In about 30 minutes, Les Bleus will take to the pitch again, this time under former France captain Deschamps. The last time we saw France on the pitch it was a lackluster 2-0 defeat to the eventual European champions - Spain. So what should we expect? Not too much.
These friendlies are always difficult to navigate, especially coming on the tail of a big summer international tournament. Most clubs have not started up their seasons yet, only Ligue 1 has started it official games. Add to this the suspensions of Menez and Nasri and you have a situation where what we see on the pitch will be difficult to truly judge.
The expected line up -
Lloris - Debuchy, Yanga-Mbiwa, Sakho, Evra - Mavuba, Gonalons, Valbuena, Ribéry - Giroud, Benzema
No big surprise, we all knew that Deschamps was looking to start a 2 striker formation. Le Petit Velo, Valbuena on the right makes sense. It will be interesting to see how the two holding midfielders will do. Both Mavuba and Gonalons have played for Les Bleus in the past, but the reality is they are both seen as "newcomers." It will be interesting to see how they play and how they take on the responsibility of the position. Both will be called upon to carry some of the linkage between the defense and offense halves of the field. In addition, without Mexes, who is a very offensive minded sweeper, more pressure will be on their shoulders to push high up the pitch. This will be an interesting part of the match to watch.
The back pairing of Mbiwa and Sakho will also be something to look at. Both are young, could be seen as the future for central defense for Les Bleus. Let us see how they do against the likes of Forlan.
I have a feeling we will see a more timid side from France, trying to figure out what they need to do on the pitch. The veterans such as Evra, Robery and Benzema will be called upon to manage the field and the new blood.
Prediction - France 1: Uruguay 1
Allez Les Bleus
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