• The France team ended its June campaign in the League of Nations with a defeat at the Stade de France against Croatia (1-0).

  • After the inaugural defeat against Denmark, Deschamps abandoned his system of three central defenders, a surprise five months before the World Cup in Qatar.

  • Throughout the month of June, the coach gave the impression of groping tactically.

At the Stade de France,

"I'm going to have a studious summer"... Spoken on the eve of the second match against Croatia, these words from Didier Deschamps have never seemed so true as after the defeat of the Blues on Monday evening against the vice world champions , the culmination of a failed League of Nations campaign in the great widths.

And if the context around the coach, who had the pain of losing his father at the start of the rally, should lead us to analyze these four games with the greatest caution, he should not vampirize everything.

During this gathering, Deschamps indeed gave us the impression of not controlling anything or almost, starting with his new system with three defenders, exfiltrated by the emergency exit from the first turmoil against Denmark.

Four matches, four systems (and lots of questions)

In his defense, we know that Deschamps was never a big fan of the 3-4-3 and that he only resolved to pull it out of the hat to put the Griezmann-Benzema-Mbappé trio in the best conditions. .

However, if on the side of Mbappé and Benzema there is nothing to report (just a drop in speed from KB9 on Friday, but nothing very illogical after the mutant season that he did to us), Griezmann is not more than a shadow of the player he was a few months ago.

Or a few years, one comes to wonder.

From then on, DD the pragmatic adapted and, to deal with the most urgent, returned to a four-back system, which is said to be more reassuring for a defense lacking in confidence.

The problem is that by building such a list, including the presence once again of Mr. Piston right Jonathan Clauss, it seems a shame to throw everything away from the first defeat.

Especially since he had announced it himself: these four matches were to be an opportunity to “give reference points” to his group in this three-back system…

The coach has tried in recent days to tell us that this return to a four-man defense was an opportunity for him to work on alternative systems for the World Cup, the general impression after these four games is more of a mess than anything else thing.

After the flat 4-4-2 in Croatia and Austria, the coach opted for a 4-3-3 on Monday which never produced anything but mush, before backtracking in the second half and return to a mid-four, with the Benzema-Mbappé duo at the forefront.

“The results prove us wrong”

We also pass on these choices of man, which did not fail to make us raise an eyebrow à la Carlo Ancelotti when we saw for example that Koundé was established in a position of right side which is not and will not be never his.

We all remember the ordeal experienced by the former Sevillian during the last Euro, against Portugal, we did not need a new confirmation on Monday.

This penultimate meeting before the World Cup was to be an opportunity to establish some certainties, it finally ends by raising a lot of questions and at least as much concern.

“If we saw ourselves too good, we will have to react, admitted Deschamps after the match.

We did not meet the high level requirements on this rally.

I will have the analysis and the reflection with my staff, but there will be need for many, many more things if we want to maintain the standard which is ours.

We will have to do a lot more at the start of the school year to prepare for the deadline that is ours.

From the moment we have not done what was necessary, we must make our own self-criticism.

The results prove us wrong.

»

On this point, it is true that the Basque has never hidden the cult he devoted to these famous "results", the only ones capable in his eyes of gauging the performance of a team.

After those, disappointing, of the month of June, here it is at the foot of the wall with very little time to reverse the trend.

The summer is going to be studious, no doubt about it.

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  • Soccer

  • France football team

  • Nations League

  • Croatia

  • Sport

  • Didier Deschamps