France's Olivier Giroud Underlines Strong Pre-Euro 2016 Form with Scotland Brace
UEFA Euro 2016 hosts France continued to warm up for the tournament nicely with a 3-0 friendly win over Scotland on Saturday at Stade Saint-Symphorien. Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud scored twice, while fellow Gunners star Laurent Koscielny grabbed another in a clinical first-half display from Les Bleus.
Didier Deschamps’ men started their final preparations for this summer’s tournament by beating Cameroon 3-2 in Nantes on Monday. And although their opponents in Longeville-les-Metz were not as testing as Les Lions Indomptable, the French still remedied their problems from that narrow win.
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Gone was the defensive awkwardness displayed by Koscielny and Sevilla’s Adil Rami at Stade de la Beaujoire—although much of that was because of a woefully inept Scottish attack—instead France looked solid and serene at the back.
In attack, like in the performance against Cameroon, Les Bleus performed efficiently and Deschamps admitted his satisfaction when speaking with journalists after the final whistle.
The former captain of winning squads at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000 also acknowledged the fantastic home support that his players have enjoyed leading into this summer's European Championship.
"It's positive but we won't get carried away, and nor will the players. It was a great evening for everyone to fill up on confidence and have some calmness. The difficulty begins on Friday against Romania. But this was our last preparation match and it's always good to finish on a high.
It's great to have this fervor. People love the France team and are behind the lads. That's important for the players. It doesn't score goals for you but it does create an atmosphere in which players can transcend themselves. It's an extra force and it should never be something negative.
"
As reported by ESPN FC, Deschamps admitted to TF1 that he now knows his starting XI for the team's Group A opener against Romania at Stade de France on Friday.
The 47-year-old said: "Yes. There are players who can start, then when we need to make a difference there are others capable of bringing something different and more."
While Deschamps revealed he still has a few concerns about his defence, he must feel very happy about his attack and Giroud in particular.
The Arsenal man has three goals in his last two outings with the French and, if that is extended outside of this week’s pair of matches, the 29-year-old has seven strikes from as many games.
As reported by ESPN FC, Giroud revealed his satisfaction with his performance against Scotland and acknowledged his growing confidence. However, the Gunners star also sought to praise his teammates in what has been a united effort from Les Bleus.
Giroud said: "Of course it's always good for your confidence. We created a lot of chances and I tried to finish off the good work of my teammates. We're getting close to the Euros and it's important for us to all work together toward the same objective."
The Frenchman has taken heavy criticism coming into this summer’s tournament and much of the abuse he has has been subject to has been completely unwarranted and totally unnecessary.
The former Montpellier HSC man told L’Equipe (h/t ESPN FC’s Mark Rodden) earlier this week that the jeering from some supporters has affected him but he also conceded that there will always be some people who compare him with unavailable Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema because they occupy the same role.
"I'm a human being—I would prefer to hear nice things about me—but who gets unanimous support these days? I will always be criticised.
There was a media frenzy around me because I'm Karim's rival. There are pro-Karim people and pro-Giroud people. I can do nothing about it.
I recall that the season did not start in January 2016, even if it suits guys who are coming down on me at the moment to count on certain periods rather than others.
A striker should be judged on continuity. I had six very good months and three months after that which were a bit more difficult.
But in the end, I scored 28 goals (for club and country) and had six assists. It's one of the best seasons of my career.
"
Giroud is certainly coming good at the right time. With West Ham United’s Dimitri Payet and Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman in attack with him for the first half against Scotland, France's No. 9 led the line perfectly and looked dangerous every time the hosts attacked.
Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann, who came on for the second half, is likely to replace Coman in the front three for the opening clash with Romania in Paris. However, Giroud should not suffer because of the prolific 25-year-old’s reintegration into Deschamps' starting XI.
The man from Chambery looks equally comfortable when flanked by Griezmann and Payet as he does when joined by Coman and Manchester United's Anthony Martial up top.
Griezmann is still very adept out wide, despite his conversion into a more central figure under Diego Simeone’s leadership in Madrid, so Giroud should still enjoy plenty of chances in the group stages.
The Arsenal man must take this momentum and build on it in the opening matches so that he is firing on all cylinders when the latter stages come around.
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