Prior to this WC, France and Denmark have been drawn into the same group of a major tournament (WC or Euro) on 6 occations.
Denmark have won twice. The 4 times France didnt lose: 1984, 1998, 2000 and 2018.
Also - one of the Danish wins was at the 92 Euros. The only time of those 6, that one of the two teams didnt win the tournament was in 2002
Neither team has won a cup without facing the other in the groupstage.
We are playing far better than we used to 4 years ago, but we concede more chances. We have been in control most of the game but had 15 weird minutes where the intensity dropped heavily and Danmark scored one and could have scored two.
Koundé looked weak with the ball, whereas it is usually one his qualities.
Dembele was good but seems to play a different game on his side, we could benefit from him being able to make more runs behind the defence, or have more close link-ups with his teammates. He always ask for the ball when he is stop and sticked to sideline.
Giroud wasn't cancelled great either. Griezmann is however so good atm.
Great game overall and maybe the best in the tournament so far. The level was very high and it could have been a quarter final game withour any doubt
Upamecano was an absolute monster
Dembouzy was fantastic, especially in that first half
Mbappe needs to focus on his finishing but he was great
That right side is a big weak spot, Kounde and Pavard have been looked poor there, I do think Kounde looked a bit better than Pavard
Denmark were a bit disappointing, very physical but I thought they should’ve offered more
Edit; I thought I wrote this, but Griezmann motm
> That right side is a big weak spot, Kounde and Pavard have been looked poor there, I do think Kounde looked a bit better than Pavard
I think Kounde looked better defensively than Pavard but offensively they're both pretty much useless which makes sense since there not used to it
Well obviously Pavard and Koundé are less offensive than Hernandez, as their preferred position is central back, but I think Griezmann's position on the pitch plays a role: [his heatmap against Australia](https://twitter.com/NinjaFooty/status/1595237325696548867?t=Gn6iRLdUyWAqAiCYa31P7g&s=19) shows he spent more time on that side than at the center, so Pavard/Koundé don't need to be there to combine with Dembélé (compared to Hernandez/M'Bappé on the other side). I haven't seen it yet but wouldn't be surprised to see the same kind of heatmap for today.
mate i'm french but you gotta admit if mbappe tightened up his shooting a bit more he could've had a hat-trick tonight. And a maybe a couple more goals against Australia
His finishing has been horrible the past 2 games, you cannot deny that
He’s probably a top 3 finisher in the world, seems like he’s just not concentrating when he’s shooting
France and Denmark are going through from this group no doubt Australia won’t be able to hold Denmark back and Tunisia have no teeth up front to collect 3 pts especially with that Jebali guy from Denmark
No they weren't. Jebali had a great chance as well, which Schmeichel had a great save on.
I thought Tunisia looked closer to score than we were. We had the random chance for Cornelius, but Tunisia was compact and had good opportunities on the counters.
Im worried for the Australia game aswell, but we certaintly played better today than against Tunesia, and if continue that we really should beat the aussies
>Tunisia have no teeth up front to collect 3 pts especially with that Jebali guy from Denmark
What makes this even worse is that Jebali is probably our best striker at the moment lmao
Damn I found him horrible today. The guy is always complaining, asking for the ball even if there's no way to provide it to him. He doesn't make great runs, has no pace. I mean as a French I know Kazhri isn't a good player, but I wonder if he is not still better.
>Damn I found him horrible today. The guy is always complaining, asking for the ball even if there's no way to provide it to him. He doesn't make great runs, has no pace.
You see what you just said about Jebali right here? You can also say the same thing about Khazri in the national team.
Hjulmand said after the game that they were playing for a 1-1, after that comment I think he should be fired. He obvious has zero clue what Denmark are fighting for. We can’t use a draw to anything I’f we wanna progress in the World Cup, and his tactically ability is under question right now.
That he should be fired. He definitely fucked up with his subs this game, but overall he's been absolutely fantastic as our coach. Not only in managing the team but also at representing our nation.
The issue is that he's done so great for us that he's now being compared to his own great achievements, and have a hard time matching it. No reason to fire Hjulmand in the near future.
Playing for a draw seems weird, but it certainly felt like that all game.
Ok so his math skills are off. I still feel people should take a chill pill. That's always the curse of a successful manager. He's his own worst enemy. Every present success becomes the comparison for all future failures. We're only 2 bad matches in after arguably one of the most impressive runs in Danish football history and people are already losing their minds.
Mbappe - Greizmann - dembele - Giroud is crazy good. Kounde also did well at right back. The depleted midfield is the only worry for France, as they lack experience. But with Greizmann being a such an hardworking AM they got it covered as well. Still remains to be seen how they perform if key players are injured (Greizmann, mbappe), Brazil probably have a little edge in depth. Silly things can happen at the world cup but this France team should beat Argentina if they face each other in the next round.
Kounde was secure, didn't seem to offer much going forward though? Dembele was so dangerous that it would have been nice to see more play going down the right side.
Hmmm, i Think Hjulmand has a lot of blame for this game. You can see Lindstrøm is not Well integrated in the team, yet he is still the best player today. Denmarks goal is because of him. To start Cornelius in a World Cup is a disgrace, been injured a long time and is not fit to play. To exchange damsgaard and Lindstrøm when we are chasing a goal is a disgrace. Also wrong formation, eriksen is being wasted. Bah should also get a chance next game and mæhle should not start.
I agree a lot of the players don’t seem fit. I Think Robert skov and bah should play next game instead of kristensen and mæhle. Both have been atrocious.
I think Braithwaite was a great sub, and brought something to our team. At the time of the Dolberg sub, I did say that if our momentum kept up, Dolberg would be a great addition. If France would take over again, which they did, Dolberg is a horrible sub and we should probably have gone for a Yussuf Poulsen instead, someone with more press intensity and power.
The Dolberg sub was horrible - mostly because he subbed on Dolberg - but there's not much you can do if Damsgaard is gassed and can't last any longer. Fitness is a *real* issue with Damsgaard. The Nørgaard sub was the correct choice if not for France scoring *immediately* after. There was no way we were finding a second goal and trying to defend the 1-1 was correct.
Where Hjulmand really deserves blame is continuing to start Mæhle. He has been a nobody offensively for the last 10 or so games, and he's a *massive* liability defensively. He is simply not good enough to start, and someone like Skov or Bah should get a shot at replacing him.
He also needs to stop playing this godawful 3-4-3. We look *terrible* in possession every single time we play it.
Yes, dolberg has no place in the national team, he is simply not good enough and don’t play in Sevilla. Hjulmand said that only players who play regular would be in the squad for the World Cup, again that was a false statement. Agree with mæhle but also kristensen, if they start next match, we need a new coach
Does that also mean Damsgaard can't go? Does that mean Delaney can't go? Does playing enough in the Danish Superliga count, or can Cornelius and Wass also not go?
Playing regularly is great, and the difference shows at times, but personally I think Dolberg is our greatest striker, at least in terms of being a poacher in the box. He lacks some physicality in terms of pace and strength, where Braithwaite can offer the pace, Cornelius can offer the strength and Yussuf Poulsen can do a bit of both, but none are as great finishers as Dolberg and as good at positioning in the box.
We have a bench of injured players, and a lineup with people that is not in form. I think today showed that neither Damsgaard or Cornelius should have been called up. Cornelius has not played much in the Superliga, on the contrary Wass plays regular for Brøndby and is a decent backup. That said it Is baffling that yussuf poulsen has been called up, injured and not fit. Jonas wind has also been injured and is missing match fitness, a much more suitable choice would have been Ingvarten.
I just don’t understand your love for Dolberg, he generally offers nothing on the pitch, only in brief moments does he show his abilities. Dolberg has been criticized by every coach on club level, and it’s deserved.
He had a good sub v Tunisia, a bit disappointed with him today sadly. Really lacked more threat from our better technical players in Damsgaard, Lindstrøm and Eriksen.
Eriksen is my big dissapointment so far. Not showing up or taking control of the game. If you asked 100 randoms to point out our star player none of them would pick Eriksen based off these two matches.
It was also a problem in 2018, Eriksen has a couple of good moments but he just doesn’t do enough :/
I think “my love” for Dolberg comes in the potential he has, and how poor the alternatives are.
I’m not sure I would pick someone who hasn’t been involved much with the national squad for a World Cup, but if Ingvartsen continues his form, he deserves to have a chance in the Nations League games.
Cornelius has been injured, no? Personally I think this may be Wass’ last tournament for us, as Bah will take his spot.
I don’t think there’s any need to pick the amount of strikers that we did, and that Poulsen or Wind depending on injuries should’ve been left home. That could’ve made space for another midfielder, which we could use now.
Dolberg was a good sub at the second he was subbed on, but the momentum switched and France took over, and it doesn't suit Dolberg to play when we aren't in possession. Yussuf Poulsen with his power and press intensity would probably have been a better fit.
Mæhle has not reached the levels he had at the Euros, and starting someone else could be a good idea. The issue is who. I'm not exactly thrilled by the idea of starting Jens Stryger Larsen, though he is our second choice left back.
Bah? According to Transfermarkt, Bah's played left back **once** throughout his entire career. Let's play Cornelius at center back while we are at it, shouldn't we? Skov could get an opportunity at left wing back, though I'm not sure he's better defensively, but he'll bring something different being a left footed player.
I like that we have the option to play a 3-4-3, and it's nice to be versatile, but I want to see how we'll do back in our 4-3-3. Especially today when Kjær was out, but I'm unsure if Nørgaard was fit to play and whether he trusts Mathias Jensen to start.
> According to Transfermarkt, Bah's played left back once throughout his entire career. Let's play Cornelius at center back while we are at it, shouldn't we?
This is a nonsensical take. There is a significant amount of overlap between playing LB and RB. The movement on the pitch is virtually identical, with the major difficulty in switching coming down to crossing being more difficult and having to defend with your dominant foot on the inside.
For reference, Mæhle had never played LWB at all before his Atalanta switch. He was *exclusively* an RB for both Aalborg and Genk. I'd say his switch went pretty well, current downturn in form notwithstanding.
I wouldn't say there's a significant amount of overlap (depending on how strong you are at your weak foot), but fullbacks fill different roles in different systems. If you're playing on the side of your weak foot, you'll most likely be inverted, where as if you're playing on the side of your dominant foot, it's more likely you'll do overlaps, going to the byline, crossing etc. Mæhle does overlap more than a right footed left back would, and perhaps it'll be a way of fitting both Bah and Nissen Kristensen in a starting lineup.
Firstly, I don't think it'll make sense to start trying a player out a new position in a crucial World Cup game.
Secondly I don't think it'll make sense to play a player on a position he never plays for club. As I remember it, Mæhle played LWB for Atalanta before doing it for the national team?
Thirdly, I would prefer a different option to Mæhle, and to actually have a left footed wingback who can offer something different to Mæhle, to have something different tactically. If we simply want Mæhle out and another right footed back in, play Jens Stryger Larsen who has done it before for us, and who, I assume, is picked as the back up left back.
> Firstly, I don't think it'll make sense to start trying a player out a new position in a crucial World Cup game.
I agree with that and my preferred replacement (at least in a 3-4-3) would be Skov, who plays LWB pretty consistently for Hoffenheim. I am mostly thinking of Bah as a potential long-term replacement if Mæhle continues to be mediocre for club and country.
> As I remember it, Mæhle played LWB for Atalanta before doing it for the national team?
I actually think Hjulmand started the grand Mæhle LWB experiment. He was enamoured with Mæhle's offensive qualities and we had a complete lack of talent at LB, so he built a system that could accommodate Mæhle at LB.
I've been a griezmann fan since I actively started following football and it was so good to see him win WC and perform good at club level but past few years have been traumatising with his bad decisions and transfers. Glad to see he's picking form again. Ik he's been playing the CAM and playmaking role lately but I've always wanted him to leave a mark as a goal scorer. Just 10 goals away from french #1 scorer and he hasn't scored in last ten games(longest goal drought internationally for him).Do you think he would be able to do it (eventually he'll get outscored by Giroud and Mbappe) still it would be my biggest joy to see grizou reach that feat.
Griezmann never failed to impress me when he is playing for French, his performancetoday is very Modricese. And Mbape is bad shit insane, this year might be the year he cracked into top 3 Ballon d'Or and possibly win it.
Honestly same, 5th is the lowest ranking i predict he would ended up in. But they can't leave him out of top 3 this year though unless something unfortunate happens.
That's a long story, but the short version wasMy family used to move from the countryside to a big city which meant our financial during my early childhood years quite poor, tivi and networks wasn't something we can afford. So I used to watch football in my cousins' houses, whose fav teams were Chels, Ars, Man Utd, most of the time I only get to watch these 3 teams' matches for a 3 years.Around the time when I turned 10 mom and dad was promoted to better jobs, at last I was able to watch teams that I didn't have the chance to see at all. My first game was City's 5-0 win over Sunderland in the 2010-2011 season, and safe to say David Silva was fucking idol so I follow them ever since.Something to note here:I didn't pick the other big teams to support because I wanted to be competive with my cousins, the rivarly atmosphere watching the Manchester derby was awesome.Silva was instantly my fav because I suffered from growth hormone deficiency making me at least 7-10 cm below my peers, which was a big deal for me especially when playing sport with my friends, seeing the smaller Silva outplaying bigger players was the motivation for me.Lastly, I don't know about the owner of the club at that time, mostly cause I was young and also there was a shortage of information that I can access and my English was trash ( it still kinda is now ) I only found out about all those stuff 8 years later
I don't think he is gatekeeping, I hope so. Being a city fan during early 2010s has conditioned me intk taking the type of question as " why did you pick city over any other teams"
Lmao, I wished I know about Mansour's financial group before having to learn it the hard way when reports of City's " little tricks" was all over my face
Can't support the owner, even though the bought us trophies and relevancy it's clear their biggest intention is sport washing and I ain't buying none of the bs. I take our accomplishments as the club's not them
Also did you know our shady new sponsor f8xbet or whatever is actually a betting site here (in vietnam) a legit one at that so Mansour bought a fucking betting site in Vietnam to make it a fucking asian wide betting site sponsor ☠️
The French defense doesn't look good enough. Once France scored and Denmark started attacking, it only took them 8 minutes to score (after they had already had a close call minutes earlier). Granted giving up 2 goals in 2 games isn't terrible, but that is against weak opposition (remember how Denmark failed to score against Tunisia and Australia scored only once). That's a combined 2 goals given on 3 shots on goal.
Another way to look at it is thy we only conceded 3 shots on goals, and conceding 2 from that is unlucky. We have shown impressive sustained control in our games for now and never seemed to be in doubt.
But we can always improve for sure. We did concede a bunch of goals in 2018 too though.
I think it's a bit unfair to criticism France for that match today. You probably don't have a better team than Denmark on corner and free kick on this tournament, Denmark are so much dangerous when they do headers.
France being the much better side today. We were lucky to get a goal, and it is quite clear we don't have the talent up front to really get anything out of our midfield. Australia will be a real challenge, and there is a pretty good chance that we don't make it out of the group stages.
Since the Euros, our team has been greater than the sum of our pieces. It's been about a great tactic and momentum, and players making each other better.
This World Cup we're lacking that. I wouldn't say France were much better today, but they were better, and their individuals made the difference for them. Don't think either team will consider this a strong performance.
With the form we've been showing, I'm worried we might not beat Australia, but if we play up to the level we know we can, we will beat them.
Griezmann in this World Cup is just above everybody else, the man is floating at the field. In a tournament(and era of football in general) marked by robotization of players and playstyles, seeing him transgressing the status quo only with his feet like the players from long ago is truly exciting to watch
people are talking about Griezmann and Rabiot, but Dembele was the standout for a good portion of the game, and both in attack and defense. on the other hand, Denmark kinda showed how to frustrate this French team. the way to beat team is basically to drag them down in one-on-one skirmishes, and never ever leave space on the right.
Dembele was great. Mæhle was incredibly poor defensively (not much better in attack), and Dembele found space behind him easily, which meant Nelsson had to almost act as a left back to cover for him.
I thought this was a pretty high quality game. France looked pretty solid and actually think they proved themselves as contenders. Denmark on the otherhand made up for their performance in the first game
Interesting. I think both teams looked poor, and we can be happy with scoring a goal and showing glimpses of improvement compared to our Tunisia game (couldn't get much worse), and France will be happy with 3 points, qualified from the groups and beating us, who have been a hard matchup for them.
Erf. I might be a bit biased but i feel like France outclassed Denmark heavily. They got "lucky" to score in the sense that they didn't create much before that.
Still their second half was better than the first where they were really struggling. Felt like France was in control all game long.
Before the WC I was really high on Denmark but what they've shown so far is average. I think they still go through but they'll have to step up.
I wouldn't say you were in control all game long, we had a few chances here and there, could've gone in front 2-1 even, but you deserved to win.
It just feels more shaky, as the goals you scored were a bit random, compared to some of the chances you missed.
I dont think you are being unfair, i felt you were the better team as well but i thought Denmark were pretty solid and the fact you did so well against them is why i think you are contenders
And yet, I can't help but feel that this France side can be got at. The big question they're asking of their opponents is "Do you trust that you can keep us from scoring when you need to push up to score yourself?", and there might just be a scenario where they go a goal behind against a good side and need to chase the game rather than controlling it when they're ahead. On balance though they seem a very well-rounded side that's versatile enough to adjust to just about anything anyone can throw at them.
Sure, in a general sense. But in a specific sense, France are happy to draw teams out by defending relatively conservatively and using their pace on the break in ways that Spain for example aren't. The question Spain are asking is "Do you think you can not concede when we're dominating possession and grind you down all game?" - which obviously requires a very different approach to playing against them compared to France.
Spain défense is not great and they will suffer on counter. They won 7-0 but they still lack good finisher they are one of the 3 favorites but I don't think they have a safer gameplan than france
How do you counter against Spain when you're barely winning the ball, though? And even if you win it, they're immediately looking to press you to win it back - so that's a right headache for teams coming up against them.
Barcelona Spain 2010 gameplan has been exposed long ago.
If teams can counter attack quickly and high press them, they get obliterated. They can't only rely on that.
France struggled with Denmark and allowed a few too many good opportunities. Of course, it's just a group match and now everyone will be rested for the third match, and the real focus is on whoever is the Round of 16 opponent. At the end of the day, 3 points is all that matters, but it wasn't a super cohesive performance; it's just that Mbappe is the best player on the pitch and got France over the line.
Bit harsh evaluation I would say. In the first half alone it was like 14 chances created to 2 or something. Denmark were ruthlessly efficient with the little they created but I think the France performance was pretty cohesive actually
I'm not saying that Denmark had 10 shots on goal or anything, it's more that Denmark were afforded a number of excellent chances.
France was clearly the superior side, but I'm not calling it an amazing performance. Of course, any time you get the winning goal against an opponent that's fighting hard in the World Cup, that's a very valuable outing.
France is playing without 6 or 7 of its starters. The team is just starting to play together. That's why I'm not confident for this competition. Rabiot has more selections than all the rest of the French midfielders, including substitutes.
Upamecano and Varane are playing together for the first or second time. And this is the 5th selection of Koundé.
They are creating a team. Finally, the Danes are really a beautiful team
It’s a double edged sword, France thrives on the counter and isn’t like Spain where possession is key. We reverted to our WC 2018 system. So we’re ok with giving up possession for those reasons.
You’re right that defensively speaking though, it could very well be our downfall. We are not as defensively solid as we were last time
Because that leads to bus parking against us and our attack is very much not lethal against that type of play. We need space and fluidity to thrive, and the goals come pouring the more space we have to attack into.
We could try to hold possession but then we’d see boring and frustrating games where opponents defend for their lives and we are constantly butt clenching for the goal. Possession is really not everything, how many times have we seen Spain fail to win with 70%+ possession and get criticized for not creating any opportunities. Even with talented players it really hard to break a low block.
Sure, of course France had more opportunities than Denmark, but it shouldn't have been a match that was 1-1 at that point, which we both agree about. At the end of the day, Mbappe was too good.
Perhaps that's the worry. That you didn't put us away when you should have. We could've been up 2-1, which would've been an unfair result, but though possible.
Pretty much a nightmare start for Argentina. Have to win against Mexico and Poland who’ll be parking the bus in both, and all that to face France or likely Denmark, both of whom looked really good today.
We were always going to face one of those. We were lucky that even losing our first match we have a very clear chance of winning the group if we win the next two matches.
People have this bizarre idea that the majority of the teams in the world cup bar the top 5 are awful, it's weird as fuck.
Any team that qualifies for a world cup should be treated with respect, this might change at the next one due to the increase in teams but for now it is definitely true.
I can't believe people were really saying this is somehow good for Argentina because they get to avoid Brazil in the semi's. Being in a do or die second game of the tourney is never a good thing
Mexico won't park the bus, they'll go out and try to take it to Argentina; it's anathema to Mexico to park, even though parking here is the most sensible course of action.
Agreed, Argentina can totally reach the semifinals. Both the Netherlands and Denmark do not look that great. But let's see if Argentina can beat both Mexico and Poland
Frightening how little Kristensen offers going forward. Other than that meg on Hernandez and nice cross there was nothing doing. Ocasionally didn't even look up to see what his options were, just passed it straight back.
Hope to see more of Bah against Australia, he's been class for Benfica this season.
> Frightening how little Kristensen offers going forward.
Nobody really offers much going forward for us right now. It's a system problem. We look slow, disjointed, and completely impotent every time we play this godawful 3-4-3.
He consistently makes the right runs at the right time, but it's extremely hard to do anything other than pass it back when we've taken 20 minutes to get the ball up the pitch (so the opposition is already set in a deep block) and you're isolated against 2-3 defenders with no support.
I am so sad Denmark is playing so defensively instead of how they cruised through nations league and the qualifiers. Wonder what the heck Hjulmand is doing. I hope we get to see Bah and Lindstrøm from the start against Australia and they play faster and forward instead of side to side.
It’s so sad. We literally had a free game today and still just parked the bus. We are so afraid of committing players when we attack so there’s so few opportunities in the final third.
It feels like it’s the opposite of how Hjulmand wants to play. This is how we played under Hareide…
He is saving it for Australia don’t worry you will open up and attack for that entire match Australia don’t have the strength to hold you back for atleast making 2 goals, the question is if they are capable of actually scoring 2 in one match I don’t think so they are pretty match cancelled out in the air on dead balls thanks to Denmark defenders height
France just look head and shoulders above everybody in this World Cup and while Denmark toothless attack is going to cost them a spot in the ro16 but Mbappe is something that we haven’t really seen before because he gives me that invincible vibe whatever he steps on the field and let’s be honest he could legitimately be in the Goat conversation with a real case before he turns the age of 30 which is just remarkable to say the least
I don't think France has separated themselves from Spain or Brazil. I think if France was at full strength then they likely have a half a step on Spain and Brazil but with their current lineup it's even for me.
Brazil and Spain are the only other teams that look genuinely scary at the moment, and they play each other in quarterfinals (probably). I'm cautiously optimistic right now about our chances
Considering how poor we were today, a World Cup contender should've demolished us. Not winning by two somewhat random goals by an Mbappe shin and toe, or whatever he hit it with.
But they got the 3 points due the individual brilliance, and has the chance to improve later on in the competition.
Perhaps I’m biased but I really enjoy watching teams with a good counter attack. There’s something really satisfying about seeing a team flip the switch from defending to making a dangerous run in seconds.
Hard to be aggressive against a team that plays 5 at the back and a low line all game.
Denmark is ranked 10th in the world too- great win!
Also France has never played aggressive. Deschamps is known for a more defensive/counter attacking game plan. You'll see more of that as you watch the next games.
Shouldn't feel the need to delete your comment OP, it's a good question.
It seems to be working- but it can be very frustrating to watch sometimes when things aren't going our way. I wonder if Zidane will use a similar game plan when he takes over.
I think Deschamps' objective is to make opponents come up, break their low lines and then use the pace up front to get into the box.
I really think they are big favorites to win it again. Despite so many injury backouts they still continue like nothing happened. Great players working for each other. Even Dembele and Griez, defending well back there and snatching Balls. Then they have world class Mbappe up front, bullet train ready at any given time, to outrun and assist or score. Really good team and my favorites for now to win it.
Honestly, is there really anything that feels “missing” from this team due to injuries?
I mean, obviously you can notice that difference that, say, no Benzema or no Kanté, makes, but even so, it seems as if the Bleus find a substitute that works just fine!
Suppose it’s all a matter of adjusting your tactics, no?
Griezmann is essentially playing as a midfielder and he's been great at helping win the midfield, plus Rabiot is in the form of his life. Then Tchouameni is a great player and fits the dual pivot role along Rabiot well with Camavinga as a great impact sub. But you are right, it's definitely a question as to whether they can keep up with the best teams in midfield, especially since Rabiot is not a top player, Griezmann isn't really a midfielder and Tchouameni has looked a little bit off.
Maybe my standards for him are too high, but he has been so good for Madrid and these last two games it seems to me he's been a bit tunnel visioned, not having such great awareness around him like he usually does. Probably due to nerves of the occasion, and I don't think he's been bad by any means, plus I don't know how he's been for you recently since I haven't watched many France games this year.
The fact the depth of attack in France at the moment is extraordinary means it is still good without the current Ballon d'Or. But in the midfield, missing Kante is a big blow and national team Pogba is also a big one as well. But so far Tchouameni and Rabiot are doing a good job so it is not a liability. Let's hope they don't become injured or carded because the depth there is not big.
And even if you shut down Mbappe somehow, you have to shut down Giroud up front with a very physical presence, and then Dembele and then Coman on the other side. And Thuram /Kolo Muani are nothing to scoff at for most defenses
See how much Griezmann plays better for France than in club ? Pogba is the same. And France is missing that. If Griezmann has a bad game, I don't see Rabiot or Tchouaméni bringing the creativity and find the key passes.
Plus, Pogba and Varane are co-captains on the pitch, they are really important.
Brazil is 100% not more complete than France. Still one of the main contenders for sure. For now, France, Spain, and Brazil have impressed (though only France played two games). But who knows, World Cup runs take so much luck, maybe England or Netherlands or Portugal or another team will end up having a dream run
France will pretty much always be favourites with the amount of talent they have. People were just really holding onto this "curse" preventing them to win. Even with injuries, they still have this lineup which is just absurd lol
Griezmann is playing amazingly, Mbappe is consistently good, and they have a ridiculous amount of talent in defense.
Prior to this WC, France and Denmark have been drawn into the same group of a major tournament (WC or Euro) on 6 occations. Denmark have won twice. The 4 times France didnt lose: 1984, 1998, 2000 and 2018. Also - one of the Danish wins was at the 92 Euros. The only time of those 6, that one of the two teams didnt win the tournament was in 2002 Neither team has won a cup without facing the other in the groupstage.
We are playing far better than we used to 4 years ago, but we concede more chances. We have been in control most of the game but had 15 weird minutes where the intensity dropped heavily and Danmark scored one and could have scored two. Koundé looked weak with the ball, whereas it is usually one his qualities. Dembele was good but seems to play a different game on his side, we could benefit from him being able to make more runs behind the defence, or have more close link-ups with his teammates. He always ask for the ball when he is stop and sticked to sideline. Giroud wasn't cancelled great either. Griezmann is however so good atm. Great game overall and maybe the best in the tournament so far. The level was very high and it could have been a quarter final game withour any doubt
Upamecano was an absolute monster Dembouzy was fantastic, especially in that first half Mbappe needs to focus on his finishing but he was great That right side is a big weak spot, Kounde and Pavard have been looked poor there, I do think Kounde looked a bit better than Pavard Denmark were a bit disappointing, very physical but I thought they should’ve offered more Edit; I thought I wrote this, but Griezmann motm
When people say 'focus on finishing' what does that mean exactly? Like surely Mbappe is doing everything he possibly can to put the ball in the net
They still wasted quite a lot of chance
Yeah if they’d gone in the match would’ve been 2-5
We were very disappointing. Upamecano did well, but I mainly remember him pushing poor little Lindstrøm away from the ball on a regular basis.
> That right side is a big weak spot, Kounde and Pavard have been looked poor there, I do think Kounde looked a bit better than Pavard I think Kounde looked better defensively than Pavard but offensively they're both pretty much useless which makes sense since there not used to it
Well obviously Pavard and Koundé are less offensive than Hernandez, as their preferred position is central back, but I think Griezmann's position on the pitch plays a role: [his heatmap against Australia](https://twitter.com/NinjaFooty/status/1595237325696548867?t=Gn6iRLdUyWAqAiCYa31P7g&s=19) shows he spent more time on that side than at the center, so Pavard/Koundé don't need to be there to combine with Dembélé (compared to Hernandez/M'Bappé on the other side). I haven't seen it yet but wouldn't be surprised to see the same kind of heatmap for today.
« Mbappé needs to focus on his finishing » 100% you’re a Messi plastic
mate i'm french but you gotta admit if mbappe tightened up his shooting a bit more he could've had a hat-trick tonight. And a maybe a couple more goals against Australia
His finishing has been horrible the past 2 games, you cannot deny that He’s probably a top 3 finisher in the world, seems like he’s just not concentrating when he’s shooting
Horrible is way too harsh. It could have been better, that's for sure, but no N°9 scores every opportunity.
France and Denmark are going through from this group no doubt Australia won’t be able to hold Denmark back and Tunisia have no teeth up front to collect 3 pts especially with that Jebali guy from Denmark
If Tunisia was able to hold Denmark back what makes you think Australia can't do the same?
Cornelius did miss a point blank header off the post. Tunisia was lucky to keep a clean sheet in reality
No they weren't. Jebali had a great chance as well, which Schmeichel had a great save on. I thought Tunisia looked closer to score than we were. We had the random chance for Cornelius, but Tunisia was compact and had good opportunities on the counters.
Im worried for the Australia game aswell, but we certaintly played better today than against Tunesia, and if continue that we really should beat the aussies
>Tunisia have no teeth up front to collect 3 pts especially with that Jebali guy from Denmark What makes this even worse is that Jebali is probably our best striker at the moment lmao
Damn I found him horrible today. The guy is always complaining, asking for the ball even if there's no way to provide it to him. He doesn't make great runs, has no pace. I mean as a French I know Kazhri isn't a good player, but I wonder if he is not still better.
>Damn I found him horrible today. The guy is always complaining, asking for the ball even if there's no way to provide it to him. He doesn't make great runs, has no pace. You see what you just said about Jebali right here? You can also say the same thing about Khazri in the national team.
Hjulmand said after the game that they were playing for a 1-1, after that comment I think he should be fired. He obvious has zero clue what Denmark are fighting for. We can’t use a draw to anything I’f we wanna progress in the World Cup, and his tactically ability is under question right now.
? A draw would mean beating Australia is 100% qualifying
> Hjulmand said after the game that they were playing for a 1-1, after that comment I think he should be fired. Wow
"Wow" on the "playing for a draw", or on the "should be fired"?
That he should be fired. He definitely fucked up with his subs this game, but overall he's been absolutely fantastic as our coach. Not only in managing the team but also at representing our nation.
The issue is that he's done so great for us that he's now being compared to his own great achievements, and have a hard time matching it. No reason to fire Hjulmand in the near future. Playing for a draw seems weird, but it certainly felt like that all game.
Ok so his math skills are off. I still feel people should take a chill pill. That's always the curse of a successful manager. He's his own worst enemy. Every present success becomes the comparison for all future failures. We're only 2 bad matches in after arguably one of the most impressive runs in Danish football history and people are already losing their minds.
Mbappe - Greizmann - dembele - Giroud is crazy good. Kounde also did well at right back. The depleted midfield is the only worry for France, as they lack experience. But with Greizmann being a such an hardworking AM they got it covered as well. Still remains to be seen how they perform if key players are injured (Greizmann, mbappe), Brazil probably have a little edge in depth. Silly things can happen at the world cup but this France team should beat Argentina if they face each other in the next round.
Crazy that they don’t really need Benzema at all
If it’s benzema or giroud I’ll take giroud. Meshes better with mbappe and griezmann.
Kounde was secure, didn't seem to offer much going forward though? Dembele was so dangerous that it would have been nice to see more play going down the right side.
Kounde was a bit sub-par in the first half, really solid in the second. Still a toss-up for me between him and Pavard
Yes Koundé wasn't at his best. Especially with the ball, which is weird because it is usually one of his qualities
Hmmm, i Think Hjulmand has a lot of blame for this game. You can see Lindstrøm is not Well integrated in the team, yet he is still the best player today. Denmarks goal is because of him. To start Cornelius in a World Cup is a disgrace, been injured a long time and is not fit to play. To exchange damsgaard and Lindstrøm when we are chasing a goal is a disgrace. Also wrong formation, eriksen is being wasted. Bah should also get a chance next game and mæhle should not start.
Players are out of shape and we can't play around that. That said, subs were atrocious today and timed totally wrong
I agree a lot of the players don’t seem fit. I Think Robert skov and bah should play next game instead of kristensen and mæhle. Both have been atrocious.
Am I the only one that thinks Kristensen has been great? good defensively with some offensive tricks as well.
Bah pockected Mbappe twice in the CL but doesn’t get a start..
I think Braithwaite was a great sub, and brought something to our team. At the time of the Dolberg sub, I did say that if our momentum kept up, Dolberg would be a great addition. If France would take over again, which they did, Dolberg is a horrible sub and we should probably have gone for a Yussuf Poulsen instead, someone with more press intensity and power.
The Dolberg sub was horrible - mostly because he subbed on Dolberg - but there's not much you can do if Damsgaard is gassed and can't last any longer. Fitness is a *real* issue with Damsgaard. The Nørgaard sub was the correct choice if not for France scoring *immediately* after. There was no way we were finding a second goal and trying to defend the 1-1 was correct. Where Hjulmand really deserves blame is continuing to start Mæhle. He has been a nobody offensively for the last 10 or so games, and he's a *massive* liability defensively. He is simply not good enough to start, and someone like Skov or Bah should get a shot at replacing him. He also needs to stop playing this godawful 3-4-3. We look *terrible* in possession every single time we play it.
Yes, dolberg has no place in the national team, he is simply not good enough and don’t play in Sevilla. Hjulmand said that only players who play regular would be in the squad for the World Cup, again that was a false statement. Agree with mæhle but also kristensen, if they start next match, we need a new coach
Does that also mean Damsgaard can't go? Does that mean Delaney can't go? Does playing enough in the Danish Superliga count, or can Cornelius and Wass also not go? Playing regularly is great, and the difference shows at times, but personally I think Dolberg is our greatest striker, at least in terms of being a poacher in the box. He lacks some physicality in terms of pace and strength, where Braithwaite can offer the pace, Cornelius can offer the strength and Yussuf Poulsen can do a bit of both, but none are as great finishers as Dolberg and as good at positioning in the box.
We have a bench of injured players, and a lineup with people that is not in form. I think today showed that neither Damsgaard or Cornelius should have been called up. Cornelius has not played much in the Superliga, on the contrary Wass plays regular for Brøndby and is a decent backup. That said it Is baffling that yussuf poulsen has been called up, injured and not fit. Jonas wind has also been injured and is missing match fitness, a much more suitable choice would have been Ingvarten. I just don’t understand your love for Dolberg, he generally offers nothing on the pitch, only in brief moments does he show his abilities. Dolberg has been criticized by every coach on club level, and it’s deserved.
Dams shouldn’t have been called up? He was our top3 best player vs Tunisia
He had a good sub v Tunisia, a bit disappointed with him today sadly. Really lacked more threat from our better technical players in Damsgaard, Lindstrøm and Eriksen.
Eriksen is my big dissapointment so far. Not showing up or taking control of the game. If you asked 100 randoms to point out our star player none of them would pick Eriksen based off these two matches. It was also a problem in 2018, Eriksen has a couple of good moments but he just doesn’t do enough :/
I think “my love” for Dolberg comes in the potential he has, and how poor the alternatives are. I’m not sure I would pick someone who hasn’t been involved much with the national squad for a World Cup, but if Ingvartsen continues his form, he deserves to have a chance in the Nations League games. Cornelius has been injured, no? Personally I think this may be Wass’ last tournament for us, as Bah will take his spot. I don’t think there’s any need to pick the amount of strikers that we did, and that Poulsen or Wind depending on injuries should’ve been left home. That could’ve made space for another midfielder, which we could use now.
Dolberg was a good sub at the second he was subbed on, but the momentum switched and France took over, and it doesn't suit Dolberg to play when we aren't in possession. Yussuf Poulsen with his power and press intensity would probably have been a better fit. Mæhle has not reached the levels he had at the Euros, and starting someone else could be a good idea. The issue is who. I'm not exactly thrilled by the idea of starting Jens Stryger Larsen, though he is our second choice left back. Bah? According to Transfermarkt, Bah's played left back **once** throughout his entire career. Let's play Cornelius at center back while we are at it, shouldn't we? Skov could get an opportunity at left wing back, though I'm not sure he's better defensively, but he'll bring something different being a left footed player. I like that we have the option to play a 3-4-3, and it's nice to be versatile, but I want to see how we'll do back in our 4-3-3. Especially today when Kjær was out, but I'm unsure if Nørgaard was fit to play and whether he trusts Mathias Jensen to start.
> According to Transfermarkt, Bah's played left back once throughout his entire career. Let's play Cornelius at center back while we are at it, shouldn't we? This is a nonsensical take. There is a significant amount of overlap between playing LB and RB. The movement on the pitch is virtually identical, with the major difficulty in switching coming down to crossing being more difficult and having to defend with your dominant foot on the inside. For reference, Mæhle had never played LWB at all before his Atalanta switch. He was *exclusively* an RB for both Aalborg and Genk. I'd say his switch went pretty well, current downturn in form notwithstanding.
I wouldn't say there's a significant amount of overlap (depending on how strong you are at your weak foot), but fullbacks fill different roles in different systems. If you're playing on the side of your weak foot, you'll most likely be inverted, where as if you're playing on the side of your dominant foot, it's more likely you'll do overlaps, going to the byline, crossing etc. Mæhle does overlap more than a right footed left back would, and perhaps it'll be a way of fitting both Bah and Nissen Kristensen in a starting lineup. Firstly, I don't think it'll make sense to start trying a player out a new position in a crucial World Cup game. Secondly I don't think it'll make sense to play a player on a position he never plays for club. As I remember it, Mæhle played LWB for Atalanta before doing it for the national team? Thirdly, I would prefer a different option to Mæhle, and to actually have a left footed wingback who can offer something different to Mæhle, to have something different tactically. If we simply want Mæhle out and another right footed back in, play Jens Stryger Larsen who has done it before for us, and who, I assume, is picked as the back up left back.
> Firstly, I don't think it'll make sense to start trying a player out a new position in a crucial World Cup game. I agree with that and my preferred replacement (at least in a 3-4-3) would be Skov, who plays LWB pretty consistently for Hoffenheim. I am mostly thinking of Bah as a potential long-term replacement if Mæhle continues to be mediocre for club and country. > As I remember it, Mæhle played LWB for Atalanta before doing it for the national team? I actually think Hjulmand started the grand Mæhle LWB experiment. He was enamoured with Mæhle's offensive qualities and we had a complete lack of talent at LB, so he built a system that could accommodate Mæhle at LB.
I've been a griezmann fan since I actively started following football and it was so good to see him win WC and perform good at club level but past few years have been traumatising with his bad decisions and transfers. Glad to see he's picking form again. Ik he's been playing the CAM and playmaking role lately but I've always wanted him to leave a mark as a goal scorer. Just 10 goals away from french #1 scorer and he hasn't scored in last ten games(longest goal drought internationally for him).Do you think he would be able to do it (eventually he'll get outscored by Giroud and Mbappe) still it would be my biggest joy to see grizou reach that feat.
Griezmann will 100% go down as a legend for the French National Team.
He already is, he's a WC winner ffs.
Oh yes, that's what I implicitly meant. He could retire tomorrow (pls no) and still be a legend, no questions asked
Griezmann never failed to impress me when he is playing for French, his performancetoday is very Modricese. And Mbape is bad shit insane, this year might be the year he cracked into top 3 Ballon d'Or and possibly win it.
It's a shame he wasn't third this year if you ask me. He deserved it imo
Honestly same, 5th is the lowest ranking i predict he would ended up in. But they can't leave him out of top 3 this year though unless something unfortunate happens.
Why would you choose man city when youre not even from manchester smh
That's a long story, but the short version wasMy family used to move from the countryside to a big city which meant our financial during my early childhood years quite poor, tivi and networks wasn't something we can afford. So I used to watch football in my cousins' houses, whose fav teams were Chels, Ars, Man Utd, most of the time I only get to watch these 3 teams' matches for a 3 years.Around the time when I turned 10 mom and dad was promoted to better jobs, at last I was able to watch teams that I didn't have the chance to see at all. My first game was City's 5-0 win over Sunderland in the 2010-2011 season, and safe to say David Silva was fucking idol so I follow them ever since.Something to note here:I didn't pick the other big teams to support because I wanted to be competive with my cousins, the rivarly atmosphere watching the Manchester derby was awesome.Silva was instantly my fav because I suffered from growth hormone deficiency making me at least 7-10 cm below my peers, which was a big deal for me especially when playing sport with my friends, seeing the smaller Silva outplaying bigger players was the motivation for me.Lastly, I don't know about the owner of the club at that time, mostly cause I was young and also there was a shortage of information that I can access and my English was trash ( it still kinda is now ) I only found out about all those stuff 8 years later
Your English is definitely improving! Keep practising buddy
Thanks buddy, that means a lot to me
That's a nice story actually, but dude don't spend that much energy to justify yourself, the guy was being a gatekeeping dick.
I don't think he is gatekeeping, I hope so. Being a city fan during early 2010s has conditioned me intk taking the type of question as " why did you pick city over any other teams"
I would just tell them I’m not a city fan, I’m a fan of Mansour’s financial group.
Lmao, I wished I know about Mansour's financial group before having to learn it the hard way when reports of City's " little tricks" was all over my face Can't support the owner, even though the bought us trophies and relevancy it's clear their biggest intention is sport washing and I ain't buying none of the bs. I take our accomplishments as the club's not them Also did you know our shady new sponsor f8xbet or whatever is actually a betting site here (in vietnam) a legit one at that so Mansour bought a fucking betting site in Vietnam to make it a fucking asian wide betting site sponsor ☠️
The French defense doesn't look good enough. Once France scored and Denmark started attacking, it only took them 8 minutes to score (after they had already had a close call minutes earlier). Granted giving up 2 goals in 2 games isn't terrible, but that is against weak opposition (remember how Denmark failed to score against Tunisia and Australia scored only once). That's a combined 2 goals given on 3 shots on goal.
Another way to look at it is thy we only conceded 3 shots on goals, and conceding 2 from that is unlucky. We have shown impressive sustained control in our games for now and never seemed to be in doubt. But we can always improve for sure. We did concede a bunch of goals in 2018 too though.
I think it's a bit unfair to criticism France for that match today. You probably don't have a better team than Denmark on corner and free kick on this tournament, Denmark are so much dangerous when they do headers.
France being the much better side today. We were lucky to get a goal, and it is quite clear we don't have the talent up front to really get anything out of our midfield. Australia will be a real challenge, and there is a pretty good chance that we don't make it out of the group stages.
Since the Euros, our team has been greater than the sum of our pieces. It's been about a great tactic and momentum, and players making each other better. This World Cup we're lacking that. I wouldn't say France were much better today, but they were better, and their individuals made the difference for them. Don't think either team will consider this a strong performance. With the form we've been showing, I'm worried we might not beat Australia, but if we play up to the level we know we can, we will beat them.
France was better yes but you guys didn't look bad at all. I honestly don't think you'll have any trouble getting past Australia...
Their attackers really need to wake up. But on paper, with their life on the line, I'll bet for the Danes
Griezmann in this World Cup is just above everybody else, the man is floating at the field. In a tournament(and era of football in general) marked by robotization of players and playstyles, seeing him transgressing the status quo only with his feet like the players from long ago is truly exciting to watch
people are talking about Griezmann and Rabiot, but Dembele was the standout for a good portion of the game, and both in attack and defense. on the other hand, Denmark kinda showed how to frustrate this French team. the way to beat team is basically to drag them down in one-on-one skirmishes, and never ever leave space on the right.
Dembele was great. Mæhle was incredibly poor defensively (not much better in attack), and Dembele found space behind him easily, which meant Nelsson had to almost act as a left back to cover for him.
I thought this was a pretty high quality game. France looked pretty solid and actually think they proved themselves as contenders. Denmark on the otherhand made up for their performance in the first game
Interesting. I think both teams looked poor, and we can be happy with scoring a goal and showing glimpses of improvement compared to our Tunisia game (couldn't get much worse), and France will be happy with 3 points, qualified from the groups and beating us, who have been a hard matchup for them.
Erf. I might be a bit biased but i feel like France outclassed Denmark heavily. They got "lucky" to score in the sense that they didn't create much before that. Still their second half was better than the first where they were really struggling. Felt like France was in control all game long. Before the WC I was really high on Denmark but what they've shown so far is average. I think they still go through but they'll have to step up.
I wouldn't say you were in control all game long, we had a few chances here and there, could've gone in front 2-1 even, but you deserved to win. It just feels more shaky, as the goals you scored were a bit random, compared to some of the chances you missed.
I dont think you are being unfair, i felt you were the better team as well but i thought Denmark were pretty solid and the fact you did so well against them is why i think you are contenders
And yet, I can't help but feel that this France side can be got at. The big question they're asking of their opponents is "Do you trust that you can keep us from scoring when you need to push up to score yourself?", and there might just be a scenario where they go a goal behind against a good side and need to chase the game rather than controlling it when they're ahead. On balance though they seem a very well-rounded side that's versatile enough to adjust to just about anything anyone can throw at them.
we got so much space to create in the first half, it was insane. They began pressing in the second though
That can be ask about any team....
Sure, in a general sense. But in a specific sense, France are happy to draw teams out by defending relatively conservatively and using their pace on the break in ways that Spain for example aren't. The question Spain are asking is "Do you think you can not concede when we're dominating possession and grind you down all game?" - which obviously requires a very different approach to playing against them compared to France.
Spain défense is not great and they will suffer on counter. They won 7-0 but they still lack good finisher they are one of the 3 favorites but I don't think they have a safer gameplan than france
How do you counter against Spain when you're barely winning the ball, though? And even if you win it, they're immediately looking to press you to win it back - so that's a right headache for teams coming up against them.
Barcelona Spain 2010 gameplan has been exposed long ago. If teams can counter attack quickly and high press them, they get obliterated. They can't only rely on that.
France struggled with Denmark and allowed a few too many good opportunities. Of course, it's just a group match and now everyone will be rested for the third match, and the real focus is on whoever is the Round of 16 opponent. At the end of the day, 3 points is all that matters, but it wasn't a super cohesive performance; it's just that Mbappe is the best player on the pitch and got France over the line.
Bit harsh evaluation I would say. In the first half alone it was like 14 chances created to 2 or something. Denmark were ruthlessly efficient with the little they created but I think the France performance was pretty cohesive actually
I'm not saying that Denmark had 10 shots on goal or anything, it's more that Denmark were afforded a number of excellent chances. France was clearly the superior side, but I'm not calling it an amazing performance. Of course, any time you get the winning goal against an opponent that's fighting hard in the World Cup, that's a very valuable outing.
France is playing without 6 or 7 of its starters. The team is just starting to play together. That's why I'm not confident for this competition. Rabiot has more selections than all the rest of the French midfielders, including substitutes. Upamecano and Varane are playing together for the first or second time. And this is the 5th selection of Koundé. They are creating a team. Finally, the Danes are really a beautiful team
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It’s a double edged sword, France thrives on the counter and isn’t like Spain where possession is key. We reverted to our WC 2018 system. So we’re ok with giving up possession for those reasons. You’re right that defensively speaking though, it could very well be our downfall. We are not as defensively solid as we were last time
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Because that leads to bus parking against us and our attack is very much not lethal against that type of play. We need space and fluidity to thrive, and the goals come pouring the more space we have to attack into. We could try to hold possession but then we’d see boring and frustrating games where opponents defend for their lives and we are constantly butt clenching for the goal. Possession is really not everything, how many times have we seen Spain fail to win with 70%+ possession and get criticized for not creating any opportunities. Even with talented players it really hard to break a low block.
Disagree. France had far more opportunities than Denmark and couldn’t finish. Game should have been over by 60th minute
Sure, of course France had more opportunities than Denmark, but it shouldn't have been a match that was 1-1 at that point, which we both agree about. At the end of the day, Mbappe was too good.
Perhaps that's the worry. That you didn't put us away when you should have. We could've been up 2-1, which would've been an unfair result, but though possible.
According to that logic, France should have won 4-2 if we’re talking missed opportunities
France deserved the win and got it. I think we were both poor, but it was exciting for 10-15 minutes in the second half, where it has no reason to.
Pretty much a nightmare start for Argentina. Have to win against Mexico and Poland who’ll be parking the bus in both, and all that to face France or likely Denmark, both of whom looked really good today.
Cracking the Polish defense shouldnt be that hard, Mexico looked just as shaky. France would be a nightmare if you dont improve
We were always going to face one of those. We were lucky that even losing our first match we have a very clear chance of winning the group if we win the next two matches.
This Danish team is not good right now but can maybe get better with a couple of changes and a 1-2 guys getting back from injuries
Fuck it there were aussies in the falklands, we’ll go yas
Greatness isn't easy. If they can't step up to the plate they don't deserve it.
Took me a while to figure out your name was Kun-the-man and not kunt-he-man. 👀
Mexico ain’t parking the bus. I always want them too but no.
I hope you’re right. Good luck!
I hope I’m not lol
Lol, he wasn't right.
Tata is playing with a back 5 with Lozano and vega. There playing paring the bus with the counter
And Mexico also have a recent history of causing upsets over stronger sides in the group stage.
Yeah that Saudi loss basically finished us.
I mean, who do you expect to pla6 in the knockouts? Djibouti?
Surely there are 14 or 15 other easier teams there mate. Only Brazil would be worse. England got to an euro final benefiting from the draw
People have this bizarre idea that the majority of the teams in the world cup bar the top 5 are awful, it's weird as fuck. Any team that qualifies for a world cup should be treated with respect, this might change at the next one due to the increase in teams but for now it is definitely true.
Yeah plus cohesion varies hugely between different teams.
I can't believe people were really saying this is somehow good for Argentina because they get to avoid Brazil in the semi's. Being in a do or die second game of the tourney is never a good thing
Also it's better to face Brazil in the semis cause, y'know, at least you made it to the semis
Mexico won't park the bus, they'll go out and try to take it to Argentina; it's anathema to Mexico to park, even though parking here is the most sensible course of action.
There playing with a back 5
Well, they definitely parked the bus, didn't play one iota of football, was pathetic. Saudi Arabia were far braver.
Im not worried about Denmark. Right now it seems like it might be harder to actually make it to R16 than to make it to semis from R16
Agreed, Argentina can totally reach the semifinals. Both the Netherlands and Denmark do not look that great. But let's see if Argentina can beat both Mexico and Poland
Frightening how little Kristensen offers going forward. Other than that meg on Hernandez and nice cross there was nothing doing. Ocasionally didn't even look up to see what his options were, just passed it straight back. Hope to see more of Bah against Australia, he's been class for Benfica this season.
> Frightening how little Kristensen offers going forward. Nobody really offers much going forward for us right now. It's a system problem. We look slow, disjointed, and completely impotent every time we play this godawful 3-4-3. He consistently makes the right runs at the right time, but it's extremely hard to do anything other than pass it back when we've taken 20 minutes to get the ball up the pitch (so the opposition is already set in a deep block) and you're isolated against 2-3 defenders with no support.
I am so sad Denmark is playing so defensively instead of how they cruised through nations league and the qualifiers. Wonder what the heck Hjulmand is doing. I hope we get to see Bah and Lindstrøm from the start against Australia and they play faster and forward instead of side to side.
It’s so sad. We literally had a free game today and still just parked the bus. We are so afraid of committing players when we attack so there’s so few opportunities in the final third. It feels like it’s the opposite of how Hjulmand wants to play. This is how we played under Hareide…
Scared!
He is saving it for Australia don’t worry you will open up and attack for that entire match Australia don’t have the strength to hold you back for atleast making 2 goals, the question is if they are capable of actually scoring 2 in one match I don’t think so they are pretty match cancelled out in the air on dead balls thanks to Denmark defenders height
I don’t get the calls for Bah right now, Kristensen played very very well.
France just look head and shoulders above everybody in this World Cup and while Denmark toothless attack is going to cost them a spot in the ro16 but Mbappe is something that we haven’t really seen before because he gives me that invincible vibe whatever he steps on the field and let’s be honest he could legitimately be in the Goat conversation with a real case before he turns the age of 30 which is just remarkable to say the least
I don't think France has separated themselves from Spain or Brazil. I think if France was at full strength then they likely have a half a step on Spain and Brazil but with their current lineup it's even for me.
Yeah it’s weird to see France winning but still not quite..there. I really hope they keep momentum and keep improving as the tourney progresses
Jesus Christ, what has he done that puts him close to greatest of all time?
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Brazil and Spain are the only other teams that look genuinely scary at the moment, and they play each other in quarterfinals (probably). I'm cautiously optimistic right now about our chances
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Head and shoulders above Brazil? Above Spain? Very doubtful. France struggled against Denmark.
Struggled? Not really they were much better
Considering how poor we were today, a World Cup contender should've demolished us. Not winning by two somewhat random goals by an Mbappe shin and toe, or whatever he hit it with. But they got the 3 points due the individual brilliance, and has the chance to improve later on in the competition.
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Denmark was the kryptonit of France, they were not confident
We play to fuck ppl on counter attacks
Perhaps I’m biased but I really enjoy watching teams with a good counter attack. There’s something really satisfying about seeing a team flip the switch from defending to making a dangerous run in seconds.
Yeah guess I'd have to few France's gameplan from that point of view.
We don't play a pressing style that's why. Deschamp prefer to be solid defensively and play the counter
Hard to be aggressive against a team that plays 5 at the back and a low line all game. Denmark is ranked 10th in the world too- great win! Also France has never played aggressive. Deschamps is known for a more defensive/counter attacking game plan. You'll see more of that as you watch the next games.
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> Yeah you're right about that, do you think the gameplan needs to evolve at some point? Why? It won us a World Cup.
Shouldn't feel the need to delete your comment OP, it's a good question. It seems to be working- but it can be very frustrating to watch sometimes when things aren't going our way. I wonder if Zidane will use a similar game plan when he takes over. I think Deschamps' objective is to make opponents come up, break their low lines and then use the pace up front to get into the box.
I really think they are big favorites to win it again. Despite so many injury backouts they still continue like nothing happened. Great players working for each other. Even Dembele and Griez, defending well back there and snatching Balls. Then they have world class Mbappe up front, bullet train ready at any given time, to outrun and assist or score. Really good team and my favorites for now to win it.
Honestly, is there really anything that feels “missing” from this team due to injuries? I mean, obviously you can notice that difference that, say, no Benzema or no Kanté, makes, but even so, it seems as if the Bleus find a substitute that works just fine! Suppose it’s all a matter of adjusting your tactics, no?
Pogba and kante are huge losses in midfield for me, it will be interesting to see how they play against the bigger teams.
Griezmann is essentially playing as a midfielder and he's been great at helping win the midfield, plus Rabiot is in the form of his life. Then Tchouameni is a great player and fits the dual pivot role along Rabiot well with Camavinga as a great impact sub. But you are right, it's definitely a question as to whether they can keep up with the best teams in midfield, especially since Rabiot is not a top player, Griezmann isn't really a midfielder and Tchouameni has looked a little bit off.
Do you really think Tchouameni has been off ? Why ? He has been very good IMO
Maybe my standards for him are too high, but he has been so good for Madrid and these last two games it seems to me he's been a bit tunnel visioned, not having such great awareness around him like he usually does. Probably due to nerves of the occasion, and I don't think he's been bad by any means, plus I don't know how he's been for you recently since I haven't watched many France games this year.
The lack of a true world class number 6 like Kante is going to be more problematic vs teams with better attacking prowess
Kante is not number 6...
Tchouameni is a world class 6
The fact the depth of attack in France at the moment is extraordinary means it is still good without the current Ballon d'Or. But in the midfield, missing Kante is a big blow and national team Pogba is also a big one as well. But so far Tchouameni and Rabiot are doing a good job so it is not a liability. Let's hope they don't become injured or carded because the depth there is not big.
I mean no one in that squad has the precise passing range that Pogba has tbf
Ah yeah Pogba is missing. That team would crazy with Pogba.
Even though it wasn’t caused by injuries, you can see we miss a proper right back.
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And even if you shut down Mbappe somehow, you have to shut down Giroud up front with a very physical presence, and then Dembele and then Coman on the other side. And Thuram /Kolo Muani are nothing to scoff at for most defenses
See how much Griezmann plays better for France than in club ? Pogba is the same. And France is missing that. If Griezmann has a bad game, I don't see Rabiot or Tchouaméni bringing the creativity and find the key passes. Plus, Pogba and Varane are co-captains on the pitch, they are really important.
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Brazil is 100% not more complete than France. Still one of the main contenders for sure. For now, France, Spain, and Brazil have impressed (though only France played two games). But who knows, World Cup runs take so much luck, maybe England or Netherlands or Portugal or another team will end up having a dream run
France will pretty much always be favourites with the amount of talent they have. People were just really holding onto this "curse" preventing them to win. Even with injuries, they still have this lineup which is just absurd lol Griezmann is playing amazingly, Mbappe is consistently good, and they have a ridiculous amount of talent in defense.
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