The France team left Euro 2020 to everyone's surprise in the round of 16 on Monday night against Switzerland (3-3, 5-4 tab).
In this meeting, many game sectors fished on the French side.
Didier Deschamps' tactical bet to align three defenders thwarted the Blues from the start.
June 28, 2021 which is already in the history of the France team, but not for the expected reasons.
The Blues were eliminated from Euro 2020 on Monday night in Bucharest after the suspense in the round of 16 against Switzerland, after a memorable game concluded with a penalty shootout (3-3, 5-4 tab ).
The premature failure of the selection of Didier Deschamps, yet one of the favorites of the competition, can be explained by several dysfunctions encountered throughout this match.
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Guilty tactical trial and error
The first error comes from coach Didier Deschamps, who bet on a game system with three central defenders, taking into account the absences of Lucas Digne and Lucas Hernandez, the only two left-backs of the Blues. A 3-4-1-2 pattern of play, very rarely used by the tactician, where the players of the France team seemed to be lost on the pitch in the first period. Switzerland also opened the scoring in this weak time of the Blues on a cross from the right side of the tricolor defense, well taken with the head by the striker Haris Seferovic who (too) easily won his duel with the defender French Clément Lenglet.
Aware of the failure of his game system, Didier Deschamps reorganized his team ten minutes before the end of the first half, in 4-4-2 diamond.
The coach then replaced Clément Lenglet, guilty on the first Swiss goal, with striker Kingsley Coman.
The France team therefore went to 4-4-2 with four attacking players.
Left-handed midfielder Adrien Rabiot had to go down to the left-back position, a position he is not used to occupying in club or selection.
Lots of reorganizations during the match that are added to the previous ones, in the group stages.
Didier Deschamps' tactical trial and error in this tournament got the better of the reliability of his team.
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An almost non-existent game background
Another revealing side of the Blues, the lack of gameplay noted against Switzerland. Paul Pogba's partners returned the ball in the first half to the Nati, suffering the biggest scoring chances. The Blues struggled to defend together, to find each other, to create a game. Bis repeated early in the second period, where the France team came very close to being led 2-0 before taking back control. After the euphoria of the double from Karim Benzema, and the stroke of genius from Paul Pogba to launch France to the quarter-finals, the French players hardly created a game and were logically caught up at the end of the match.
If Paul Pogba managed to make good passes forward, his loss of the ball in the middle of the field a few seconds before added time is at the origin of the equalizer of Switzerland, which reversed the fate of this meeting. .
A feverish defense, Mbappé in check
The other mistake of the coach lies in the tenure in the axis of defender Clément Lenglet, a first since the preparation of the France team for Euro 2020. Lacking rhythm, the FC Barcelona player did not assured in the defense to three, where he appeared feverish in his duel against Haris Seferovic for the first Swiss goal. A lack of automatism shared by all the French defense, not used to playing in this system of play. The opportunities followed one another. Upon returning from the locker room, Benjamin Pavard, already under fire from critics after his last appearances, caused the penalty which could have made the France team take water.
Despite the two-goal lead taken by the Blues, then returned to a classic pattern, central defenders Raphaël Varane and Presnel Kimpembe in turn lost their duel in the penalty area, and let the Swiss equalize after 90 minutes . Sign of the feverishness of the France team: the Blues conceded three goals, one of which was canceled for an offside position, in the last ten minutes. A fatal relaxation at this level of competition.
It could only have been a detail, when Kingsley Coman, Olivier Giroud and Kylian Mbappé each lacked efficiency in front of goal.
The young Parisian had the match point in overtime, but his cross shot razed the left post of the Swiss goalkeeper.
His symptomatic failure during the penalty shootout, allowing the Nati to eliminate the world champions, puts an end to a very disappointing Euro from the number 10 of the Blues.
A trying first round
The lackluster performance of French players against Switzerland, and also in the group stage, must be partly explained by other external parameters, for which Didier Deschamps cannot be responsible. In a group F qualified as "group of death" with Germany and Portugal, France had to draw on its reserves to extract itself at the head of this group. The French also played in difficult conditions, especially in the extreme heat of Budapest. A significant burst of energy four days before the round of 16, while the Swiss had six days to prepare for this meeting.
Euro 2020 also concludes an endless season for most French players, due to the Covid-19 pandemic which has weighed down the club calendar. This is one of the reasons for the cascade of injuries on the side of the Habs in this competition. So many factors that weakened the France team throughout the tournament.