With Griezmann or Giroud? DD weighing his options

The latest out of the France should come with no surprise - DD is weighing his options with the left wing. Does he go back with the player that is a natural left winger - Griezmann? Or does he go back to having both Giroud and Benzema on the pitch?

We know that DD is going with a 4-3-3, if he goes with the safe play he inserts Griezmann on the left. The Real Sociedad winger fits the profile of a natural left winger. He would allow Benzema to slot back into the middle of the offensive formation. But that also means you are leaving one of your "in form" players - Giroud - on the bench. Is that wise? As I wrote about in a previous post. Having Giroud and Benzema on the pitch offers some interesting options with the offensive front three. They can easily drop into a 4-3-2-1 formation or a 4-3-1-2 depending on if they need to clog the midfield to keep possession, the former or chase a goal the latter.

Here is what it could look like with Giroud/Benzema:

How the 4-3-3 would start off with Benzema on the left

If France need to lay back and seek possession they can drop Benzema and Valbuena deeper on the pitch. It would resemble the Christmas Tree formation that the Italians sometimes lean on. Provides a very strong defensive foundation from which to counter. The key is Giroud up high, atop the offensive triangle. He will be called on to hold the ball to allow the other players to make diagonal runs into the box.

Giroud sits high with Benzema and Valbuena dropping deeper

If Les Bleus are looking to be more attacking then they can push Benzema higher on the pitch and allow Valbuena to roam behind the two strikers. Giving Le Petit Velo the freedom to carry the creative play for France.

Valbuena would be given the space to roam the midfield

Of course the one aspect that I am sure DD is contemplating is that if he plays Benzema on the left, he will be putting added pressure on his holding midfielders as well as Evra. Benzema, unlike Griezmann, does not know what playing defense means. He cannot be count on to back track and to stop the opposing teams right full back making deep runs. This is something that DD has to take into consideration, especially with the Swiss looming who has Lichtsteiner as their marauding right back. With a defensive liability already on the right - Debuchy - France might not be able to take on the challenge of having two such challenges to face.

It will be interesting to see what comes out of the tunnel on Sunday.

Allez les Bleus!