.png)
9 hours ago
2
“It feels strange to be speaking as though I’m one of the old guys, even though I’m not,” said Kylian Mbappé while on France duty this week. As he wraps up his third year as captain and closes in on a century of appearances, the 27-year-old seems to have finally grown comfortable in his position as the team’s leader.
“Nowadays, I fully realise the role the coach and my teammates are expecting me to have,” the forward added. “I was the star of the team in 2022 and in that position everyone concentrates on you and wants to look after you. Now, it’s the opposite. I’m the one who has to look after the others. Some of them were still kids when I was turning professional.”
He may not be the oldest in the squad, but in goalscoring statistics alone the Real Madrid forward is already the elder statesman. If all goes according to plan this summer, Mbappé will overtake Olivier Giroud as his country’s all-time top scorer, with his goal in a 2-1 win against Brazil taking him just one short of the veteran’s tally of 57.
“There’s more talent and potential than in 2022,” the forward added. “Is it a stronger team? We’ll have to see the results, but we can really aim high with this team.” A glance at the depth of attacking options at Didier Deschamps’ disposal confirms that sentiment, not least given that two entirely different forward lines delivered on their promise over the past week.
While finding a Giroud-like foil to Mbappé once seemed to be the key to unlocking France’s attack, that concern has been rendered irrelevant through the sheer quantity of talent gravitating around the captain. With Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise and Rayan Cherki propelling the team’s transitions, Les Bleus are rarely short of invention in the final third.
France played with an impressive freedom in the attacking third. It was Dembélé, deployed in a role oscillating between midfield and wing, who played Mbappé through for the opener against the Seleção. Hugo Ekitike added a second, finishing off a counterattack after drifting into the middle. Nominally the central playmaker, Michael Olise enjoyed a similar freedom to roam across the frontline. Despite Dayot Upamecano’s red card, and a late goal from Carlo Ancelotti’s men from defender Gleison Bremer, France saw out their first win against Brazil since 2011.
In their second match, a 3-1 win against Colombia in Maryland, Désiré Doué swept in his first goal for Les Bleus. Marcus Thuram then ended an international goalscoring drought that had stretched back to 2023 by heading in a cross from Monaco’s Maghnes Akliouche, finally overtaking his father’s international tally of two goals in the process. The Inter striker was again involved for the third goal, setting up Doué after a rapid counterattack.
Although defence was a secondary concern this week, a spate of misplaced passes and missed tackles over the two matches hinted at an increasing fragility at the back. It was Maxence Lacroix, who earned his first cap against Colombia, who was the most assured of France’s defenders over the week. While he was only called up this month as a replacement for William Saliba, the Crystal Palace defender took his chance decisively and staked his claim for a spot in the World Cup squad.
In any case, the main objective of France’s trip was for the squad to find their bearings in Boston, with the downtown Four Seasons hotel set to serve as their base camp the summer. The venue for their match against Brazil, in the outskirts of the Massachusetts capital, will also host their group stage match against Norway this summer.
While the squad was largely shielded from any political questions this month, the delegation did flag up a few logistical issues. More than the stadiums or training facilities, the main concerns revolved around the traffic jams in town and the waiting times at the airport. “We spent so long at the airport when we arrived,” Deschamps lamented in his press conference after the team touched down in Washington before playing Colombia in Maryland. “I’ve never seen those kinds of checks. We’ll adapt to it.”
The head coach also complained about the mid-March cooling break. “If you have momentum, those three minutes break it up,” he said in his post-Brazil conference. “It’s not ideal if a team is on the verge of breaking down their opponent, and it turns into a match with four quarters. I guess the broadcasters are happy, though.”
The prevailing mood in the France camp is nevertheless an optimistic one. That said, Les Bleus will be all too aware from past experiences that possessing a wealth of attacking talent does not guarantee a successful World Cup.
Their opener against Senegal will inevitably call up memories of the group stage in 2002, when a team that featured the top goalscorers from Europe’s top leagues crashed out unceremoniously. More recently, a World Cup-winning France squad to which the returning Karim Benzema was added failed to reach the Euro 2020 quarter-finals.
For the time being, though, Mbappé’s assessment of the current squad’s strength has not been disproved. While Deschamps is seemingly yet to settle on his World Cup squad, let alone a first-choice XI, the ease with which his forwards combined with each other around the captain is a positive sign before the final act of his 14-year spell in charge.
“I’m well aware that there are some very good players that I won’t be bringing because, in my opinion, there are even better ones,” warned the 57-year-old after the Colombia match. With several other in-form forwards waiting in the wings, from an injured Bradley Barcola to a rejuvenated Florian Thauvin, a place France’s supporting cast will not come cheaply.
This is an article by Get French Football News
