The game is certainly not good, but it is not possible to talk about any link that is particularly bad, which is the epitome of the French team in this European Cup.
With a group of muscular hunks in the midfield and superstars in the front, the French team has infinite possibilities at the same time, their bombardment has been favored by Lady Luck, and they have successfully entered the top 8 in a hypnotic but not costly way!
Although this way of playing made Deschamps complain, in fact, the French team's game execution was still going according to Deschamps's plan - boiling frogs in warm water to boil Belgium to death.
When the diamond-shaped midfield reported by the French media before the game was not played, and Griezmann stood on the right, many people asked why Deschamps wanted Griezmann, who had no speed, to play on the wing? Is it because his brain is "funny"?
But the knock-on effect of this adjustment is that Kounde's assists are completely unleashed. It's just that when Thuram Jr. misses his head, perhaps Deschamps will have to lament - if Giroud had smashed into it two years ago.
In addition to Griezmann's side-pulling to liberate Kounde, Deschamps also has a purpose, which is to strangle with a back three in the midfield.
But in the first half of the first half, Belgium was very clever enough to play long balls behind them and avoid France's midfield strangulation. However, because the French team's defenders were basically in position, this led to Belgium's counterattack, although it created a lot of momentum, but there was only one shot on goal in the entire first half, and Maignan was basically not tested.
When De Bruyne retreated and sent forward quality counterattacks again and again, Deschamps made timely adjustments; Around 30 minutes, it looked a bit inexplicable that Kante had been pushed up in the midfield position. But in fact, N'Golo Kante went up to limit De Bruyne and prevented Belgium from organising a counter-attack. In the last 15 minutes of the first half, I watched France beat around Belgium.
When Kounde's assist sounded the horn of the counterattack, so that the Belgian team, which had originally leaned the focus of the defense to the right, began to take care of one or the other, the French team continued to get good opportunities. It's just that time and time again the chances are from Tchouameni, and Tchouameni's shots are really not reliable.
As soon as the second half came up, it looked like neither team was immediately exerting force; However, the French team used wave after wave of attacks to press the Belgian formation behind, and the French team was like peeling an onion, peeling off the Belgian defense layer by layer, and when they kept getting opportunities to get their feet in the penalty area, Muani came on to become Mr. Key.
Seeing Deschamps change first, Tedesco also made a decisive adjustment, replacing striker Opponda with midfielder Mangala to strengthen the defense while pushing De Bruyne's position forward. De Bruyne was freed up and once again brought a quality counter-attack to the Belgian team. Whether it was his counter-attack, Lukaku's finish, or his own long-range shot from behind, it forced Maignan to make a good save.
However, these two saves from Maignan were also one of Belgium's few chances in the second half; De Bruyne, who was topped, couldn't even touch the ball a few times, and more often than not, the French team was still peeling onions by boiling frogs in warm water.
As the Belgian defence was being stripped of more and more gaps, they continued to create great chances up front, but if they had shot well, they should have scored a long time ago. However, when the French team's shots hit high again and again, in fact, the Belgian defense was already unable to withstand it, and God and goddess also favored the Gallic rooster; If Vertonghen is unblocked, Muani's shot doesn't look that threatening. But Vertonghen's deflection left Castels helpless.
The scene was passive, but when the score was not behind, Tedesco was still thinking about soft grinding and hard bubbles; However, conceding the goal in the 85th minute left too little time for Belgium to counterattack, and Tedesco could only make quick substitutions to fight for his life. It's just that the French retracted after taking the lead, and all the handling was a destructive big foot to move forward, and in the face of the French team's defense, which no longer showed flaws, the Belgian team was left with a strong break on the wing. It's just that whether it is Doku or Luke Bachio, who came on as a substitute, they can force their way on the wing, but when they break through and have no teammates in the middle, the French team will keep the victory until the end.
Relying on two oolongs and a penalty, France has broken into the top 8 without scoring a goal so far, making the outside world exclaim that Deschamps's life is really no worse than the south gate.
But the biggest difference between Deschamps and Southgate is that England are in a near-out form, while France are still playing according to Deschamps' demands. Their midfield is still solid, and their ability to create chances has been shown more than in the group stage; As for the question of constantly playing anti-aircraft guns, it will not be a big problem for a team with Mbappe at least. When they have so many good chances, it's only a matter of time before they score in open play.
Of course, for Didier Deschamps, there are two key issues that he needs to figure out urgently. One is to suspend Rabiot in the next game, is it to let Camavinga go up to continue the strangulation of the back three? Or change back to 4231! Of course, the more difficult question is whether he should trust Griezmann, who has been a bit of a lag on the pitch.
Regardless of whether they win Griezmann or not, because they have a solid midfield and the strongest player in the world who can counterattack individually, this makes the French team full of infinite possibilities.