The France Euro 2016 campaign keeps rocketing on. They brushed Iceland aside in a 5-2 victory after notching four goals in the first half alone. Finally, they had managed to fire on all cylinders and really impress at Euro 2016, with a good spread of goals, proving what an attacking threat they are. With no players to serve a suspension in their next match, they look to prove solid opposition for Germany.
France Euro 2016: Can France Overcome Germany?
On the Defence
Arguably the weakest part of France’s team is the defence. Whilst Laurent Koscienly is a fantastic defender, his last partner Samuel Umtiti is looking poor in the air on his international debut. With Adil Rami back alongside Koscielny it creates a partnership that can easily be exploited by Germany. A particular defensive issue has been with aerial balls into the box, whether it’s an Icelandic long throw or just a typical corner.
Hugo Lloris commands his area well and does clear up his defence’s mistakes where possible, but often a keeper is merely a bystander, watching the ball fly into the back of the net. If any one part of the team will fail the rest, it’s the defence.
The Role of the Midfield
Fortunately for France, they have a talented midfield, consisting of Paul Pogba, Blaise Matuidi and Moussa Sissoko. In the Iceland match, despite one lapse where an Icelandic runner was let go by Pogba, the midfield was assisting the defence well.
There are bundles of pace in these three which means that any counter-attack will have to be even faster to beat them back to their defence’s aid. They have physical superiority over the likes of Mario Götze and Toni Kroos in terms of pace and strength, pacifying the midfield and ensuring the defenders have less to deal with. Lastly, the aerial ability of Pogba and Sissoko will prove vital in helping the vulnerability defending set pieces.
On The Offence
There is an absolute wealth of goalscoring talent. Antoine Griezmann is in fine scoring form with four goals. His movement is world class, his finishing is just as good. He is the man France are relying on to grab a goal to be winning the match against Germany. Olivier Giroud is equally impressive with three goals and he brings a completely different playing style to the team. He is excelling in his target man role, grabbing goals and assists. He sometimes is slow in his movement and can often be static, but offers another dimension to the attack.
The Role of the Midfield
Dimitri Payet is the star of Euro 2016 so far. His goalscoring form is good, with three goals. His dribbling and crossing is causing havoc amongst defences. In summary, he is the creator for the team. If he continues his form, Germany will be threatened by France.
A final notable attacking talent is Pogba. Grabbing his powerfully headed goal against Iceland, he finally broke his duck in the tournament. Whilst he has not been impressing as much as expected, he has slowly been warming up during the tournament. Germany is a huge test of the young star’s mettle and could finally put his critics to bed and ensure the France Euro 2016 campaign continues.
