France will be defending their World Title next year in Qatar. Les Bleus has secured qualification for the 2022 World Cup with a huge 8-0 victory over Kazakhstan. For France, this will be their seventh consecutive World Cup appearance, dating back to 1998 where they won on home soil. Les Bleus are keen to pull off a miracle to become only the third national team to successfully defend the World Cup crown.
Les Bleus honestly did not have a very good qualifying campaign. Drawing three times against the likes of Ukraine and Bosnia and Herzegovina is unacceptable for France, considering the amount of talent that they have. Unconvincing wins have also made Les Bleus look bad. Poor results for the defending champions make it hard for them to be regarded as capable of successfully retaining their World Title. In France’s case, next year, they can’t afford a horrible title defense. They must be ready for Qutar at all costs.
France qualify for the 2022 World Cup.
Time to defend their crown đź‘‘ pic.twitter.com/1oruhP2sW3
— GOAL (@goal) November 13, 2021
Facts From The Game Against Kazakhstan
Kylian Mbappé scored a hat-trick in this game, which makes him the first player to score a competitive hat-trick since 1985. In addition, he scored a total of four goals, making him the first player to score four times in a match for France since 1958. Mbappé has five goals and two assists in his last three games in international duty. The 22-year-old has 23 goals so far while representing France.
Antoine Griezmann moved up on France’s list for all-time scoring. After finding the back of the net on a penalty, Griezmann is now France’s third-highest all-time scorer, surpassing Michel Platini. Griezmann has 42 international goals and is ten goals away from being France’s all-time leading scorer. Karim Benzema scored a brace, allowing him to become France’s fifth-highest all-time scorer. Benzema has eight goals now this year for France. Since ending his six-year international exile, Benzema has done great for Les Bleus. He is sure to play a huge role for France at the World Cup next year.
France Is Playing As A Cohesive Unit
France has looked considerably good since their thrilling come-from-behind win against Belgium in the Nations League semifinals, eventually lifting the title after a 2-1 win over Spain in the final. What was key for them in winning the Nations League was teamwork and trust. Both goals scored in the Nations League final were done so with an assist. In the semifinal against Belgium, one goal had an assist. That means that the players trusted each other and were on the same page. Furthermore, there was strong leadership from the veteran players to the youngsters.
In France’s match against Kazakhstan, seven of the goals had an assist, meaning France continued to play as a team and there’s trust among the players. The players know that they’re in for a huge challenge next year in Qatar and they know that they must keep the positive vibes alive. Negativity and frustration lead to a lack of teamwork and trust, which ultimately leads to a downfall. Teamwork, trust, and leadership are the three key aspects of France’s success. Those three aspects are what it will take for Les Bleus to be able to win the title again.
France Has One More Match To Play
Although France is already qualified, they play their final qualifying match against Finland next Tuesday in Helsinki. It’s safe to assume that France will rest their stars and put in the reserve players. Finland must win this game in order to secure second place to keep their hopes alive. For France, this game is merely an opportunity to give inexperienced players a chance to gain experience. The likes of Theo Hernández, Jules KoundĂ©, and Dayot Upamecano are all young and talented rising players for the team. Although they don’t have much experience, they’re all playing well and deserve a chance to further prove themselves. Matteo Guendouzi, who has yet to earn a cap for the team. is likely to make his debut against Finland.
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