France vs Nigeria:
French fans can't imagine anything besides a victory tonight as they face-off against the underdog Nigerians. As Soccer has often taught us though, this is usually the first forbearing sign of a huge upset. So, should the French be worried deep down, or will this round just be a simple formality?
Let's see. Nigeria's main argument for obtaining a good result today is not a threat to the French defense, but rather their goalkeeper: Vincent Enyama. Enyama has had stellar season playing for his French club Lille and has kept his good form going into the World Cup. And as we all know, defense wins championships.
Even though they obviously have some quality in their ranks, we don't expect the Nigerians to outplay the French during 90 minutes and pose a real threat. Still, if Enyama were to have an Ochoa-like performance and keep his team in the game, it wouldn't be all that shocking to see Odemwingie or one of his partners sneak one in past Hugo Lloris. After all, Sakho's status is currently in doubt as he deals with some hamstring issues, and Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny wasn't all that reassuring in the last game.
Actually, the whole team's performance against Ecuador was a bit worrying. Though Deschamps made a lot of changes to the squad, we saw that Benzema and his partners aren't going to steamroll over teams, like they did Switzerland and Honduras, unless they have everyone at full strength. One key injury during the game, to Valbuena or Matuidi for example, could easily spell doom for the teams title chances.
Finally, let's not forget that a similar meaningless third group game against Sweden at the last Euro ended up having a terrible effect on the team's morale as they switched out too many players and completely broke their positive dynamic.
So, will Enyama and his teammate manufacture the first big knockout stage upset? Let's wait and see.
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France vs Ecuador:
Surprising moves announced by France coach Didier Deschamps today as Pogba and Griezmann are slotted to come off the bench against Switzerland. Sissoko and Giroud will start the game instead.
French fans can't imagine anything besides a victory tonight as they face-off against the underdog Nigerians. As Soccer has often taught us though, this is usually the first forbearing sign of a huge upset. So, should the French be worried deep down, or will this round just be a simple formality?
Let's see. Nigeria's main argument for obtaining a good result today is not a threat to the French defense, but rather their goalkeeper: Vincent Enyama. Enyama has had stellar season playing for his French club Lille and has kept his good form going into the World Cup. And as we all know, defense wins championships.
Even though they obviously have some quality in their ranks, we don't expect the Nigerians to outplay the French during 90 minutes and pose a real threat. Still, if Enyama were to have an Ochoa-like performance and keep his team in the game, it wouldn't be all that shocking to see Odemwingie or one of his partners sneak one in past Hugo Lloris. After all, Sakho's status is currently in doubt as he deals with some hamstring issues, and Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny wasn't all that reassuring in the last game.
Actually, the whole team's performance against Ecuador was a bit worrying. Though Deschamps made a lot of changes to the squad, we saw that Benzema and his partners aren't going to steamroll over teams, like they did Switzerland and Honduras, unless they have everyone at full strength. One key injury during the game, to Valbuena or Matuidi for example, could easily spell doom for the teams title chances.
Finally, let's not forget that a similar meaningless third group game against Sweden at the last Euro ended up having a terrible effect on the team's morale as they switched out too many players and completely broke their positive dynamic.
So, will Enyama and his teammate manufacture the first big knockout stage upset? Let's wait and see.
--
France vs Ecuador:
Surprising moves announced by France coach Didier Deschamps today as Pogba and Griezmann are slotted to come off the bench against Switzerland. Sissoko and Giroud will start the game instead.
Seeing as there's been no word of last-minute injuries, it would appear that Deschamps values Giroud's height and physicality over Griezmann's close quarter dribbling skills for this matchup. Though Griezmann has quickly proved himself a worthy Ribery replacement, Giroud was in great form during preparation matches, including a successful association with Benzema against Jamaica (8-0). His nod doesn't give us much cause for concern.
More puzzling however, is the decision to start Sissoko over the 21 year old Juventus star who has already established himself as the technical leader of Deschamp's promising triangle midfield. Pogba did receive a yellow card following an impulsive response to a foul by Honduras' Palacios, but most French fans would probably prefer running the risk of having him be suspended during the third game against Ecuador, rather than in a decisive round of sixteen match. Sissoko hasn't shown much so far with the national team, some supporters even wondering if he belonged in the squad altogether, but he certainly seems to have Deschamps' trust.
Let's see how it will all work out.
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France vs Switzerland:
In spite of all these changes look for France to maintain their current form. They may struggle out of the gates but there ultimately seems to be to much talent, and cohesion, within this squad to not finish on top of their group.
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