France Top Group a with Swiss Draw but Didier Deschamps Still Lacks Strongest XI
Hosts France moved into the latter stages of the 2016 UEFA European Championship as the winners of Group A after a dull 0-0 draw with Switzerland at Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille on Sunday.
Didier Deschamps’ men enjoyed a good spell of dominance in the first half but were unable to take their chances, and the second half quickly petered out for both sides.
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As a result, Les Bleus will face a third-placed team from Group C, D or E, which could present opponents as varied as Germany, Poland, Northern Ireland, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Sweden or the Republic of Ireland.
Deschamps changed his starting XI from the opening win over Romania in Paris for the victory over Albania in Marseille, and the 47-year-old tactician once again shuffled his players against the Swiss in northern France.
After starting on the bench against the Albanians at Stade Velodrome, Yohan Cabaye, Moussa Sissoko, Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann and Andre-Pierre Gignac all played from the kick-off against Vladimir Petkovic’s side.
Speaking in a press conference after the goalless draw, as reported by UEFA.com, Deschamps admitted there is room for improvement from his team but stressed that the priority was to top Group A:
"It was important to finish first in the group. I am not blind, I realise we are capable of better performances, but a second competition is beginning right now for us. It will begin next Sunday, we have got a long week and time to get prepared.
Technically Switzerland did some really good things as well, but we had the best chances. We can’t say they had a lot. With more composure and a bit of luck, we could have won this game. In terms of controlling the game, we should be able to do more and to avoid having to do so much defending.
(Switzerland goalkeeper Yann) Sommer was the Man of the Match and, when the goalkeeper is Man of the Match, it shows we had chances.
You can always criticise players; I know the players are well aware that we can improve in a number of different areas. That said, but for a great goalkeeper and a few centimetres, or being more clinical, we could have scored goals.
There was a time when people said we weren't very good defensively but at least we've stabilised that—without compromising on our forward threat.
Positives? The results. We got through, scored goals and created chances, and resolved a number of things defensively in a short space of time. There was a lot of focus on defending set pieces.
In terms of our control in attacking play, we can always do better, but I'm pleased with what the players are doing.
"
Deschamps is right in that emerging from the group as winners was the most important thing and that the results and goals scored have been the biggest positive so far. However, it is impossible to avoid the suspicion that the Frenchman does not know his strongest XI yet.
Against Romania, Albania and now Switzerland, Deschamps has not started the same 11 players from kick-off, and he has even changed formation.
Against the Romanians at Stade de France on the opening day, the French started in their familiar 4-3-3 shape. That changed to a 4-2-3-1 for the Albanians in southern France but reverted back to the original 4-3-3 against the Swiss in Lille.
There have been few constants at Euro 2016 so far for France, but at least the back four and goalkeeper have been set.
Captain Hugo Lloris starts in goal, with Bacary Sagna, Adil Rami, Laurent Koscielny and Patrice Evra the back four in front of him. That defensive lineup is unlikely to change unless one of those five players gets injured or suspended.
Deschamps’ indecision starts in midfield, where Pogba, Cabaye, Sissoko, Griezmann, N’Golo Kante, Blaise Matuidi, Dimitri Payet, Kingsley Coman and Anthony Martial have all been used in a variety of different formations.
What does seem clear is that West Ham United’s Payet fares best when deployed in his favoured playmaker role behind the lone striker, while Pogba is better on the left side of central midfield—Matuidi’s usual role—and Kante is the best defensive-midfield option.
With that in mind, perhaps the best thing for Deschamps is to stick with the tried and tested 4-3-3 system and go with a midfield three of Kante, Payet and Pogba, which would keep the France No. 8 in a central role—even if it is not as advanced as his preferred position.
The attack is also proving problematic for Deschamps. The 1998 FIFA World Cup- and Euro 2000-winning captain’s first-choice front three of Griezmann, Payet and Olivier Giroud has not totally clicked, but Giroud on his own and Andre-Pierre Gignac in the Arsenal man’s place has not been much better.
The former Olympique de Marseille boss has tried adding Coman and Martial to the attack but no combination so far has yielded a winning result as far as a set front line is concerned.
The time for experimentation is over and it looks as if Deschamps has missed his chance to try Griezmann through the middle, his position at club level with Atletico Madrid, flanked by two of Payet, Coman and Martial.
Giroud and Griezmann both have one goal to their names so far this summer and if the 4-3-3 with Kante, Payet and Pogba in the middle comes closest to playing to that trio’s strengths, then the attacking unit should be made up of the Atleti man on the right, the Arsenal forward in the middle and one more player on the left.
Martial was woeful in his 45-minute outing against Albania, but the Manchester United man is more familiar with the left-sided role than Bayern Munich’s Juventus loanee, Coman, who is more at home on the right.
Perhaps Deschamps should consider a front three of Griezmann, Giroud and Martial in the round of 16, something that would involve a minimal amount of experimentation, depending on the opponent.
However, Les Bleus’ tactician is likely to bring Matuidi back into the starting XI now that he has been rested, so that will immediately see Pogba shunted back onto the right side of midfield.
Deschamps has plenty of decisions to make but now that France are into the latter stages, he must pick what he feels is his strongest XI and stick with it for the remainder of the tournament.
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