One step forward...half step back - Les Bleus without Diaby for next match

Surprise surprise...well maybe not that surprising, but after a wonderful game both against Liverpool for Arsenal and most recently for Les Bleus against Finland, Diaby looks like he is out against Belarus due to a knock he picked up. Here we go again. So Deschamps heads into Tuesday's qualifier with a dilemma on his hands - without Diaby what formation and where will the creativity come from?

I think it is safe to say we know who will be lined up at the back -

Lloris in goal

Ready to take a big step with the senior side?

Back four of - Evra on the left, either Jallet or Reveillere on the right and what appears to be the future central pairing of Mbiwa and Sakho in the middle. After that it is anyone's guess. Will Deschamps stick with a 4-3-3 or go with a 4-4-2 and have two strikers? If DD goes with the former, it would appear that Capoue has every chance to start in place of Diaby. A good role, but not sure the TFC midfielder has the same volume in his game to animate the offense for Les Bleus. If DD goes with the later, look for Giroud and Benzema up front, with the likes of Ribery and Menez/Valbuena to animate the wings.

Without the presence of Nasri, Ben Arfa or even Gourcuff, France a bit light in the central midfield creative availability. What Diaby brought to the game last week was an ability to sit in that central midfield role and carry the play, distribute, drop deep and attack the goal. Not sure Capoue is ready to do all those tasks. If Deschamps looks to this formation, I would expect much more pressure to fall on the shoulders of Cabaye to animate the game as well as Ribery to drop deeper to assist...even though the Kaiser has been asked by Deschamps to on the contrary stay higher on the pitch.

Je préfère donc le voir dans les 30-40 derniers mètres car il a cette faculté d’accélérer, de percuter et d’obtenir des fautes aussi. Après, il faut trouver le juste milieu. - Basic translation is Deschamps wants Ribery to save energy and stay in the final third of the field...

Of course if Deschamps opts for the 4-4-2 this lack of a natural playmaker may be even more exposed - since one would believe he would look to pair Mavuba and Cabaye as the central 2 of the 4 midfielders, and his wingers would be wide, so who would sit in the hole behind the strikers? Or could a Benzema drop deeper, as he tends to do?

Regardless of the formation, Les Bleus should...I realize this is a big should...find a way to defeat the lowly Belarussians. Of course we all remember what happened in this same fixture for the last qualifiers.



Hopefully that memory will keep this version on its collective toes. Belarus did lose to Georgia, so they should be ripe for the taking. I will be interested to see what formation Deschamps leans on...Allez les Bleus