Three days after a difficult home win against Moldova, the Blues have ensured the essential: a second success of rank, on the turf of Albania -0-2), synonymous with first place of a group H of the Euro-2020 qualifiers that they have had a hard time dominating.
Victory 2-1 against Moldova! In addition to the qualification for EURO 2020, the Blues take the lead of their group đ #FiersdetreBleus
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Already qualified before the match, the French - in a totally innovative system with a defense to three but without Kylian Mbappé, reduced by a virus - went to seek a net success in no burrs, thanks to Corentin Tolisso (0-1, 8th) and Antoine Griezmann (0-2, 31e). Reassuring at seven months of the Euro-2020.
Because there is positive to be learned from this final shift of the playoffs for Didier Deschamps and his men, managed in eight minutes to cool the brand new and barely approved stadium Kombëtare and its 22,000 fans red and black thanks to the first goal of Corentin Tolisso in Blue.
In terms of accounting, the objective is fulfilled. This success therefore gives the world champions the head of group H, ahead of the Turks. "It's still better," according to Deschamps, already screened on the draw of November 30. This does not ensure a top-seeded French - it would require that rivals like Germany and Spain stall at the beginning of the week - but it allows them to avoid the very dangerous "pot number 3 ", possibly synonymous with a full-bodied group in June.
The satisfactions are however elsewhere, more precisely in the game, after a pitiful match at the Stade de France on Thursday, enamelled certainly of a qualification, but especially of offensive disappointments and anger in the locker room on the part of the coach.
Mbapped sick
Is this what pushed "DD", for his 100th game at the head of the Blues, to perform a small tactical revolution, aligning for the first time in his mandate an unlikely defense to three. To associate in attack Wissam Ben Yedder and Olivier Giroud, to overcome the fixed price of a Kylian Mbappé reduced by a virus? To leave Benjamin Pavard and Lucas Digne on the bench, precisely the players he had appreciated on Thursday, to give the chance to Benjamin Mendy and the promising Léo Dubois?
The "centenary" Deschamps, far from the reluctance sometimes criticized, has in any case found the right formula, at least for this meeting.
In the space of 90 minutes, he managed not only to knock out Albanians who were ready to leap like the two-headed eagle on their flag, but he also helped his players regain their confidence four months before the next rally. , who will be the last before the preparation of the European Championship.
Author of a rare blunder that costed a goal against the Moldovans Thursday, Clément Lenglet has been able to resume its usual regularity, and discover, on the market, a remote rear center position where his ease has weighed.
Griezmann to the raise
On a scarcity of nearly six months in selection, his longest among the Blues in terms of matches (7), Antoine Griezmann was finally able to find the net, on a specific center Dubois (31). While continuing to be the strongman of the French offensive animation, with a new decisive pass, the seventh of these playoffs.
But that's not all: Deschamps has allowed Tolisso, scorer, to send a message to his new coach at Hans-Dieter Flick, who does not use it at Bayern. The finger on the mouth, the other on the temple: the celebration of the Bavarian environment does not deceive.
The Basque technician also gave Presnel Kimpembe a chance, who seized it with confidence, and offered a second straight tenure to Giroud despite his lack of playing time in the club, and the Chelsea player proved he was the pace, despite a missed face to face (52nd), an attempt stopped by Etrit Berisha (63rd), and a jewel of hit rolled on the post (72nd).
Finally, he gave a new opportunity to Ben Yedder, not very brilliant against Turkey in October (1-1). But Monegasque has again lacked influence, and the 370 French fans from France have no doubt regretted the absence of Mbappé, to whom this innovative training in 3-4-1-2 could suit perfectly.
With AFP