Griezmann the field general: Five things learned as France add to Germany’s woes

In a game of two halves, France came from behind to beat Germany 2-1.

It was an open and exciting game in Paris, where the World Champions started in a sluggish fashion and, for an hour, looked like they were going to be upset at home. But they rallied as Champions do, picking up the win and moving clear in their UEFA Nations League group.

What did we learn? Read on and find out!

1. Griezmann the Field General

All the French outfielders spent the first hour of this game floundering about, looking about as useful as a bazooka in a chess match. There was just such a disjointed harmony about the French, almost as if their World Cup party was still going on. No one looked focused, well, except for Antoine Griezmann.

Often accused of being soft, or not commanding enough in terms of his stature, Griezmann put in a truly titanic display against Germany. Whilst his team-mates were busy looking lost, he was constantly demanding the ball in tricky areas, turning to try and feed them in. He wasn’t intimidated by Germany.

So it was only fitting that Griezmann was the one who led France’s comeback, first with a frankly ludicrous header that he had no right to score with. It was a decent cross from his Atleti team-mate Lucas Hernández but Griezmann is about 12 yards out from goal! That he was able to guide it so perfectly up and over Manuel Neuer was a work of art.

The game-winning goal, a penalty, was notable because converting pressure penalties is something Griezmann has struggled with in the past. Yet he absolutely buried this one with no hesitation, handing France a victory. Griezmann has finally arrived in his role as field general, dropping deep, marshalling the way France play with an impeccable authority. Salute!

2. VAR, s’il vous plait

You have to wonder why the UEFA Nations League didn’t take follow the World Cup’s lead and include VAR as part of their gameday set-ups. Certainly all nations in the top tier would have the technology available in their stadia, so even if just for the highest group, why not?

After all, VAR showed this summer that it allows for the correct decision to always be made. So often games, especially those between elite nations, can come down to a single refereeing decision. That is just what happened to France vs. Germany.

First, Germany took a first half lead thanks to a penalty decision that, under VAR, would have never been awarded. It was farcical to award a penalty for handball when Kimpembe was so close to Sané. This goal conditioned the entire game, and should never have been given.

Then France’s game-winner was also a penalty that wouldn’t have come under VAR as Blaise Matuidi fell under little or no contact from Mats Hummels. The spot-kick was awarded but VAR would surely have overturned the decision, and changed the result.

3. Low loses, but finds his formula

Jogi Low is a coach who leads his side through stages. He finds an idea and becomes possessed by it, working his side to fit that idea, that system, and then he rides it until it stops. Germany’s system stopped working; and they have now won just one of their last six competitive games, including losing two in a row for the first time in forever.

But tonight, despite the defeat to the World Champions, Germany did themselves proud. And not merely in a “they gave it a good go” kind of way, but Die Mannschaft played with a coherence and structure that could carry them forward until Euro 2020.

Germany played a young side, and finally put the man mountain that is Niklas Sule into the heart of defence. A three-man back-line allows them to play Toni Kroos in a midfield two and not have him be totally overwhelmed, which is key for their attack. Speaking of the attack, having wing-backs providing the width means that Leroy Sané, Serge Gnabry and Timo Werner could all interchange positions in a fluid front three that is very, very hard to deal with defensively.

4. Will the real N’Golo Kanté please stand up?

With the exception of Antoine Griezmann, nobody dressed in bleu played to anything like their usual level (Lloris was wearing yellow!) but N’Golo Kanté’s struggles were the most blatant and worrying for the future of the French national side.

Kanté just looked devoid of energy, for the whole game. It wasn’t that France had somehow limited him with a tactical shift; this was the same role he shone in at the World Cup, yet he just looked nothing like the same player he usually does.

There was no zip, no pace, no sense of ceaseless energy driving the defensive strength at the heart of France’s midfield. Kanté vs. Toni Kroos is a mismatch that the Frenchman should be exploiting all day long, yet Kanté never even looked capable of pressing Kroos, much less make the most of his defensive weaknesses. It took a full 71 minutes for Kanté to do something Kanté-esque, and even that was a lone highlight.

Whether it’s caused by his new role at Chelsea, or that even the humble and hard-working Kanté has finally succumbed to a hint of complacency, there is something not quite right about N’Golo Kanté and it’s an issue that France need solving because the Chelsea midfielder is at the heart of France’s system, and his excellence is a prerequisite.

5. Evolve or die, Didier

Dider Deschamps won a big game, but just like the World Cup there’s a sneaking suspicion that he sorta kind fluked his way there. Sure, he sets his teams up in a solid defensive structure that he borrowed wholesale from Aime Jacquet’s 1998 World Cup winning side (a side he played in) but they play with precious little imagination on the break. Mostly they just try an exploit Kylian Mbappé’s pace on the break, like they’re being controlled by a 13-year-old playing FIFA Ultimate Team.

Now, this won them the World Cup (just about) and it saw them past Germany (again, just) but it’s not a viable strategy going forward and Deschamps has to know that. Sure, the 4-3-2-1 shape is a great weapon to be used, but France need to find another way of playing. Previous World Champions have shown the dangers of stagnation, and the fact that a woefully out of form Germany came very close to actually beating France in France should speak volumes of the need for change.

Of course, the possible solutions are obvious. Swap Olivier Giroud for Alexandre Lacazette, try and find a way to play Ousmane Dembélé and Kylian Mbappé, thus giving you two fast counter-attacking player, identify and promote an actual right-back. The problem is they all require risks to be taken; there’s no guarantee things would work right away and France would need time to gel. The thing is Deschamps is so risk-averse he may take the short-term gain of staying the same for the medium and long-term loss of stagnation.

Evolve or die, Didier!

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