France were undoubtedly the best team of the tournament back to front, but....I can't help but wonder what this team would like under a different manager, fair play to Deschamps, they won and that's all that matters, but as my title indicates I can't help but feel we were robbed of seeing this team really unleashed.
As funny as it may sound, I actually wonder how they would look with Arsene managing them, he wouldn't have to worry about the defensive side of things (similar to when he inherited Adams and co), so he could just have focused on the attacking side of things, an interesting thought I must say.
The allure of power and pragmatism over "the beautiful game"
France-A Ferrari Driven with the handbrakes
posted on 16/7/18
comment by Sheriff John Brown - Wenger Till I Die (U7482)
posted 15 minutes ago
Sidibe and Mendy didn't return from injury early enough to start for Deschamps, who stuck with his winning team. Those 2 could give them more thrust in the wide areas. Parvard in average for me, though Lucas did well at LB.
Payet is another player I believe could have changed the way France played had he not got injured. But even with some of the limitations, Deschamps should have been more progressive.
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Most definitely, its like after failing at the final hurdle of Euro 2016, Deschamp's mindset was "not a chance of that happening EVER again"! "style" be damned
posted on 16/7/18
Good article
posted on 16/7/18
comment by 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 World Champion 🇫🇷 🇫🇷🇫🇷 (U10012)
posted 51 minutes ago
comment by Stretty - mr mourinho (U3123)
posted 34 minutes ago
no they wernt. Croatia were.
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That's why they lost 4-2 to France in the final and all their KO game had to go to extra time despite being in the "easier" side of the draw?!
Croatia did in the WC what Leicester did in the PL. The neutral felt in love with them (rightly or wrongly so).
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You can't compare them to Leicester. Many were tipping Croatia to have a good run. Leicester literally came out of nowhere.
posted on 16/7/18
comment by 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 🇫🇷 World Champion 🇫🇷 🇫🇷🇫🇷 (U10012)
posted 1 hour, 44 minutes ago
comment by Stretty - mr mourinho (U3123)
posted 34 minutes ago
no they wernt. Croatia were.
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That's why they lost 4-2 to France in the final and all their KO game had to go to extra time despite being in the "easier" side of the draw?!
Croatia did in the WC what Leicester did in the PL. The neutral felt in love with them (rightly or wrongly so).
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Did they?
They had the better team sheets than all of their opponents bar france and really should have got through before extra time in each.
They were tactically outfoxed by france before lloris gifted them a respective score.
And they droned on and on about being a small country even though they have two CL winners - one of them being a multiple CL winner
posted on 16/7/18
Respectable
posted on 16/7/18
comment by Sheriff John Brown - Wenger Till I Die (U7482)
posted 2 hours, 7 minutes ago
Sidibe and Mendy didn't return from injury early enough to start for Deschamps, who stuck with his winning team. Those 2 could give them more thrust in the wide areas. Parvard in average for me, though Lucas did well at LB.
Payet is another player I believe could have changed the way France played had he not got injured. But even with some of the limitations, Deschamps should have been more progressive.
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You make good points but sometimes when winning a tournament like this you can't have ifs and buts. Maybe if they were fit then everything would not have aligned for them to win. Likewise if Romero and Lanzini had been fit Argentina could have beaten France. Sometimes you just have o take it as is otherwise you get a different outcome.
posted on 16/7/18
Undoubtedly? I wouldn’t say so.
They took the lead in an even game vs Belgium, then they defended deep and in numbers which suited them perfectly. All conjecture I guess, but had Belgium taken the lead and forced France to open up and attack more, I suspect they’d have been carved open by Hazard and De Bruyne.
posted on 17/7/18
comment by Ledders the King - 2017/18 FF Enders league champion 🏆 (U20121)
posted 6 hours, 36 minutes ago
Undoubtedly? I wouldn’t say so.
They took the lead in an even game vs Belgium, then they defended deep and in numbers which suited them perfectly. All conjecture I guess, but had Belgium taken the lead and forced France to open up and attack more, I suspect they’d have been carved open by Hazard and De Bruyne.
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This.
It’s how I feel the Real Madrid team that has won the CL 3 times in a row is underwhelming. I can barely remember the other 2 finals except the recent one against Liverpool and that’s only because the Liverpool fans pathetic moans about Ramos made all the headlines.
But at the end of the day they were winners and Zidane proved again and again what a genius he is despite the turgid football.
Exciting football rarely wins you trophies, ask Klopp. Belgium could have ripped them apart if they chose any other approach. Besides Deschamps is a conservative manager, so French fans knew what they were getting. Can’t expect him to suddenly change his style. Would mourinho change his style because he was managing a talented side!!!
posted on 17/7/18
Now they've won it, it would be great to see them bring in a more attacking manager to see just how far this generation can go.
Four years from now they could be a side people will remember 50 years from now as an all time great - that's the talent level at their disposal but it won't be truly recognised until they're playing the football they're capable of
posted on 17/7/18
comment by Scruttocks (U19684)
posted 4 hours, 43 minutes ago
Now they've won it, it would be great to see them bring in a more attacking manager to see just how far this generation can go.
Four years from now they could be a side people will remember 50 years from now as an all time great - that's the talent level at their disposal but it won't be truly recognised until they're playing the football they're capable of
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Agreed. Obviously the players and the French fans wouldn’t care less if this did spark some sort of dynasty, but personally I remember teams more for how they won their trophies. I could be wrong, but I’d imagine people remember Barca beating United in 2009 as opposed to Inter beating Bayern in 2010 even though they both landed trebles and the latter was more recent.