France World Cup 2022 squad guide: Full fixtures, group, ones to watch, odds and more
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Loading... - Aabir Fathi
- 26 Oct 2022
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France may be the reigning world champions, with deep reserves of talent to call upon in Qatar, but their performances in 2022 have revealed some vulnerability. After an unbeaten 2021 which culminated in a Nations League final victory over Spain, their latest Nations League campaign was underwhelming, winning only one game of six in a relatively gentle group containing Croatia, Austria and Denmark.
Denmark and France now meet again in Group D of this World Cup, a group which also features Australia and Tunisia. It is one France should win, but they will have a target on their backs and there are pitfalls: the Danes will have no fear after their impressive 2-0 win over the French in Copenhagen last month, while Australia and Tunisia squeezed through play-off matches and will feel they have a free swing at this tournament with nothing to lose.
The French team has evolved from the side that lifted the trophy in Moscow four years ago, and there are now question marks over some of those 2018 stalwarts. N’Golo Kante has been ruled out and Raphael Varane is struggling for fitness, while Paul Pogba has undergone knee surgery and his appearance in Qatar is doubtful. Hugo Lloris remains the captain but, on form, his place should be under threat from Milan’s Mike Maignan (though Maignan is in a fitness race to make the World Cup).
The big challenge for Didier Deschamps is finding the right balance between hardened World Cup winners and fresh blood. The young Real Madrid duo Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni started together in the recent defeat by Denmark, and Deschamps must decide whether to keep faith or turn to more experience – he has hinted at the latter. “It’s a young French side,” the manager commented after the game, “where the majority of players don’t have experience at the very highest level ... there’s no need to worry, having the players with international experience back will do us good.”
Deschamps has been experimenting with a back three which has utilised his array of centre-back options: young defenders like Jules Kounde, Dayot Upamecano and William Saliba would walk into most international teams but are battling for gametime with experienced world champions Presnel Kimpembe and Varane, while other talented centre-halves like Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate, Chelsea’s Wesley Fofana and Monaco’s Benoit Badiashile could miss out on the squad altogther. The back-three experiment hasn’t been entirely successful and there remains doubt over exactly how France will set up, and what their best team is right now. Read More...
