Why Adil Rami and N'Golo Kante Should Not Be Restored to France XI vs. Germany
France take on Germany at Stade Velodrome on Thursday in the second of the 2016 UEFA European Championship semi-finals.
Didier Deschamps’ men beat surprise package Iceland 5-2 at Stade de France last Sunday to book their place in the final four, while Die Mannschaft had to rely on penalties to get past Italy at Matmut Atlantique.
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Just over two years to the day that Joachim Low’s men knocked Les Bleus out of the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the French have a great opportunity to exact some revenge by doing the same at Euro 2016.
Moussa Sissoko, who came in for the suspended N’Golo Kante and impressed against Iceland, admitted in a pre-match press conference that avenging that 1-0 defeat at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro back in 2014 is on the minds of the hosts’ players:
"We want to win at all costs in order to qualify.
Being knocked out in the quarters at the last World Cup still sticks in the throat. This is the time to make amends for that defeat.
I don't think there is a special rivalry with this Germany team. They have a young team, just like us. They have a great team with some great players.
We have a calmer team than two years ago and we've had good results. We now need to prove ourselves on the field. Thursday, on paper, is the biggest game of the tournament. We'll do everything we can to reach the final.
It will be a difficult match against the world champions. But we have the home advantage. We have all the weapons to put in a good performance and to reach the final.
We haven't taken on as big a country as Germany yet. We're not going to complain about our draw as it allowed us to reach the semis. Thursday is a huge game.
"
Sissoko is right; Thursday is a huge game for both sides. However, it is arguably bigger for France, as the two-time winners have not faced a side as strong as the Germans yet and Low’s men will be missing some key figures.
Mats Hummels is suspended, Sami Khedira and Mario Gomez are both out for the remainder of the tournament with injury, and captain Bastian Schweinsteiger is a considerable fitness worry.
Deschamps’ men will be a little worried about Olivier Giroud’s knee knock, but otherwise, the squad is in good shape. Kante and Adil Rami are also back from suspension, which gives Les Bleus’ tactician a pleasant headache.
The 47-year-old coach could bring both the Leicester City and Sevilla men back into the starting XI for this match as both featured in what was originally his strongest team. However, the deeper into the tournament the French have gone, the more Deschamps’ side has changed.
Although Kante and Rami were key players at the start of Euro 2016, they are not now, and the pair should not be brought back into the fold against Germany unless a late injury forces the 1998 World Cup- and Euro 2000-winning former captain’s hand.
The Iceland display was by far the most impressive from the hosts so far this summer, and the confidence created by that convincing victory will be important in helping France to get at Die Mannschaft in Marseille.
Although their defence is rock solid, Low’s men have not been prolific in front of goal, and assuming Giroud is fit to start, the Arsenal man and Antoine Griezmann will have Germany’s back line concerned.
There is no clear reason to bring back either Kante or Rami, because neither was missed against Iceland.
Admittedly, the Germans are significantly superior to Lars Lagerback and Heimir Hallgrimsson’s plucky charges, but the latter were still a challenge for the French and were brushed aside relatively easily.
Taking Kante out of the midfield has enabled Deschamps to find some balance in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Paul Pogba playing a deeper role and Blaise Matuidi occupying his preferred left-central-midfield berth.
Going for just two central midfielders instead of three in the usual 4-3-3 system has allowed Deschamps to move Griezmann behind target man Giroud and play Dimitri Payet out left and Sissoko or Kingsley Coman on the right.
The result of that tactical innovation has been seven goals in 135 minutes of football, with only two goals conceded. It was enough to help France recover from 1-0 down to the Republic of Ireland in the round of 16 to win 2-1 and to see off Iceland 5-2.
Tampering with this winning formula would be foolish at this crucial stage of the tournament. Sissoko did a decent job on the right against the Icelanders, while Coman changed the game against the Irish. Both will be of greater value to Deschamps against Germany than Kante.
As for Rami, Samuel Umtiti was thrown in at the deep end last weekend and made his senior international debut alongside Laurent Koscielny in central defence. Although the Olympique Lyonnais man was not outstanding, he was solid enough and arguably deserves to keep his place.
Of the two, perhaps it would be easier to bring Rami in than Kante, as that would require no change to the formation. If that straight swap was to be made, though, surely it would be down to experience only, as Umtiti is generally the more reliable player.
If Deschamps resists the temptation to recall both players, the same starting XI that beat up Iceland in the first half in Paris could reward their coach with another clinical display to reach the final.
However, should the France boss give in to temptation, then it would confirm the tournament-long feeling that he does not know his best XI and risk destroying the momentum built up against Iceland.
Confidence is vital at this stage of a competition, and Les Bleus have it in abundance at the perfect moment. Deschamps and his players must not let this opportunity slip.
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