Serbia vs. France: Winners and Losers from International Friendly
Serbia and France played to a 1-1 draw at the Stadion Partizana in Belgrade on Sunday night, with both managers taking positives and negatives aplenty from the result.
The hosts showcased their strength in depth by rotating their attacking options, while the visitors tried some new faces in the form of Alexandre Lacazette, Morgan Schneiderlin and Remy Cabella.
Here, B/R picks the winners and losers from the game, though Hugo Lloris deserves a mention here for his outstanding showing in goal for les Bleus.
Winner: Zoran Tosic, Serbia
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Zoran Tosic's name has collected something of a stigma in recent years, with the feeling the 27-year-old has never reached his full potential ringing true for many in Serbia.
Against France, though, he was very good from the right wing, receiving long passes from Nemanja Matic and the defensive line and providing a threat to Hugo Lloris' goal.
Serbia have options in his position—Milos Jojic on the bench for one—so his strong performance makes him a winner.
Loser: France's Alternate Full-Back Pairing
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One of the major positives in Didier Deschamps' balanced 4-3-3 is the full-back tandem of Patrice Evra and Mathieu Debuchy. Evra (holding) plays a defensive role while Debuchy (roaming) provides width and overloads on the right.
If both did one or the other, les Bleus would be either over-committed on both flanks or lack attacking presence. It's why Digne doesn't play with Debuchy, and Sagna doesn't play with Evra.
Digne and Sagna is the reserve pairing, and they didn't grasp their chance against Serbia. The former was targeted by Zoran Tosic, and the latter gave up stretches of the pitch to Lazar Markovic.
Winner: Morgan Schneiderlin, Who Looks at Ease at This Level
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Morgan Schneiderlin's France debut came, of all places, during the FIFA World Cup 2014 against Ecuador as the two teams drew 0-0.
He replaced Yohan Cabaye and played superbly, and against Serbia who looked wholly at ease once again. The Southampton midfielder has now played as a holder and a flat CM in Didier Deschamps' 4-3-3 and proven he can handle any role.
How clubs like Arsenal allowed this man to remain on the South Coast yet again is baffling.
Winner: Aleksandar Kolarov, Who Gets More and More Potent by the Day
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Aleksandar Kolarov was Serbia's most potent attacking threat on Sunday evening, storming forward from left-back to great effect as usual.
He had one goal disallowed due to Lazar Markovic straying offside early in the second half, then slammed an absolute rocket into the corner from a 25-yard free-kick routine later in the day.
Outstanding.
Loser: Filip Djordjevic, Who Made Little Impact
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Filip Djordjevic got the nod up front for Serbia on Sunday but struggled to make an impact.
Raphael Varane and Bacary Sagna struggled with Lazar Markovic and Lucas Digne struggled with Zoran Tosic, but centrally Serbia looked toothless.
Aleksandar Mitrovic replaced him late on to a raucous cheer in the Stadion Partizana; it's clear who the fans think should be leading the line.
Winner: Paul Pogba, Who Remains Part-Machine
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Paul Pogba's dramatic improvement in 2013-14 landed him a starting role at the FIFA World Cup 2014, and he's continued in a key role post-Brazil by scoring the opener against Serbia.
His goal was opportunistic, a tap-in at the back post after a corner, but it represents the icing on the cake after a strong showing. His passing, dribbling and movement were all top-notch once again.
The hype machine won't stop if he keeps rolling out performances like this.
