba in for Martial at the half. Things started to open up more as a result, with both Pogba and Payet leading the charge and Matuidi being able to make runs from deeper areas. There were still issues though.
3. Not finishing chances
Regardless of the lineup that Deschamps had out, the team really struggled to get the ball in the back of the net, let alone on target. It wasn’t until Griezmann scored the game-winner that they actually had their first shot on target. From Giroud’s headers flying over the crossbar or Pogba and Bacary Sagna’s blasts over the goal, France’s misfirings or near-chances left fans completely frustrated and nervous if they’d get a result.
3 Things that went right
1. Showing urgency to get a result
As late as it might have been, France found that goal and got the important three points to advance to the next round which is the most important thing. Fans can remember the quarterfinal lost to Germany in the 2014 World Cup, where there was no urgency to want to win. Here, the team showed a hunger to find that goal, which came from an assist from Adil Rami (of all people).
In three of their last four matches, they’ve managed to find game winners in after the 85’, two of those from Payet. As they progress further in the tournament, what matters the most is getting the result.
2. Payet’s strong night
Payet continued to make an impact on this French squad. After his eight chances created against Romania, he added another six chances created. Despite the amount of focus from the Albanian defense, he continued to find his teammates on set pieces and used his creativity to try to break through the stubborn defense. He eventually made history scoring the latest goal in Euro history at the home of his former club.
Defense held strong
While there were still nervous moments in the first half, some unusual shots taken, and the shot that fortunately hit the woodwork, the defense looked more comfortable, winning balls and aerial duels.
Evra, in particular, managed to win 17 aerial duels, which was more than the Albanian team, with 15. They limited Albania to only eight shots with none on target. Fans can only hope that this back four continues to be uses this clean sheet to build more cohesion and chemistry as they head into the knockout rounds.
In the end, France got the result they needed on Wednesday. It wasn’t pretty by any means, but this team learning to dig deep and have a sense of urgency in order to do so. This match, while expected to be a walkover for the hosts, proved to be a learning experience for the French national team, for each player and for the manager too. Hopefully one to let them hoist the cup at home.
