Comment: | France is boring – and that’s why it goes far in the European Championship

Dusseldorf

French tricolor celebrated in Düsseldorf on Monday evening. The blue-white-red colors are known to symbolize freedom, fraternity and equality – the very basic values ​​of democracy for which Kylian Mbappé and other French players have even spoken during the European Championship holidays, trying to prevent the extreme right from rising to power in their home country.

On the football field, however, the tricolor seems to symbolize something else this summer: compactness, boredom and finally the still needed efficiency.

France is one of the absolute favorites of the European Championship, but its game has been numbingly moving the ball, cautious defending, blocking spaces. Everything but entertainment, even though the team includes many of the world’s most skilled players, such as Antoine Griezmann or Mbappé in particular – now with a superhero mask on his face.

In Düsseldorf, the French were met by a team that believed at least as much in caution: Belgium. It’s a pity that the Belgians, considered the eternal black horse, kept their hooves in a disciplined trot in this tournament, and there was no free gallop at all. Kevin de Bruyne and the partners have to go home with Tintti shirts, because France scored the necessary one goal against them.

First the goal is often decisive in the playoffs of prestigious competitions, it gives the game direction, dynamics. That’s why you have to appreciate the more attacking favorites of the European Championship, such as Spain and Germany, who are actively looking for that first goal. France goes more to prevent the opponent’s first goal.

Several times in the match between France and Belgium, there were even somewhat comical stand-offs, when defenders with the ball held the ball down without deciding what to do. Meanwhile, the opposing attackers stood in front of them, determined not to do anything. When two teams wait for the other to do something, nothing usually happens.

Maybe someone should tell For Didier Deschamps and For Domenico Tedesco, that pressing has already been invented. Well, no, both top coaches had just decided not to press the offensive end. Both remained a compact bundle, blocking the center. It is a permitted method, and especially Deschamps and his team are excellent at it.

Skillful boredom, then.

Another at the beginning of the half, France cheered up a bit and created more goal chances, but the problem of the French in these games is that they don’t take advantage of the goal chances. The team’s shots were constantly flying over the goal. In the opening group, France scored only one goal from a penalty kick, the second one was pocketed by the opponent’s defender.

In the end, a standing, moving, careful match ended in a fitting way. France had already passed the ball across the field and once again the situation stood in front of the Belgian penalty area. Everyone was almost on their feet when Randal Kolo Muani received a pass inside the penalty area, with his back to the goal. Kolo Muani simply turned with the ball and shot – and a goal probably wouldn’t have resulted from this situation either, if the ball hadn’t taken a bounce from the defender’s knee.

But it bounced – and the net swung. The necessary efficiency.

This is how France continues. And the team should not be underestimated. Against that, it is extremely difficult to score a goal, even to get decent goalscoring chances. Tightness, dullness and the necessary efficiency can take Deschamps’ group once again even to the finals.