3 Things France Should Test in the International Friendly with Armenia
They may already have their place in the 2016 UEFA European Championships, but this is going to be a difficult two years for Didier Deschamps and his France squad.
There is no need for France to qualify for the tournament, all the games they play will be friendlies against teams that do still have to qualify, and it’s not like they have to work on their World Ranking to win a place as a seed.
Everything has been put on a plate for Les Bleus, but that in itself is the biggest problem facing the squad. Deschamps’s goal and objective is to keep this team happy and together, continue on the route that was started during qualification for the World Cup and get a younger, fresher, motivated group of players ready for the championships being held in their own country.
A positive performance against Portugal was a great start to the international weekend, they may have conceded a late penalty, but the 2-1 win was ideal for Les Bleus. However, to make it a huge success, Deschamps needs to change things round and try out a few different things against Armenia.
With that in mind, here are three things France should test in the international friendly with Armenia on Tuesday.
Prepare for Life Without Yohan Cabaye
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Sometimes, when the career of the player doesn’t take the predicted path, it can be a positive move, but it can also be detrimental. Yohan Cabaye’s career path is on a downward curve at the moment, and the player is currently having a poor patch.
It started to go downhill after his €25 million move from Newcastle United last January. The French midfielder joined a club that already has an established starting lineup. He has struggled to break through, and now it is affecting his France form.
The time has come for Didier Deschamps to try the France midfield without Cabaye. There is the option of playing with power and a physical presence with Moussa Sissoko, but there is also Morgan Schneiderlin, the Southampton midfielder. The 24-year-old brings defensive stability, a quality which he has shown in the Premier League, but he also can push forward and add a creative edge.
"2-1. Benzema, Pogba/Quaresma. Draw would have been fair though for me. France's midfield not convincing defensively. Varane immense.
— Julien Laurens (@LaurensJulien) October 11, 2014"
Deschamps could play the normal 4-3-3 with Schneiderlin taking Cabaye’s place in the trio beside Blaise Matuidi and Paul Pogba. Schneiderlin can play as the deepest midfielder, dictate play and perhaps show the passion that Cabaye once had back when he was at Lille and Newcastle.
There is also the option of playing 4-2-3-1 with Schneiderlin and Matuidi holding the midfield and giving Pogba more licence to move forward and influence the game.
If Deschamps wants to utilise the squad he picked for the two friendlies, Schneiderlin is one option that makes the most sense.
Give Andre-Pierre Gignac a Chance to Feast on the Armenian Defence
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Didier Deschamps did the right thing when he picked the France squad for the friendlies against Portugal and Armenia: He recalled Marseille striker Andre-Pierre Gignac back into the international fold after he had scored nine goals in nine games to kick-start OM’s great start to the season.
Under the guidance of Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa, the French striker has started this season better than any other in his career, and now he has the chance to impress Deschamps and perhaps force his way into the squad for the foreseeable future.
All Gignac needs now is a chance. Karim Benzema complained after the game against Portugal that he was suffering from pain in his toe, so step forward Gignac, this should be his chance.
"Karim #Benzema has revealed to RTL that he will have a scan on his toe tomorrow after receiving a couple of blows to it during the game.
— Robin Bairner (@RBairner) October 11, 2014"
There is no reason to force Benzema to play any part of the game against Armenia, but it is the perfect opportunity to unleash Gignac upon the Armenian defence and see if he can play as well for France as he has for Marseille.
Gignac would work either as a straight swap for the Real Madrid striker, but also in the aforementioned 4-2-3-1, similar to the formation that Marseille has been playing this season.
With Antoine Griezmann on the left, Pogba in the centre and Mathieu Valbuena on the right, or with Dimitri Payet on the bench, another player reborn under Bielsa, the forward could play in any of the attacking positions.
Gignac deserves a chance to play a good number of minutes, rather than just a cameo near the end, this is Deschamps’s chance to give the in-form striker a huge opportunity to prove himself.
Play Lucas Digne from the Start
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Against Portugal, the average age of the starting XI picked by Didier Deschamps was 26-and-a-half years old. Only Paul Pogba, Raphael Varane and Eliaquim Mangala, who started, were under the age of 26.
The game against Armenia is a great chance for Deschamps to use more of the younger members of the squad, especially Paris Saint-Germain’s excellent left-back, Lucas Digne.
With Patrice Evra now 33 years old, his international career is coming to an end, it is unlikely he will still continue all the way to Euro 2016, so it is time for Digne to get his chance and become slowly integrated as France’s starting left-back.
In the five caps he has won so far, Digne has showed a maturity in defence, the ability to keep his position when France don’t have the ball, but also push forward at every opportunity. After the poor crossing display for both Evra and Bacary Sagna on Saturday, having Digne’s excellent left foot as part of the France attack can only be a good thing.
With Sagna or Christophe Jallet on the opposite flank, there is still an element of experience in the defence, the perfect opportunity to give Digne a place from the start.
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