France has wrapped its first three games of their 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifying campaign. The results from the three games indicate that France is not playing well and the national team is not a worthy contender for the European Championship. The mediocre results further suggest that Les Bleus are not ready to compete in this summer’s tournament.
The reigning and defending World Champions are on top of their qualifying group. They sit with seven points with 2 wins and a draw. However, the performances on the pitch are anything but impressive. Starting with a 1-1 draw at home against Ukraine did not sit well, especially because Les Bleus were poorly organized. In addition, they were getting pushed around the pitch by a resilient and fearless Ukrainian squad.
Following that game, an unconvincing 2-0 win against Kazakhstan and a poor 1-0 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina proves that Les Bleus clearly weren’t ready to begin their qualification phase. France clearly underestimated their opponents which clearly proved costly. At this point, it is fair to say that they are lucky to be on top of their group due to Ukraine’s failure to build on their opening draw.
The Issues From The First Three Qualifiers:
Aside from struggling to put the ball into the back of the net, it is far more complicated for Les Bleus. The midfield is struggling to retain its rhythm of creating scoring chances, and the forward attack is failing to cash in on opportunities.
The inability to capitalize on chances was clear in their game against Kazakhstan. France’s passing accuracy was high, but failure to score really hurt the team. Missing seven big chances in these three games is worrisome for France. In addition, against Ukraine and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the French attack had a very poor shot accuracy, each being less than 20 percent.
The French defense, though overwhelmed a few times, remained respectably solid. Although in their opening game, it was a blunder by the defense that allowed Ukraine to find the back of the net via an own goal by defender Presnel Kimpembe.
The defense only had two clearances against Ukraine but was able to register more in their other two games. As far as interceptions go France did well, but can certainly improve on that, as well as blocks. Overall, getting overwhelmed from time to time by the opposing attack is something to avoid in the future. They cannot allow any opposing attacks to come anywhere near their goalkeeper. In other words, they need to eliminate all threats at a faster pace.
Overall, the attack is lacking explosiveness due to the serious lack of chemistry. That leads to an inability to score which puts increasing pressure on the team’s back. The defense, on the other hand, is not bad but still has room for improvement. However, as a team, France is not at full strength. The lack of concentration and poor team chemistry is what has been the team’s kryptonite during its history.
The Euro is set to begin in June. Les Bleus need to go through the likes of Germany and Portugal in the group stage. If France desires to win the title, they need to pull themselves together and find their dominant and winning form. At the moment, France looks good on paper, but in reality, they lack the winning caliber.
Check us out on our socials:
Twitter: @PTSTNews and @TalkPrimeTime
Facebook Page: Prime Time Sports Talk
Join our Facebook Group: Prime Time Sports Talk
Instagram: @ptsportstalk
Follow Alex Al-Kazzaz on Twitter @BearManOfTX
Main Image Credit:
