Two pre-tournament favourites, France and Belgium, are set to face off in a crucial Euro 2024 Round of 16 match today, with both teams looking to overcome their underwhelming performances in the group stage.
France, widely tipped to win the tournament, struggled to live up to expectations.
Despite their wealth of talent, Les Bleus only managed to finish second in their group, with a narrow win against Austria and draws against Holland and Poland.
In response to their lacklustre showing, France manager Didier Deschamps is reportedly planning a tactical shake-up.
“Deschamps is set to switch to a 4-4-2 formation with a midfield diamond tonight in a bid to spark the French,” The Standard, UK, report suggest.
This untested formation aims to position key players like Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe in their preferred roles.
Meanwhile, L’Equipe journalist Pierre-Etienne Minonzio highlighted the team’s struggles, stating, “This team has tactical problems and, other than Mbappe, the attacking players have not been good.”
He added, “There is huge disappointment in France. It’s comparable to England: a gap between what was expected and the content of games.”
Despite their offensive woes, France’s defence has remained solid, conceding only one penalty so far. Arsenal’s William Saliba has been a standout performer, alongside N’Golo Kante and goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
Minonzio expressed cautious optimism about France’s chances, noting, “Deschamps is the world master of knockout games, but [the route to the final] seems too complicated for us this time. France can only win the Euros if Mbappe is like [Michel] Platini was in 1984,” referring to Platini’s extraordinary nine-goal performance in Euro 84.
On the other side, Belgium’s ‘golden generation’ faces what could be their last chance at international glory. The Red Devils have also underperformed, drawing criticism from their own supporters after a goalless draw with Ukraine in their final group match.
The match will be played on Monday at 17:00 (Nigerian time).
Read the full article here
