Les Bleus look like front-runner they were all along
Photo credit: Num
Now I get it.
Since the beginning of the World Cup, my expectation of the French aesthetic was incredibly high. “An ensemble of delightful players will bring a combination of talent and joy to the tournament,” I thought. However, the vast majority of the talented and joyful didn’t even survive the second round.
Russia taught us that any team could decode and defeat the giants. Ball possession won’t matter if you don’t hurt your rival; and in the desire to offend, there will be offensive retaliation. Mexico, South Korea, Russia, Denmark, Iran, Uruguay and Sweden demonstrated that the plan was real and worked perfectly.
The offensive styles were analyzed and taken down. Surprises happened: Germany fell quickly, Spain suffered, Portugal was disconnected, Brazil failed, Argentina barely showed something, but France is alive.
Didier Deschamps killed my criticism, even if his team hasn’t developed a revolutionary style of football that made everyone jump from their sits. The Frenchmen have imposed their authority in every match they played.
On prépare notre demi-finale ! 💪🇫🇷 #FiersdetreBleus #FRABEL pic.twitter.com/rJIGGO8SBQ
— Equipe de France (@equipedefrance) July 8, 2018
Les Bleus have been clinically careful in every game; they have adapted to their rivals without neglecting. France has played against teams that give up possession (Australia and Denmark) and frontal squads (Argentina and Peru). And they just surpassed an aggressive defense and a dynamic midfield with a counter-attacking philosophy in Uruguay.
France was in the lead four times and reacted violently when losing. It is a passive-aggressive squad because it accelerates when necessary and uses the break in certain situations.
Even if the French haven’t shown pure dominance, Didier Deschamps’ team wins with all merits: keeping order in the first line, being in charge of ball possession and inflicting enough damage to achieve victory.
Fancy football is gone. France can be aesthetic, but practicality brings better rewards to its clinical game. Deschamps hasn’t betrayed any philosophy — France wins, France convinces. Les Bleus can be world champions again after 20 years.
Follow Luis on Twitter: @LFulloa.
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