All three players, Antoine Griezmann, Adrien Rabiot, and Aurelien Tchouameni, have their own unique qualities. But perhaps unanticipatedly, they have worked very well together in this tournament. Following the football World Cup, 831 players, 32 teams, and four matches per day can become somewhat overwhelming. Every morning for the next month, The Indian Express will filter through the noise and select the most important storyline of the day.
Showcase game England vs. France (Quarterfinal), 12.30 a.m. (Sunday), Al Bayt Stadium A lot of the buildup to the big quarterfinal game between England and France. Two teams full of talented individuals, have been about one man: Mbappe Kylian. With five goals, the prolific Paris Saint-Germain forward leads the tournament in goals scored. His match-winning brace against Poland in the round of 16 would have the English defense worried. He has looked sharp both on and off the field.
Gareth Southgate, England’s coach, is likely to try to manage Mbappe by switching to a back three with two wing-backs. His the preferred defensive formation against possession-oriented teams. However, in order to do so, they would either have to sacrifice an attacker. This is unlikely given the absence of a second striker, or a midfielder, resulting in a 3-4-2-1 formation.
However, the latter option may be a significant underestimation of Mbappe’s power source: the stock from midfield. Due to the significant injuries to Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante in the midfield. France’s coach Didier Deschamps was forced to use a largely untested trio in the middle of the park, despite having a talented team. Aurelien Tchouameni, a 22-year-old who recently signed a contract worth up to $100 million with Real Madrid, is at the base.
The promising midfielder has played with a maturity far beyond his years in the Spanish capital’s first few months. This is a significant improvement from Monaco, where his breakthrough performances attracted interest from Europe’s elite, but he has not yet found a home with the national team.
Because Deschamps has shown such faith in Tchouameni.
He is frequently the only player in France’s midfield who forms a screen in front of the center-backs and can defend against a potential counterattack. In addition, he has excelled at stitching play between the back line and forward line, achieving a 95% passing success rate. Adrien Rabiot has been Tchouameni’s defensive midfield partner. Similar to Blaise Matuidi’s 2018 role for Deschamps, Rabiot has also played a small part in central midfield and wide on the left.
Rabiot has been crucial in dictating France’s play out of possession by dropping deep when necessary and pressing high to catch an error or win the ball high up the field. Antoine Griezmann, on the other hand, has been Deschamps’ most creative midfielder. His deeper midfield role has demonstrated his importance to France, even though he has not scored and only provided one assist, despite being long regarded as one of the best-attacking players in the world.
In the majority of his performances, Griezmann has demonstrated intelligence and selflessness. He drops profound into midfield when Rabiot is high and wide to help Tchouameni, recognize the shortfall of Kante. Attempts to win the ball higher up the pitch, and when he’s in the middle of hidden therein. He’s ready to execute the essential pass into any semblance of Mbappe, Giroud, and Dembele.
He has already made 15 chances and throws 3.8 crucial passes per game on average. Matching up with France in midfield requires more than just the right formation. England can still compete by using five defenders and three attackers by asking a forward to drop into midfield or a defender to advance. This game is one of the best World Cup matchups because of the possible outcomes.
When England advance, Jude Bellingham, who has excelled in Qatar, will face Tchouameni. When France advanced, Declan Rice confronts Griezmann. Harry Kane dragging Raphael Varane and Dayot Upamecano out of position to create space. Mbappe is being managed by Mbappe and possibly Trippier as well. Whatever England’s system is, putting too much emphasis on trying to control. Mbappe could be fatal because cutting off his midfield power supply will be just as important.