France’s golden generation of footballers come into the 2018 FIFA World Cup with one of the strongest and deepest teams in the tournament, along with hopes of lifting the trophy on July 15th. From attack to defense Les Bleus are studded with world class stars and young players who are ready to make an impact on football’s biggest stage. Their bench is deep and impressive. France is one of maybe six countries who really have a chance of winning the whole tournament in Russia, so let’s take a look at three players who could become household names over the next month.
Antoine Griezmann (Forward, 27, Atletico de Madrid:) Atletico Madrid’s electric striker is in line to have a huge tournament. The 27 year old finished the season in fine form for Atletico, scoring two goals in the Europa League Final against Marseille and helping the Spanish club win the competition. Griezmann will be playing with wingers and midfielders who possess greater talent than his club side and Griezmann’s service should be excellent with players like Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante in midfield and wingers like Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele on the flanks to create chances for the forward.
France face one of the easiest groups in this year’s tournament with Australia, Peru and Denmark standing between them and the knockout stages. Griezmann should get plenty of opportunities in the group stage and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him jump out to an early lead in the chance for the golden boot. Barcelona are expected to pay Griezmann’s buyout clause this summer to bring the French forward to the Nou Camp, a strong World Cup showing would give Griezmann’s camp some leverage when negotiating a contact with the Catalan club, should they land their number one transfer target.
Corentin Tolisso (Midfielder, 23, Bayern Munich:) At just 23 years old and with only 8 caps for the senior national team, Tolisso could be one of France’s youngsters that could announce himself to the world with a strong showing in Russia. Tolisso plays his club ball for German giants Bayern Munich and though he struggled to cement a starting place in Bayern’s world class midfield over his first season with the club, Tolisso impressed when he did come onto the pitch. Often times Tolisso was a sub for the Bavarians and would come on late in matches and was able to influence proceedings in a positive way, scoring ten goals in his 40 appearances for Munich. Three of those ten goals were in scored in the Champions League, a good sign for France going into the greatest cup competition of them all. Munich paid 41.5 million Euro’s for the midfielder, making him the most expensive player every purchased from Lyon, showing the value of his future if he matures as expected. Look for the number 12 shirt to make a difference for Les Bleus this summer as he uses his exceptional vision, ball control and late runs into the box to help France close out or win games late.
Ousmane Dembele (Forward, 21, FC Barcelona:) At just 21 years of age Ousmane Dembele is one of France’s bright stars of the present and the future. After an extremely successful run with Borussia Dortmund in Germany, Dembele was purchased by Barcelona in the summer of 2017 and is expected the be a starting winger for the Blaugrana for years to come. Dembele has the pace to trouble any defender in the world, vision to pick out teammates in dangerous areas and his finishing gets better and better with every passing match. The young Frenchman can play well in a team with a possession based attack as well as a counter-attacking side, making him perfect for Didier Deschamps as France will look to blend both styles at this summer’s tournament.
Those are just three players to keep an eye on this summer, but France certainly has a handful of other stars who could bloom in Russia as well. Look for Paul Pogba to take the next step in his young career and see if he can show Manchester United Manager Jose Mourinho that he’s a consistent threat in midfield. Look for Raphael Varane and Samuel Umtiti to solidify their place as one of the world’s best center-back partnerships. Looking for Kylian Mbappe to continue to do what he’s done for Paris San German and create danger on the flanks, and look for Captain Hugo Lloris to be solid and hopefully, mistake free in between the sticks.
France should get out of their group with ease, it’ll be the knock out stages that test them, especially when they come up against Europe’s other elite teams. In a close game don’t be surprised if Corentin Tolisso or Ousmane Dembele make the difference, delivering an inch perfect ball into the box, right to the dangerous feet of Antoine Greizmann. Vive la France.
France
2018 World Cup
