The Reasons for the Anticlimax of the French Team's Luxurious Attack Line

The French national team seemed to promise a spectacular fireworks display with extraordinary talent in their attacking line. However, the explosive performance of Kylian Mbappe and his teammates turned out to be no more than a firecracker. They are impressive on paper but have yet to prove themselves on the field.

A preliminary conclusion can be drawn after France was defeated by the host Croatia 0-2 at Poljud Stadium, Split, on Friday (21/3/2025) early morning Western Indonesia Time. In the first match of the 2024-2025 UEFA Nations League quarterfinals, the praise for "Les Bleus" attacking line turned into doubt.

Compared to France, no country in the world currently possesses a more luxurious array of attacking talents. The team coached by head coach Didier Deschamps approaches the international break with the presence of six world-class forwards playing in Europe's top leagues.

They are Mbappe (Real Madrid), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), Randal Kolo Muani (Juventus), as well as the Paris Saint-Germain trio Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, and Desire Doue. These six players collectively scored 105 goals and provided 45 assists for their clubs this season.

So, why did France fail to score even a single goal against Croatia? Deschamps was deeply dissatisfied with the performance of his team. "The approach in this match was not good. The quality of the opponent punished us. We made too many technical mistakes," said the coach.

France's anticlimax was caused by an ineffective front-line trident. Deschamps deployed his star players from recent years, namely Mbappe, Muani, and Dembele. The formation used was unconventional, 4-3-1-2. Dembele was positioned behind the duo of Mbappe and Muani.

The approach on the field turned out to be vastly different. France's formation resembled a 4-3-3. Dembele shifted to the right, Mbappe to the left, while Muani took the central position. This trio played together for 64 minutes before Muani was eventually replaced by Barcola. "Les Bleus" performed better after that.

The failure of the French trident early on was justified. At the club, Mbappe and Dembele often filled the central position as center forwards who were given freedom to move. Mbappe has created 30 goals and 4 assists at Madrid, while Dembele has 30 goals and 6 assists at PSG.

Both were shifted to the wing. Deschamps trusted Muani more as a spearhead. In fact, Muani has not scored again at the club since early February for eight consecutive matches. He was chosen among other attackers who were "on fire".

It was evident that France's attack was more dangerous in the last half hour, after Muani was withdrawn and Mbappe played more centrally. "We were much better after the break, but the game was decided by a first half full of mistakes. I may have to make changes," explained Deschamps.

Deschamps does have a lot of options in attack. However, as a consequence, he also had to sacrifice talented players to sit on the bench. Olise, who has been Bayern's mainstay throughout this season, was only brought on when there were six minutes left of normal time.

Doue, who often surprised from the PSG bench, was not given a chance at all. In fact, he can play on both wings and has proven to be able to show his teeth in big games. Doue was one of PSG's best players when they beat Liverpool in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Positioning is another issue. Deschamps must facilitate Dembele and Mbappe in central positions. Mbappe can make the Blues sharper in the middle, while Dembele makes his team's attacks more unpredictable.

Dembele is not a pure striker. When deployed as a spearhead, he plays more of a “false striker” role. The 27-year-old player moves freely to both wings, including piercing from the second line. This new role is what makes Dembele in his best season.

Deschamps seems to need to follow the evolution of the players at their respective clubs more closely. Mbappe and Dembele were still playing as pure wingers when they appeared at Euro 2024, but everything is different now. They have developed.

France still has a chance to turn things around against Croatia in the second match in front of their home crowd, at the Stade de France Stadium, Monday morning WIB. Veteran midfielder "Si Biru" Adrien Rabiot said, the home match will be much different from before.

"We are not desperate. This match is decided by two games. We just have to stay calm and keep our heads up. We are sure of that. We want to show the true value of the French team. They are only two goals ahead, not five," Rabiot stressed.

In addition to finding the right mix in attack, France must also fix the fragility in defense. The back line led by the defender duo Ibrahima Konate and William Saliba was the main cause of the defeat to Croatia. It is useless to score a goal, if you concede again. (AP/REUTERS)