Kante and Pogba provide the perfect balance allowing France to opt for the jugular



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 Frenchman Paul Pogba tries to dribble Antoine Griezmann at training yesterday. Photo: David Vincent / AP "title =" Frenchman Paul Pogba tries to dribble Antoine Griezmann at training yesterday. Photo: David Vincent / AP "width =" 620 "height =" 414 "rel =" nofollow
Frenchman Paul Pogba tries to dribble Antoine Griezmann at training yesterday. Photo: David Vincent / AP

 Daniel McDonnell

  • Kante and Pogba provide the perfect balance allowing France to opt for the jugular

    Independent.ie

    The presence of Croatia brings a new dimension to this World Cup final, a game that tends to read as the football version of a heavyweight title fight.

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The presence of Croatia brings a new dimension to this World Cup final, a game that tends to be read as the football version of a heavyweight fight.

France / Croatia probably does not have the same relationship as Brazil / Italy or Germany / Argentina, but this does not mean that the centerpiece is diminished. International football is changing.

Greek and Portuguese unqualified teams have won European championships during this century. The game styles may vary and this Croatian team is a different animal but the moral of the story is that a united team is really capable of going a long way if it can keep it together under pressure.

Over an extended period of time, great nations will invariably appear at the end of commercial competitions.







That said, there is room for a team that has the powerful combination of a fighting spirit and a generation of talented players to overcome the limits of the population.

Croatia took advantage of being on the weak side of the table, but they won all their group matches to earn that honor.

Tomorrow afternoon, their coach Zlatko Dalic will be in front of a cloakroom containing individuals who Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic and Mario Mandzukic have all played and won the Champions League finals.

A team of their team mates has the experience of winning leagues and cups. It's the biggest game of their life, but they are not irrelevant in a device of this magnitude.

France's list is full of names, and their football history brings a touch of seriousness, but Raphael Varane is the only winner of the Champions League that Didier Deschamps will name in his starting team.

There are players in his locker room who will inevitably climb this summit, but they have not arrived yet and Les Bleus have lost the final of the Euro 2016 crowning. This is not a predictable conclusion;

BATTLE OF MIDDLE ENVIRONMENT

When Croatia managed to fight on Wednesday, she led the midfield department with Jordan Henderson, exposed to the movement and skills of Modric and Rakitic, aligned on patience the awesome Marcelo Brozovic who kept things and allowed the two stars to continue. France is a totally different proposition in this department.

The antecedents of N & # 39; Golo Kante and Paul Pogba are radically different. Pogba was a child star who was snapped up by Manchester United when she was a teenager.



 1: The back four of Croatia (highlighted) was sitting in the early rounds against England and the space was exploited with the slowness of Dele Alli The Kieran Trippier free kick "title = "1: the fourth of Croatia (highlighted) was sitting in the first rounds against England and the space was operated with the slow midfielder to follow the run of Dele Alli who gave the shot Kieran Trippier's franc "width =" 620 "height =" 334


1: Croatia's back four (highlighted) sat in the early rounds against England and the space was operated with the middle Slow ground to follow Dele Alli's race that led to Kieran Trippier's free kick
2: Harry Kane missed another situation where England found a gap between the back four and the midfielder with the Croatia applying a higher line as the game develops [3]: Antoine Griezmann did not reach the best form but his movement takes the mind of the opposing midfielders with this movement against the Uruguay with Pogba feeding Tolisso for a shot on goal
4: Another example of the French movement that will hurt Croatia as they start as they did against England. Griezmann goes down deeply to distract Belgium and the drifts of Mbappe in the center. Matuidi is free but this movement ends with the brilliant shot of Mbappe for Giroud who can not convert

Kante played French second division football in his twenties before a change in Leicester that generated little fanfare at that moment. the post-match mixed areas with its trademark PP earring, Kanta is discreet and unobtrusive. But their alliance brings out the best one from the other and Blaise Matuidi – who is loved by Deschamps and should be fit to play – is very important here too.

The diligence of Kante and Matuidi allows Pogba to advance and his powerful explosions physical issues of the intelligent operators of Croatia. With Antoine Griezmann slipping smartly into the number 10 role, France can be very strong across the center and prevent Croatia from taking control of the game.

Russia and England have managed to hurt Croatia by the middle when they played at a very high pace and France has the ability to do it and maintain it throughout the duration with the range of talents that they possess.

Croatia's only hope of victory is the struggle control of this region.

THE FACTOR MBAPPE

There were spells in the game of England where the rearguard of Croatia was clearly worried by the prospect that Raheem Sterling the catches up during the break

. ] Indeed, while they finally took control and took more risks against a camp that was lacking in ideas, they defended themselves quite deeply in the early stages in an attempt to lure them. suffocating and that only succeeded

Kylian Mbappe will pose a real dilemma for them because he has the ability to kill them at the box office if France decides to absorb some pressure and then hit quickly.

canceling one another is if Croatia also drops because of this fear and a suspicious affair ensues. But Mbappe has demonstrated against Belgium that he is far from being a one-round pony and that his smart aids for players who ran away against him have overtaken Roberto Martinez's team. . He is not unstoppable but if he succeeds, he can make this final

PERISIC / PAVARD

What is interesting with Didier Deschamps's favorite backs, Benjamin Pavard and Lucas Hernandez, it is that they are in fact both more comfortable as central defenders. They are young and full of energy and able to provide an offensive point of view, but they do not work in their natural position.

Pavard had a torrid weather by Eden Hazard in St. Petersburg on Tuesday when he was left alone. against the Chelsea striker. French midfielders worked hard to help as the game progressed. It is still an area that Croatia will seek to exploit thanks to Perisic who has demonstrated its quality in returning against England.

GIROUD / LOVRE N

This may not be a tête à tête. Croatia also has the powerful Domagoj Vida, a defender who is now considered to be on the radar of Liverpool

He would bond with the much-maligned Dejan Lovren, a player who has managed to become a figure of joy in the wake . of Wednesday because of his statement that he is one of the best advocates in Europe.

Lovren is an badet to Croatia, just as he is subject to errors. Giroud may experience empathy for his opponent when it comes to knowing what it is to be the target of jokes, but the Chelsea striker has influenced the race of his team without entering the scorecard.

gifted players around him. If the central defenders of Croatia manage to silence him, they have a half-chance.

THE SET-PIECE

It was a thrilling tournament, but it's also a triumph for set-piece – illustrating the simple value of getting the correct bases. France broke the stalemate against Uruguay when Varane rose the highest to reach a free kick. His central defensive partner Samuel Umtiti has made the case against Belgium from a corner.

They effectively shut down both games, but it was the opportunity to make the most of the dead-ball scenarios that gave them the ticket for the last specials. Croatia almost went to Russia because of a late concession of a center, and it is remarkable that it has tightened in this area in front of a team from England who had scored nine times, the best result of any competitor in the World Cup since 1966. [19659005] France should win this match. They have the deepest team and the suspicion is that they might just have another equipment if they end up in a problem. But do not be surprised if the money shot is a player who gets up to ship the win – win header.

Verdict: France 2 Croatia 1

Irish Independent

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