The French team said goodbye to the possibility of reaching the final four with the defeat at the Stade de France against Croatia, due to a penalty goal by Luka Modric after five minutes (0-1), but that is not the worst news for the pupils of Didier Deschamps, last in Group A of the Nations League and with a serious risk of relegation with two games to go.
Current champions of the European competition, after beating Spain (1-2) in the final last October with a controversial goal from Kylian Mbappé, the Blues have not yet won this edition, in which they have lost two games (Denmark and Croatia) and have tied two others (Austria and Croatia). They only add two points.
In their next match, in September against the Austrians at the Stade de France, they must win to ward off the specter of possible relegation to League B. A defeat against Austria (4 points) would leave them without options and a draw would make them depend on third parties on the last day away against Denmark, current leader of the group.
Beyond the current crisis, these disappointing results are worrying for France ahead of the World Cup in Qatar, which takes place from November. The current world champions are a priori one of the favorites for the appointment in Qatar, but the sensations do not invite optimism within the French squad.
France was already the absolute favorite in the last edition of the European Championship and, however, fell against the odds in the round of 16 against Switzerland. A second setback in the World Cup would be especially hard for a team brimming with talent and, above all, a lot of youth, with constant players knocking on Deschamps’ doors.
It is also true that in these four Nations League games the French coach has chosen to try different things with his starting eleven, bringing in players who are usually substitutes, such as Nkunku or Ben Yedder, and leaving starters such as Antoine Griezmann, Mbappé or goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
Deschamps still has two official matches left to finish defining his starting lineup and recover the authority they showed in the last World Cup in Russia in 2018, when they won the World Cup title based on power and quality, precisely winning the final against the Croatia that has now set off the alarms in the French team.
Their first game in the World Cup will be on November 22 against an Australia that this Monday achieved the penultimate place for Qatar thanks to their goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne, hero in the penalty shootout in the playoff against Peru. The fatigue of their players after a long season and the constant changes may be the reason for France’s poor performance, but from September there will be no excuse for the bleus. As the Spanish coach, Luis Enrique, says, “no team in the world is devastating.” Neither is the world champion.
