Paris, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- If it weren't for injuries, defending champions France would still be one of the strongest teams on paper at the World Cup in Qatar. But there are no ifs in the world of football, and with N'Golo Kante and Pogba confirmed to be out of the injury and Matuidi already away from first-tier football, the main trio of midfield who won last World Cup will all be out of Qatar. Considering the poor performances in the UEFA Nations League so far this year, the prospects for the Gallic Rooster World Cup are worrying.
At the World Cup in Russia four years ago, France defeated Croatia 4-2 in the final, lifting the World Cup trophy for the first time in 20 years, and coach Deschamps became the third person to win the World Cup as both player and manager after Zagallo and Beckenbauer.
France coach Deschamps celebrates his victory after the final of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia on July 15, 2018. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Zijian
That World Cup, people saw a pragmatic and efficient French team, no longer pursuing the grandeur of the scene, but based on defense, relying on the individual ability of superstars to achieve simple and effective quick counter-attacks. The midfield of N'Golo Kante, Pogba and Matuidi may be a little less creative, but the defensive and confrontational intensity is world-class; The back line led by Varane is solid enough; On the front, Griezmann was at his peak, and the talented teenager Mbappe was born again.
Just when people thought that such a well-structured team with a considerable talent will be soft in trophies in the coming years, last year's European Championship gave them a blow. With the Benzema national team "two into the palace" and the overall strength of the team seemingly to rise to a higher level, France was eliminated by Switzerland in the quarterfinals; They were equalised with a two-goal lead and ended up losing on penalties.
France player Olivier Giroud (front) after a match on June 28, 2021. On the same day, in the quarterfinals of the European Football Championship in Bucharest, Romania, Switzerland drew 3-3 with France in 120 minutes, and finally Switzerland won 5-4 on penalties to advance to the quarterfinals.
It was discovered that this seemingly powerful French team was not invincible.
In this year's UEFA Nations League group stage, France only handed in a dismal record of 1 win, 2 draws and 3 defeats, and were just one step away from relegation. Especially in the face of the World Cup opponent Denmark, the French team was "double-killed" by home and away. That raises questions about how far the French team can go in this year's World Cup.
The house leak coincided with overnight rain. In October, Premier League club Chelsea announced that midfielder Kante would be absent for four months due to surgery, and was determined to miss the World Cup; In early November, Pogba's agent also confirmed that the Juve midfielder would miss Qatar due to injury. The originally well-staffed midfielder suddenly became stretched. Deschamps will have to use a new midfield combination for this World Cup, and until then they have not even had a chance to practice for an official warm-up match.
N'Golo Kante (centre) plays Chelsea in a Premier League match against Fulham on 1 May 2021.
According to French media speculation, the young midfielder Chuameni who has just moved from Monaco to Real Madrid will most likely assume a role similar to N'Golo Kante, and he may be standing next to his Real Madrid teammate Camavinga and midfielder Rabiot, who currently plays for Juventus. In addition, Fofana, Gundozzi and others may also get more appearances.
In contrast, Deschamps has far more options in the forward line. Although Griezmann, the core player of the last World Cup, has declined in form, the pairing of Newtech Ballon d'Or winner Benzema and Kylian Mbappe is undoubtedly the most chilling forward combination of this World Cup.
Real Madrid's Karim Benzema, left, during a Champions League group stage match on November 2.
Having said that, even without a number of main players, this French team's squad is still luxurious. How to lead this team out of the slump of more than a year, and put these big names together as a whole, to bring out their strongest strength, will test the wisdom of Deschamps and his coaching staff. Of course, to go further, the French team has to beware of another problem - infighting, after all, the French team also has a tradition in this regard.
France are in Group D with Denmark, Australia and Tunisia and will face their first group stage opponents, Australia, on 22 November.
Since the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the defending champions of three consecutive competitions have failed to qualify from the group, can France break this curse?