Agree, except for Terrier and Giroud. And you forgot Konaté.
And for Dembélé it's really hard between him and Diaby, with Coman ahead as he's able to play as a wingback too.
Terrier it’s to give him a chance to show his abilities with the French group. It’s the second to last French call up before WC so it’s the last time we can fall new players
Giroud I’d take him over Ben Yedder every time.
WBY has a very good season but is constantly average with France. Same applies with Diaby. That’s why i said Giroud and Dembele over Diaby and WBY.
Even last call up, Giroud only joined the group because Benzema was injured and he got more play time than WBY (even started a game)
>WBY has a very good season but is constantly average with France
To be fair Ben Yedder's sats with France are not that bad considering his play time: If i remember correctly he only was played 3 times as a starter and has 3 goals and 3 assists to show for it.
I wouldn't presume on Ben Yedder ability to score but he's been a consistent scorer throughout the years and wherever he played he scored about 20 goals per season not to mention the fact that just like Giroud he has a very atypical profile that could prove usefull for France.
I think you are mistaken if you think Ben Yedder is Giroud's direct competition. Ben Yedder probably never deserved more to be called up. He was not in the balance.
Giroud is more likely in competition with Nkunku and Diaby and even though Giroud's is probably playing his best season of the last decade it just wouldnt be fair to call him instead of someone like Nkunku.
As a reminder Giroud only scored 9 goals in his league this season and is not even on the top 20 goalscorers in Serie A whereas Ben Yedder is fighting with Mbappé for the best goal scorers title of the french league and Nkunku is considered one of the best players of the Bundesliga.
Giroud is a good target man and strong mentally but competition is just too strong for him nowadays in the France NT.
I get that some of Giroud's fans are disapointed but Deschamps had to make choices and it's not like he chose Martial over Giroud. He just chose players that are considered objectively better by most.
I asked on this sub yesterday to "non french" redditors who they would chose and if i rememebr correctly non of them chose Giroud.
As for Terrier just like Nkunku and clauss he might end up having a chance if he shows consistency.
>Even last call up, Giroud only joined the group because Benzema was injured and he got more play time than WBY (even started a game)
I might be wrong but this looked an awful lot like a jubilee for Giroud. Dechamps probably offered him some play time to try to reach Henry's record and leave the team on a good note.
Disagree
You can't just compare and pick players based on stats
WBY has been lackluster every time he played with France, Giroud gives you tactical flexibility as well as an additional FK and corner threat (that neither Varane nor Kimpembe are)
He honestly has not been convincing with the French shirt.
And Giroud is absolutely in direct competition with WBY. If Deschamps has to put Giroud in the squad, it would be WBY who is left out. Diaby and Nkunku would be for Dembele or Fekir but definitely not Giroud.
You keep bringing up Giroud's number with his club this season, but he kept getting call ups when he was on the bench at Chelsea and Arsenal, and everytime he scored with France when we needed goals. Ofc the games never really mattered most of the times, but he scored those goals consistently. It's something I can't see WBY do from what he's shown with the French NT.
Again, you tell me about questioning "non french redditors" about their opinion and none gave Giroud's name, and then again, it's based on impressions and stats rather than what is shown on the pitch.
Giroud has indeniable target man abilities, i'm not questioning what he can bring to a team. I'm fully aware of his work on the pitch and how often it goes underapreciated.
I think he was essential in 2018 the world cup victory and that his deflections and defensive skills played were a huge part in making Griezman, Mbappé and the whole team shine during that competition.
That being said Giroud is far from his prime now and like you said he has often been called up when he was on the bench at Chelsea and Arsenal because of his atypical profile. It doesn't mean he was better than his competition even back then but that he suited better a particular system. I agree he probably can still do what he does best if given the oportunity but some really talented yougsters are knoking on the door and it's probably time for him to pas the torch.
>You can't just compare and pick players based on stats
I couldn't agree more but at this level all the players bring up something in terms of abilities and profiles and stats are an objective tool to compare players even if it never tell the whole story, it gives an idea.
>He honestly has not been convincing with the French shirt.
>
>rather than what is shown on the pitch.
I'm comparing two players on a full season with their club rather than comparing them based on what they showed on the pitch with France when they didn't have the same play time...
>It's something I can't see WBY do from what he's shown with the French NT.
You are also basing your arguments on impressions. For all we know during the little time he gave him, Deshamps gave Ben Yedder specific instructions that he managed to fulfill perfectly. Add to that his great season with Monaco...
>And Giroud is absolutely in direct competition with WBY
If you've been following Deschamps you are full well aware that it's not really the case. Ben Yedder, just like Giroud, has an atypical and uncommon profile and he has been called up as a sub for quite a while now without any issues. He's also versatile and can play almost any position in the frontline which is a quality Deschamps values a lot. Deschamps is also very "group life" focused and Ben Yedder seems to have found his place in that group when on the other hand you have Knunku and Diaby who are two very promising players but really new to the group. Knunku and Diaby are the ones on the verge who can be left behind "to mature" in Deschamps's mind that's why they are the ones Giroud is in competition with.
I think even though he didn't call him for some reason, Demebele is still one of Deschamps' favorite out of the bench (he is also really apreciated by the group "for the group life" (if you recall what was said about him when he left the competion injured not long ago.) and he is very likely to be part of the team going to the world cup if not injured. ( provided he keeps performing like he does now of course).
To be fair, Giroud's 9 goals are better than they sound. He's old and slower than ever, but found himself in an unexpected situation in which a) Milan is fighting for Scudetto and b) he was never planned to be the first striker. Last time he played that much was probably back in his prime with Arsenal, many years ago. So that's a 35-36 yo basically thrown into the first team just as Ibra got injured and Milan emerged on top and he proceeded to score in basically all of the most important matches Milan played, beating Inter nearly by himself.
Also, as a target man, he is very reliant on his wingers. So, he plays a lot and he kinda made it work with Saelemaakers and Messias (Leao is pretty good tho), I can imagine he'd be even better with the wingers France has.
I wholeheartedly agree, i think Giroud has had his best season since well i can't honestly remember when he had such a great season with one of his former clubs. He's been a starter which he hasn't been for almost a decade. Scored brilliant and important goals in a team on the verge of winning the title but like you said:
>He's old and slower than ever
>Last time he played that much was probably back in his prime with Arsenal, many years ago.
and unfortunately for him, France NT is filled of world class players in their prime making it one of the most competitive team in the world. France has so much talent and probably is the team with the most depth in the world.
Other players are just better for the coach. He has to make choices but a lot of teams would probably love to be in that situation. Imagine a team on which Nkunku is not sure to make the list for the world cup after the season he's had. The guy has been called up only 2 month ago...
Why would Ferland Mendy be called up? France have 3 left backs in this squad already and I'd argue that all of them are more natural fits for a back 3/5 than Mendy.
The others I mostly agree with. Camavinga doesn't play a lot though.
Mendy can play Left center back and left back and we only have 2 LB, Lucas Hernandez isn’t a left back anymore
Also if I’d take him, I’d take him over Digne and not as an additional defender so we’d stay at 2 LB only so no issue of having too much LB
Theo is way better overall and he also has played very good with france picking up 5 assists in 6games and scoring a 90' min banger to win the game vs belgium in nl semis
Yeah this season has seen a shift in his system to bring more width to the team going forward and capitalize on the insane depth at CB that we've got. Also it allows us to play Coman at RWB if we need to overwhelm an opposing defense while keeping a strong defensive line. DD evolved it seems, we really needed to adapt our strategy as everyone had time to learn what we did well in the 2016 to 2018 cycle. The Nations League win showed that we're going in the right direction.
That's why Deschamps called him instead of Camavinga for example , to "lock him". The real question is why Rabiot is still there.
Edit: I wanted to say why Rabiot is still there
Because you need players with some experience in each sector, apart from Kante and Rabiot they are all kids.
Deschamps has been counting on Rabiot for many years also and he’s almost certainly going to the WC.
How does it make sense to just throw him out for a player with far less experience in the squad and who doesn’t bring much more in all sectors ? Some people think choosing a national team is like FIFA where you just select each player with the highest rating..
Thankfully for him, the only two people that matter.
To your question - Rabiot has been more stable recently, certainly not a world beater but decent utility player. I think his tactical awareness improved under Allegri, he doesn't seem so lost in the game like in previous seasons. Does a lot of dirty work, doesn't complain and most importantly for us - is fit all the time.
Yes, I'm pretty sure that he has played the most out of all our midfielders. Also, he averages 71 mins per game this season, against 41 mins of Camavinga for example which might be a factor here.
I get that continuity is important for international teams/managers, but Kimpembe has been off form for quite a while now. Konate is playing at a high level right now, and should be given a chance.
The rest of the defense (except Clauss I guess) also has enough international experience to help him
I think Kimpembe sometimes just needs to be calm on the ball or just more relaxed in general on the pitch. The aggression off the ball has its positives and negatives. Like where he gets caught out against Strasbourg for example.
He’s just not at the level he was in previous years I think. It’s normal when you get a new coach. Especially one not as good defensively like Pochettino. With Tuchel he was much better
The team is not balanced, the midfield is not good and the dressing room lacks leaders.
Kimpembe is no Maldini but he actually understand the basic of defending. Laporte is really good on the ball, but he doesn't have the defender's instinct.
In a better environment, Kimpembe would thrive.
I agree about his aggression but he can easily fix that with experience and decent coaching.
Kimpembe better than Laporte is laughable. Laporte never made the team because of personal differences with him and deschamps. It was never a skill issue. It's no wonder he waltzed into the Spanish 11
Maybe you should watch more of the premier league
Lloris is a legend for us and deserves a graceful step down from his career. You don’t just unceremoniously dump to the side your WC winning captain and soon to be most capped player in NT history lol.
Ben Yedder has always been underwhelming for France tho, and he won't play more this time around.
I think subbing Giroud in late for Benzema is a better option than Ben Yedder.
What does actually being in better form mean ? Because if i remember correctly Ben Yedder has almost always scored more than Giroud throughout a season. It has not prevented Deschamps from making Giroud his starter regardless of his performances with his clubs. I think there's more to it than form of the moment
Form in regular season games is meaningless because most of a regular season is about simply steamrolling shitty teams to get near the top of the table.
Giroud has shown himself to be an asset in international games. Not to mention, Milan are top of the table anyway... But Giroud has always performed for France. Versus Ben Yedder who has done nothing noteworthy.
Deschamps doesn't seem to want to continue with Giroud despite the team playing well with him in it, it's a shame. He's the type of player you would really want in as a plan B, I would've used him until the World Cup atleast.
Giroud wouldn't start but he would be on the bench and is their best natural 9 option when Benzema is out.
And I think the team still plays well with Giroud in it as he holds it up well for their narrow attackers, with wingbacks who can provide service to him I think he would do well in a 3-4-3 with a narrow front 3.
Giroud didn't have one g/A all world cup in 2018 btw
They won the Nation League with Benz and had their best football with him in a 3 4 1 2, they played literally two tournament and one won of them with Benz, the other one is an embarrassing loss that doesn't fall on him at all, what the fuck
>Giroud didn't have one g/A all world cup in 2018 btw
But they won... And anyone who actually watched it would see Giroud's contribution.
They won't win with Benz... Just like 2014.
Valbuena wasn't bad that year.
Much of the team was the same as 2016 and 2018. Still had Griezmann, Pogba, Matuidi and Varane...
The difference was the tactics... Giroud has a different 'profile' (as DD used to say) and the tactics changed as a result.
Remember 2014? When they couldn't score a single goal versus Germany? They've lost way more than 1 game with Benzema... He played for years and they never won shit with him.
I'm obviously talking since his return. There's obviously a difference in quality and efficiency between current benz and benzema when he last played for france
That doesn't fall on Benzema though ? The defense literally did a PSG and Pogba was dancing around like a moron, it could've happened with Giroud too and neither of them would be at fault, Benzema actually defends
You gotta beat the best in every major competition and France have done it with Benzema. No point in shifting goalposts based on your invalid standards.
Club form doesn't matter much for the core players of DD's team (Lloris, Varane, Pogba, Kanté, Griezmann, and a few more guys). Griezmann has been a key player for the NT for many years, as long as he performs in blue he'll be called.
I tried to make a list of other french players not in this list. Can be players who have already been capped, players having a good season, players with international reputation.
Lafont, Konaté, F.Mendy, Upamecano, Lenglet, W.Fofana, P.Kalulu, Ndicka, Le Normand, Simakan, Zouma, Badiashile, Dubois, Aguilar, Mukiele, Camavinga, Caqueret, Ndombele, Tolisso, Pogba, Aouar, Savanier, Capoue, Coquelin,Lemar, K.Koné, O.Dembélé, Giroud, M.Dembélé, Terrier, Laborde, Gouiri, Saint-Maximin, Payet, Fekir, Bourigeaud, Lacazette, M.Thuram, A.Plea, Modeste.
Tbh Deschamps can both never get his lineup right or wrong. A France B-Team is probably top 5 in the world right now. Although I would’ve liked to have seen Camavinga, Mendy, Giroud, and Fekir.
Miss Fekir the most, I think he deserves the call-up after leading Betis this year.
Problem with Fékir is he's competing for Griezmann's spot, just like Nkunku. We can't take 3 of them, and Nkunku is probably more versatile than Fékir.
I know. And I know Griezmann is consistent for the national team but Fekir has proven enough on the club level to warrant another opportunity. I can’t remember Fekir getting a call up post COVID
Deschamps is killing me with this lineup. No call-ups for Camavinga, Konaté, or Ferland Mendy, but he keeps locker room poison Rabiot on the squad. Even Pogba would be better than Rabiot. And I guess he's just going to ignore Dembélé's form. Luckily this isn't the World Cup squad.
Do you really think he just didn't call up Pogba? And what do you mean "even" Pogba? He is possibly our best and most consistent player. I swear people are more interested in the squads than in the actual games...
Kamara is called up over Camavinga, probably because there's a chance he would play for Senegal otherwise. Konaté would take Saliba's spot who just joined the team during the last games, it would send a terrible message to kick a player who's in-form out of the team after one game. Ferland Mendy would be on the bench and he isn't that much better than Digne to justify having him on the bench instead of a player who has been there for years. If that's "killing you"...
I'm so fed up by the absence of Konaté ! I would have argued that Deschamps don't like to call new players for a competition but since he called Kamara... Camavinga I understand since he is playing in our young Squad and has time to become a regular. And Guendouzi... I know he is good but so obnoxious !
Nope, DD just messed up calling up Lenglet was a huge mistake. Varane should have been benched and he should have start the Bayern pair (Pavard, Hernandez) with Koundé as a back up option.
Or to not pick Senegal
I mean I am french, Marseille supporter, but this weird pick out of nowhere, when someone like Caqueret was never even mentionned is obv raising questions
It's not the weirdest pick of the bunch, to be honest. Areola, Digne, Kimpembe, Saliba or Guendouzi are more odd to me, while Kamara is pretty much the only real CDM in the squad. Caqueret is still young enough to play with the U21 so I have no problem with him not called yet.
Still far and away the best squad in Europe. Feels like anything they don't win is an upset.
Now if only Deschamps would stop picking the same shit players every time.
5 mostly defensive minded midfielders... Proper Deschamps that, it didn't take long for him to revert back to his ways. He gave us too much hope in the last few months.
Kamara deserved to get called up for quite a while, and I guess they feared the Senegal choice. Rabiot over Caqueret or Camavinga is criminal however.
Digne over Mendy makes no sense too. Same with Saliba and Pavard over Konaté, and with Areola over Lafont.
Deschamps is killing me with this lineup. No call-ups for Camavinga, Konaté, or Ferland Mendy, but he keeps locker room poison Rabiot on the squad. Even Pogba would be better than Rabiot. And I guess he's just going to ignore Dembélé's form. Luckily this isn't the World Cup squad.
> Even Pogba would be better than Rabiot
I'm sorry what? NT Pogba has been top 3 most important players since 2014, while Rabiot has been lukewarm at best
This would be fine to rotate and try different players before a big tournament. The problem is, everyone knows this is basically the world cup team cuz Deschamps doesn't change shir
What do you mean? Benzema is here, Mbappe is here.
This is the last opportunity you get to play for the NT before the WC. Anyone that hasn't been called up now, bare injuries, is missing a decisive step towards playint at the WC. Especialy for the ones that are still waiting for their first call up. If they don't get called up now, there is no reason Deschamps calls them up when it matters.
such a bad take. to the young players like camavinga dembele and konate, they would represent their country no matter how weak the competition they're playing in. its an honor for them to represent france and they're still young they deserve more appearances.
would you rather start them immediately for the world cup with all that pressure? guarantee that people
will come out and say theyre not ready for major games like the euros/WC because deschamps doesn't play them in weaker competitions.
Why should they get a position over other players just because they are young ? Makes no sense. Dembele already has loads of caps, Camavinga has a few too and can continue with the youth team, Konaté has players ahead in the pecking order.
i'm not saying they should get a position just cause they're young. i'm saying they deserve a position because each of them have been outstanding lately. how can you disagree with that? dembele missed many games but he's (|in my opinion) in barca's top 3 players this season. konate has been killing it with liverpool in every single game i watched for him and a week ago i would have bet money on him making deschamps' squad. camavinga has also been doing very very well for madrid lately. how are you arguing otherwise???? do you actually believe they weren't good enough to earn a spot on the NT, and a guy like rabiot is????? come on man lmao
Because it’s a national team with team dynamics. The goal isn’t to have the best 23 at each friendly game, but the best 23 for the big compétions that are every 2 years.
Added to that Konaté, Camavinga, and Dembele are not notable upgrades on players who are selected.
Doesn’t make sense to throw out players who have been making the squad the months and years such as Rabiot, it fucks up the whole dynamics and trust between players and staff. Not to mention If there is no Robiot, Kante is the only player with experience in the whole midfield.
Why should Dembele who has been given so many chances by Deschamps get ahead of Diaby or Coman who are much better professionals and very talented too. What about Nkunku who waited so long to get a cap, he should just be kicked out ?
Some people seem to want a squad of 50 players so that every player with talent can get called up. It doesn’t work that way.
so they should never get a chance to start cause "it doesn't make sense to throw out the players who have been makinv the squad for months" okay gotcha. this is a horrible take lmao. there is nothing wrong with trying out other players. you have no idea how these "team dynamics" will work unless you give other players a chance, especially if they had a stellar season.
Who said they should **never** get a chance to start ? The players on the current team took a long time to be there, those coming after will eventually get their place too.
There’s a hierarchy of core players on a team, young players take a while to get integrated.
It makes no sense to select those players because it means others are being left out for no good reason.
That’s why I say people like you want squads with 50 players so every single player is selected. National team football, at least with the top teams, doesn’t work like that.
you must be delusional if you think deschamps is picking them for anything upcoming (including the world cup) which means he's not picking them any time soon. this is such a weak argument dude they cant just sit around waiting for him to die so they can get a chance just cause he doesn't like switching things up.
There are already many players called up that are new to the team and haven’t settled in yet. NT selection has NEVER been about just picking whoever is in the hottest form of the moment. It’s important to develop chemistry in the team with the limited time the players have to train together. You can’t just bring in 10 new guys every time.
France has unreal talent to choose from and many extremely deserving players are left out each time. Your approach to the situation is little more than amateur FIFA video game player mentality of just selecting based on A/B stat comparisons of the last few months. Experienced managers who know what they are doing stick with players even through some of their down periods because form is cyclical and building a team has always been about developing a cohesive group which requires regular call ups.
Go watch American football so you can have your 50 man squads.
More seriously most of players on the squad are not fully established either. If Konate performs and Saliba dips for example no reason he doesn’t take his place.
In midfield same with Guendouzi or Kamara (literally his first cap). And in attack same with Diaby, Nkunku, or even Ben Yedder.
What is strange is if he takes an established player like Varane, Rabiot, Coman which is something you seem to fail to understand.
People bang on about the French roster pool but I feel like England’s is a lot deeper. (And before people downvote based on flare, I’m not English and I do not support the England national team).
Tammy Abraham and DCL are more than sufficient for backup strikers, and I'd argue both are better than current Giroud/Yedder, especially Abraham.
Goalkeeper is fine too with Ramsdell, who should be first choice anyway. (He's been better than France's first choice this season, too).
France, I think is particularly weak at defenders (backs, especially compared to England which is unmatched) and probably midfielders too.
England's "B" team includes players like Sancho, Foden, Alexander Arnold (or Reece James), Grealish, Trippier (or Chilwell).. that talent for a "B" team (and I'm not even including everyone) is simply unmatched.
Ok for Abraham I thought it will be in the A team same for Foden and grealish I guess i should review my english players.
Looking for a way to make my point I looked at the player who play in champions league this years. On the 236 player who play at least 450min 12 are english (25 brasil, 22 france, 20 spain, 19 portugal...)
And If i look at your b-team player
- Meslier versus Ramsdalen ?
- Sancho vs Fekir (this year fekir)
- Alexander Arnold versus ferland mendy
- Grealish versus O. Dembele
- Trippier versus dubois - this one for england even with one-leg Trippier
- Abraham - Giroud
- ? - Konate
- ? - Camavinga
- ? - Payet
- ? - upamecano
- ? - zouma
- ? - Lemar
I don't think it's far away...
Ramsdell has been better than Meslier.
TAA > Mendy, then you have to remember there is also KYLE WALKER,
Sancho > Fekir, Sancho only looks worse because he plays in the premier league and plays for United.
Grealish v. Dembele is close and I like Dembele if he can stay fit - but wouldn't he start for France?
Abraham > Giroud
Camavinga should be in the team instead of Rabiot, so he's first choice for me, and I think Bellingham, Phillips, and JWP are all better than Rabiot.
Abraham > Giroud (especially this year 15 goals to 9).
CBs france wins. (But outside backs England wins by a lot).
Foden, Saka, Rashford (maybe not now), ESR >> Lemar.
Again, I think France is really stacked.. I just think people act like they're way better than England and when you break it down player by player I'm not sure that's the case.
TAA is not a better defender than Mendy.
Sancho is not a better player than Fekir.
Grealish isn't close to Dembélé's level.
Abraham is a decent striker but he has not achieved what Giroud did.
Ben yedder is closer to Abraham's level however he is much more talented.
Lemar is inconsistent but when in form he's better than ESR at the very least.
As for midfield: Tolisso, Rabiot, Tchouameni, Camavinga, Caqueret, Ndombele are better than Bellingham, Phillips, and JWP. They have all performed at the top level unlike JWP or Phillips.
Bellingham is a Dele Alli 2.0 he is not a great passer and use basic skills to beat the press. A very good player but he's not better than the french i have mentioned especially Caqueret.
Rabiot is like the new Matuidi: an underrated player. He walked on Barcelona's and Real Madrid midfields twice. Now he is learning a new role. I'm pretty sure that a lot of people will change their opinions about him soon enough.
Foden is better than Sterling, in fact he is with Kane the only world class talent England has.
England have good players,, some are very good at times (Sterling, Rashford).
Also France's back up keeper is Maignan. He would start for England.
I disagree with a lot of what you said but for now I’ll reply to “Kane and foden are the only world class players in England”
TAA and James are both world class and that’s not even debatable.
TAA is really talented however he isn't a world class defender. Or else Southgate would have started him.
I don't really know Reece James so i will take your word for it. So 3 WC talents (Kane, Foden, James).
Foden is not starting because he
(Southgate) doesn't know how to use him properly.
Note that I said that Foden is a world class **talent**, he is not actually world class yet unlike Kane. He needs more experience to be able to play for a different team than Guardiola's.
However TAA isn't starting because he is great at attacking while lackluster at defending. Southgate want a good defensive line up to counter attack.
American here who is completely confused because I'm trying to purchase tickets to the France-Austria game.
The seating chart says "Rank" and then "square"- is that "section and seat"? I'm so lost.
Ferland Mendy, Camavinga, Dembele, Giroud, Konate, Terrier Shame
Some of them in pretty good form too.
Camavinga with U21
Agree, except for Terrier and Giroud. And you forgot Konaté. And for Dembélé it's really hard between him and Diaby, with Coman ahead as he's able to play as a wingback too.
Terrier it’s to give him a chance to show his abilities with the French group. It’s the second to last French call up before WC so it’s the last time we can fall new players Giroud I’d take him over Ben Yedder every time. WBY has a very good season but is constantly average with France. Same applies with Diaby. That’s why i said Giroud and Dembele over Diaby and WBY. Even last call up, Giroud only joined the group because Benzema was injured and he got more play time than WBY (even started a game)
>WBY has a very good season but is constantly average with France To be fair Ben Yedder's sats with France are not that bad considering his play time: If i remember correctly he only was played 3 times as a starter and has 3 goals and 3 assists to show for it. I wouldn't presume on Ben Yedder ability to score but he's been a consistent scorer throughout the years and wherever he played he scored about 20 goals per season not to mention the fact that just like Giroud he has a very atypical profile that could prove usefull for France. I think you are mistaken if you think Ben Yedder is Giroud's direct competition. Ben Yedder probably never deserved more to be called up. He was not in the balance. Giroud is more likely in competition with Nkunku and Diaby and even though Giroud's is probably playing his best season of the last decade it just wouldnt be fair to call him instead of someone like Nkunku. As a reminder Giroud only scored 9 goals in his league this season and is not even on the top 20 goalscorers in Serie A whereas Ben Yedder is fighting with Mbappé for the best goal scorers title of the french league and Nkunku is considered one of the best players of the Bundesliga. Giroud is a good target man and strong mentally but competition is just too strong for him nowadays in the France NT. I get that some of Giroud's fans are disapointed but Deschamps had to make choices and it's not like he chose Martial over Giroud. He just chose players that are considered objectively better by most. I asked on this sub yesterday to "non french" redditors who they would chose and if i rememebr correctly non of them chose Giroud. As for Terrier just like Nkunku and clauss he might end up having a chance if he shows consistency. >Even last call up, Giroud only joined the group because Benzema was injured and he got more play time than WBY (even started a game) I might be wrong but this looked an awful lot like a jubilee for Giroud. Dechamps probably offered him some play time to try to reach Henry's record and leave the team on a good note.
Disagree You can't just compare and pick players based on stats WBY has been lackluster every time he played with France, Giroud gives you tactical flexibility as well as an additional FK and corner threat (that neither Varane nor Kimpembe are) He honestly has not been convincing with the French shirt. And Giroud is absolutely in direct competition with WBY. If Deschamps has to put Giroud in the squad, it would be WBY who is left out. Diaby and Nkunku would be for Dembele or Fekir but definitely not Giroud. You keep bringing up Giroud's number with his club this season, but he kept getting call ups when he was on the bench at Chelsea and Arsenal, and everytime he scored with France when we needed goals. Ofc the games never really mattered most of the times, but he scored those goals consistently. It's something I can't see WBY do from what he's shown with the French NT. Again, you tell me about questioning "non french redditors" about their opinion and none gave Giroud's name, and then again, it's based on impressions and stats rather than what is shown on the pitch.
Giroud has indeniable target man abilities, i'm not questioning what he can bring to a team. I'm fully aware of his work on the pitch and how often it goes underapreciated. I think he was essential in 2018 the world cup victory and that his deflections and defensive skills played were a huge part in making Griezman, Mbappé and the whole team shine during that competition. That being said Giroud is far from his prime now and like you said he has often been called up when he was on the bench at Chelsea and Arsenal because of his atypical profile. It doesn't mean he was better than his competition even back then but that he suited better a particular system. I agree he probably can still do what he does best if given the oportunity but some really talented yougsters are knoking on the door and it's probably time for him to pas the torch. >You can't just compare and pick players based on stats I couldn't agree more but at this level all the players bring up something in terms of abilities and profiles and stats are an objective tool to compare players even if it never tell the whole story, it gives an idea. >He honestly has not been convincing with the French shirt. > >rather than what is shown on the pitch. I'm comparing two players on a full season with their club rather than comparing them based on what they showed on the pitch with France when they didn't have the same play time... >It's something I can't see WBY do from what he's shown with the French NT. You are also basing your arguments on impressions. For all we know during the little time he gave him, Deshamps gave Ben Yedder specific instructions that he managed to fulfill perfectly. Add to that his great season with Monaco... >And Giroud is absolutely in direct competition with WBY If you've been following Deschamps you are full well aware that it's not really the case. Ben Yedder, just like Giroud, has an atypical and uncommon profile and he has been called up as a sub for quite a while now without any issues. He's also versatile and can play almost any position in the frontline which is a quality Deschamps values a lot. Deschamps is also very "group life" focused and Ben Yedder seems to have found his place in that group when on the other hand you have Knunku and Diaby who are two very promising players but really new to the group. Knunku and Diaby are the ones on the verge who can be left behind "to mature" in Deschamps's mind that's why they are the ones Giroud is in competition with. I think even though he didn't call him for some reason, Demebele is still one of Deschamps' favorite out of the bench (he is also really apreciated by the group "for the group life" (if you recall what was said about him when he left the competion injured not long ago.) and he is very likely to be part of the team going to the world cup if not injured. ( provided he keeps performing like he does now of course).
To be fair, Giroud's 9 goals are better than they sound. He's old and slower than ever, but found himself in an unexpected situation in which a) Milan is fighting for Scudetto and b) he was never planned to be the first striker. Last time he played that much was probably back in his prime with Arsenal, many years ago. So that's a 35-36 yo basically thrown into the first team just as Ibra got injured and Milan emerged on top and he proceeded to score in basically all of the most important matches Milan played, beating Inter nearly by himself. Also, as a target man, he is very reliant on his wingers. So, he plays a lot and he kinda made it work with Saelemaakers and Messias (Leao is pretty good tho), I can imagine he'd be even better with the wingers France has.
I wholeheartedly agree, i think Giroud has had his best season since well i can't honestly remember when he had such a great season with one of his former clubs. He's been a starter which he hasn't been for almost a decade. Scored brilliant and important goals in a team on the verge of winning the title but like you said: >He's old and slower than ever >Last time he played that much was probably back in his prime with Arsenal, many years ago. and unfortunately for him, France NT is filled of world class players in their prime making it one of the most competitive team in the world. France has so much talent and probably is the team with the most depth in the world. Other players are just better for the coach. He has to make choices but a lot of teams would probably love to be in that situation. Imagine a team on which Nkunku is not sure to make the list for the world cup after the season he's had. The guy has been called up only 2 month ago...
And I put Konate in my list. I’d take him over Benjamin Bavoir
Why would Ferland Mendy be called up? France have 3 left backs in this squad already and I'd argue that all of them are more natural fits for a back 3/5 than Mendy. The others I mostly agree with. Camavinga doesn't play a lot though.
Mendy can play Left center back and left back and we only have 2 LB, Lucas Hernandez isn’t a left back anymore Also if I’d take him, I’d take him over Digne and not as an additional defender so we’d stay at 2 LB only so no issue of having too much LB
I think F. Mendy is better defensively then Theo.
Think? He's on a whole different level if you talk about defending
Theo is way better overall and he also has played very good with france picking up 5 assists in 6games and scoring a 90' min banger to win the game vs belgium in nl semis
Because he's the best French LB, maybe.
Théo Hernández plays basketball?
[Probably, yeah](https://www.instagram.com/p/CQlpDXNL7l1/)
After Theo he is but even then isn’t deschamps playing a 3.
Yeah this season has seen a shift in his system to bring more width to the team going forward and capitalize on the insane depth at CB that we've got. Also it allows us to play Coman at RWB if we need to overwhelm an opposing defense while keeping a strong defensive line. DD evolved it seems, we really needed to adapt our strategy as everyone had time to learn what we did well in the 2016 to 2018 cycle. The Nations League win showed that we're going in the right direction.
Konate and Camavinga are out because of the CL final I guess.
Games are in June and Benzema is called up
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Pogba missing Otherwise yes
Pogba is injured ?
Since Liverpool game, his season was finished
Boubacar Kamara is also reported to be called up by Senegal, decision time for him…
That's why Deschamps called him instead of Camavinga for example , to "lock him". The real question is why Rabiot is still there. Edit: I wanted to say why Rabiot is still there
There could have been debates on Deschamps before but how is this a question in this point in time ?
A mistake I wanted to write Rabiot
Because you need players with some experience in each sector, apart from Kante and Rabiot they are all kids. Deschamps has been counting on Rabiot for many years also and he’s almost certainly going to the WC. How does it make sense to just throw him out for a player with far less experience in the squad and who doesn’t bring much more in all sectors ? Some people think choosing a national team is like FIFA where you just select each player with the highest rating..
Because he won a World Cup? Idk if the FFF would listen to a football expert on the internet.
That's on me , I wanted to write Rabiot it was a typo. Deschamps is a good coach even though I don't always understand his list
Deschamps doesn't lock players. He let Laporte go, he didn't call Theo Hernandez for a long time...
How has Rabiot been this season? Feels like no one other than Deschamps and Allegri rates him.
You are right
Thankfully for him, the only two people that matter. To your question - Rabiot has been more stable recently, certainly not a world beater but decent utility player. I think his tactical awareness improved under Allegri, he doesn't seem so lost in the game like in previous seasons. Does a lot of dirty work, doesn't complain and most importantly for us - is fit all the time.
That's some fine qualities for a sub in a national team as well
I really don't watch Juve or SerieA, sorry : is he a regular starter?
Yes, I'm pretty sure that he has played the most out of all our midfielders. Also, he averages 71 mins per game this season, against 41 mins of Camavinga for example which might be a factor here.
He’s had a good 2022 and he can fill in positions on the left side.
Where’s Camavinga and Konaté? They’ve been good recently
I predicted that Deschamps was going to play favorites and he did lmao. How has Kimpembe arrived again??
What you mean Kimpembe shouldn’t be here bro, do you even watch football ?
I get that continuity is important for international teams/managers, but Kimpembe has been off form for quite a while now. Konate is playing at a high level right now, and should be given a chance. The rest of the defense (except Clauss I guess) also has enough international experience to help him
If kimpembe is off form Varane is literally dead atm, there is no better CB than Kimpembe in France rn Konate include
Lucas is miles away
Let me guess, you only watch the Premier League.
no, I support France do you want to see my search history or something?
I don't care tbh, i believe you. With that being said, you should watch more Kimpembe's games. He is better than Laporte.
I think Kimpembe sometimes just needs to be calm on the ball or just more relaxed in general on the pitch. The aggression off the ball has its positives and negatives. Like where he gets caught out against Strasbourg for example. He’s just not at the level he was in previous years I think. It’s normal when you get a new coach. Especially one not as good defensively like Pochettino. With Tuchel he was much better
The team is not balanced, the midfield is not good and the dressing room lacks leaders. Kimpembe is no Maldini but he actually understand the basic of defending. Laporte is really good on the ball, but he doesn't have the defender's instinct. In a better environment, Kimpembe would thrive. I agree about his aggression but he can easily fix that with experience and decent coaching.
Kimpembe better than Laporte is laughable. Laporte never made the team because of personal differences with him and deschamps. It was never a skill issue. It's no wonder he waltzed into the Spanish 11 Maybe you should watch more of the premier league
I am following Laporte since his beginning. He is not a good defender sorry!
Same here and I think he's a great defender. I'll trust Luis Enrique and Pep Guardiola on this one
Maignan deserve to start but i doubt he will
Hmm but Lloris is captain tho, and is also closing in on the caps record. I agree that Maignan deserves a run tho
Lloris will be #1 until the World Cup, he'll probably retire from the NT after that.
Lloris is a legend for us and deserves a graceful step down from his career. You don’t just unceremoniously dump to the side your WC winning captain and soon to be most capped player in NT history lol.
He will be the starter soon enough
Is Benzema/Giroud basically either/or? So if one is called up then the other isn’t?
Pretty sure it's Ben Yedder/Giroud, and Ben Yedder is in much better form.
Ben Yedder has always been underwhelming for France tho, and he won't play more this time around. I think subbing Giroud in late for Benzema is a better option than Ben Yedder.
What does actually being in better form mean ? Because if i remember correctly Ben Yedder has almost always scored more than Giroud throughout a season. It has not prevented Deschamps from making Giroud his starter regardless of his performances with his clubs. I think there's more to it than form of the moment
Form in regular season games is meaningless because most of a regular season is about simply steamrolling shitty teams to get near the top of the table. Giroud has shown himself to be an asset in international games. Not to mention, Milan are top of the table anyway... But Giroud has always performed for France. Versus Ben Yedder who has done nothing noteworthy.
Deschamps doesn't seem to want to continue with Giroud despite the team playing well with him in it, it's a shame. He's the type of player you would really want in as a plan B, I would've used him until the World Cup atleast.
they play better with Benz in a 3 4 1 2
Giroud wouldn't start but he would be on the bench and is their best natural 9 option when Benzema is out. And I think the team still plays well with Giroud in it as he holds it up well for their narrow attackers, with wingbacks who can provide service to him I think he would do well in a 3-4-3 with a narrow front 3.
They win more with Giroud. With Benz they play attractive football then lose...
What a shit comparison
Just the truth. They haven't done anything of note with Benz.
Giroud didn't have one g/A all world cup in 2018 btw They won the Nation League with Benz and had their best football with him in a 3 4 1 2, they played literally two tournament and one won of them with Benz, the other one is an embarrassing loss that doesn't fall on him at all, what the fuck
>Giroud didn't have one g/A all world cup in 2018 btw But they won... And anyone who actually watched it would see Giroud's contribution. They won't win with Benz... Just like 2014.
oh yeah 2014, the golden age of France with Valbuena as a winger
Valbuena wasn't bad that year. Much of the team was the same as 2016 and 2018. Still had Griezmann, Pogba, Matuidi and Varane... The difference was the tactics... Giroud has a different 'profile' (as DD used to say) and the tactics changed as a result.
They've lost one game with benzema so far, and he scored twice in that game. Not his fault defense shat the bed against Switzerland.
Remember 2014? When they couldn't score a single goal versus Germany? They've lost way more than 1 game with Benzema... He played for years and they never won shit with him.
I'm obviously talking since his return. There's obviously a difference in quality and efficiency between current benz and benzema when he last played for france
Hes not wrong. World cup with giroud as a starter -> trophy Euros with Benzema as starter -> embarrassing defeat to Switzerland
That doesn't fall on Benzema though ? The defense literally did a PSG and Pogba was dancing around like a moron, it could've happened with Giroud too and neither of them would be at fault, Benzema actually defends
I never said it "fell on benzema" i just said OP was correct when he said they win more with Giroud.
They'll never win again with Benzema playing. Quote me on that.
Bet you said the same before they won nations league
I didn't, because I don't see it as a noteworthy title.
And yet they won, beating strong teams of Belgium and Spain
Yeah very impressive to win nations league, very close to the euros and wc in level.
You gotta beat the best in every major competition and France have done it with Benzema. No point in shifting goalposts based on your invalid standards.
I'm sure the absolute best are as motivated for the nations league as they are in a world cup final.
Yes they are so unmotivated that they play their strongest teams
Could Fekir be in this team? He has been great with Betis
Over who?
Griezmann for example, amd bring one more MD instead
Griezmann is one of our best players lol
He hasn't been good at Atlético, he hasn't scored since January IIRC
He's a key player for France tho. One of those where he's not gonna get dropped by Deschamps until he starts playing really bad for France
Club form doesn't matter much for the core players of DD's team (Lloris, Varane, Pogba, Kanté, Griezmann, and a few more guys). Griezmann has been a key player for the NT for many years, as long as he performs in blue he'll be called.
And hes been one of France best player for many years
He's always great for France
I tried to make a list of other french players not in this list. Can be players who have already been capped, players having a good season, players with international reputation. Lafont, Konaté, F.Mendy, Upamecano, Lenglet, W.Fofana, P.Kalulu, Ndicka, Le Normand, Simakan, Zouma, Badiashile, Dubois, Aguilar, Mukiele, Camavinga, Caqueret, Ndombele, Tolisso, Pogba, Aouar, Savanier, Capoue, Coquelin,Lemar, K.Koné, O.Dembélé, Giroud, M.Dembélé, Terrier, Laborde, Gouiri, Saint-Maximin, Payet, Fekir, Bourigeaud, Lacazette, M.Thuram, A.Plea, Modeste.
You have Dubois but no Lukeba or Gusto 💀
Dimitri ''The Dimitri Payet'' Payet
Glad to see my boy Bourige included in this list, it would be a good hard working player that would be loved by everyone.
Tbh Deschamps can both never get his lineup right or wrong. A France B-Team is probably top 5 in the world right now. Although I would’ve liked to have seen Camavinga, Mendy, Giroud, and Fekir. Miss Fekir the most, I think he deserves the call-up after leading Betis this year.
Problem with Fékir is he's competing for Griezmann's spot, just like Nkunku. We can't take 3 of them, and Nkunku is probably more versatile than Fékir.
I know. And I know Griezmann is consistent for the national team but Fekir has proven enough on the club level to warrant another opportunity. I can’t remember Fekir getting a call up post COVID
The U21 team probably has enough talent on paper to get out of the World Cup group stages lmao
Ripoll : "Hold my cidre brut"
No.
Deschamps is killing me with this lineup. No call-ups for Camavinga, Konaté, or Ferland Mendy, but he keeps locker room poison Rabiot on the squad. Even Pogba would be better than Rabiot. And I guess he's just going to ignore Dembélé's form. Luckily this isn't the World Cup squad.
Do you really think he just didn't call up Pogba? And what do you mean "even" Pogba? He is possibly our best and most consistent player. I swear people are more interested in the squads than in the actual games... Kamara is called up over Camavinga, probably because there's a chance he would play for Senegal otherwise. Konaté would take Saliba's spot who just joined the team during the last games, it would send a terrible message to kick a player who's in-form out of the team after one game. Ferland Mendy would be on the bench and he isn't that much better than Digne to justify having him on the bench instead of a player who has been there for years. If that's "killing you"...
None of them deserve to be called up. Pogba is currently injured.
If Kamara deserves it, there is no question they do to
Kamara is only competing with Camavinga on that list who doesn’t start for his club and can keep improving in u21s.
Im guessing he tries to not overwork them, risking injuries and sht before World Cup
So you are telling there is a chance for Croatia to win atleast 1 game😀
No Konate or Camavinga is interesting
I'm so fed up by the absence of Konaté ! I would have argued that Deschamps don't like to call new players for a competition but since he called Kamara... Camavinga I understand since he is playing in our young Squad and has time to become a regular. And Guendouzi... I know he is good but so obnoxious !
Do people expect to call-up 40 players? He can’t call up everyone. And he can’t completely switch his squad ever time either.
so i guess camavinga, konate, and dembele don't exist in his world?
Great squad. What a shame they'll exit the WC after the group stages.
A reference to the title holder curse?
🤞
Zouma still being punish for that cat incident I see
Cheh
So camavinga doesn’t even start for real but deschamps should drop rabiot for him and give him 90min since rabiot is a starter when pogba is out ??
This midfield looks scarce af
I do not feel like this team can do something tbh
How has Konaté been snubbed. Incredible.
Rabiot over Camavinga is criminal.
Arsenals best defender has played more games for the French International squad than for Arsenal! Crazy!
Rob Holding is English
Even you’re better than rob holding
Hopefully Kalulu can break into the squad before the WC
All of the sudden that French back line looks like it could use an Aymeric Laporte huh
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Kimpembe famously composed and without mistakes haha
Yes he's more composed than Laporte. Watch more football games next time.
I think Kimpembe has lost his head in nearly every PSG champions league game. He’s like quite average.
The whole team lose it's head. That's why Mbappé is leaving, this team is toxic. In the Euro he was our only decent CB.
If he’s your onky decent CB then yeah you definitely could’ve used Laporte who was a game changer for Spain
Nope, DD just messed up calling up Lenglet was a huge mistake. Varane should have been benched and he should have start the Bayern pair (Pavard, Hernandez) with Koundé as a back up option.
Boubacar Kamara? DD is the biggest OMer of all time.
DD called him to convince him to extend at OM 🤣
Or to not pick Senegal I mean I am french, Marseille supporter, but this weird pick out of nowhere, when someone like Caqueret was never even mentionned is obv raising questions
It's not the weirdest pick of the bunch, to be honest. Areola, Digne, Kimpembe, Saliba or Guendouzi are more odd to me, while Kamara is pretty much the only real CDM in the squad. Caqueret is still young enough to play with the U21 so I have no problem with him not called yet.
Still far and away the best squad in Europe. Feels like anything they don't win is an upset. Now if only Deschamps would stop picking the same shit players every time.
5 mostly defensive minded midfielders... Proper Deschamps that, it didn't take long for him to revert back to his ways. He gave us too much hope in the last few months. Kamara deserved to get called up for quite a while, and I guess they feared the Senegal choice. Rabiot over Caqueret or Camavinga is criminal however. Digne over Mendy makes no sense too. Same with Saliba and Pavard over Konaté, and with Areola over Lafont.
Deschamps is killing me with this lineup. No call-ups for Camavinga, Konaté, or Ferland Mendy, but he keeps locker room poison Rabiot on the squad. Even Pogba would be better than Rabiot. And I guess he's just going to ignore Dembélé's form. Luckily this isn't the World Cup squad.
> Even Pogba would be better than Rabiot I'm sorry what? NT Pogba has been top 3 most important players since 2014, while Rabiot has been lukewarm at best
ITT: mfs want Deschamps to call up all the best players in a pseudo tournament just months before the WC.
This would be fine to rotate and try different players before a big tournament. The problem is, everyone knows this is basically the world cup team cuz Deschamps doesn't change shir
You're delusional if you think this isn't his main team tho lmao.
What do you mean? Benzema is here, Mbappe is here. This is the last opportunity you get to play for the NT before the WC. Anyone that hasn't been called up now, bare injuries, is missing a decisive step towards playint at the WC. Especialy for the ones that are still waiting for their first call up. If they don't get called up now, there is no reason Deschamps calls them up when it matters.
such a bad take. to the young players like camavinga dembele and konate, they would represent their country no matter how weak the competition they're playing in. its an honor for them to represent france and they're still young they deserve more appearances. would you rather start them immediately for the world cup with all that pressure? guarantee that people will come out and say theyre not ready for major games like the euros/WC because deschamps doesn't play them in weaker competitions.
Why should they get a position over other players just because they are young ? Makes no sense. Dembele already has loads of caps, Camavinga has a few too and can continue with the youth team, Konaté has players ahead in the pecking order.
i'm not saying they should get a position just cause they're young. i'm saying they deserve a position because each of them have been outstanding lately. how can you disagree with that? dembele missed many games but he's (|in my opinion) in barca's top 3 players this season. konate has been killing it with liverpool in every single game i watched for him and a week ago i would have bet money on him making deschamps' squad. camavinga has also been doing very very well for madrid lately. how are you arguing otherwise???? do you actually believe they weren't good enough to earn a spot on the NT, and a guy like rabiot is????? come on man lmao
Because it’s a national team with team dynamics. The goal isn’t to have the best 23 at each friendly game, but the best 23 for the big compétions that are every 2 years. Added to that Konaté, Camavinga, and Dembele are not notable upgrades on players who are selected. Doesn’t make sense to throw out players who have been making the squad the months and years such as Rabiot, it fucks up the whole dynamics and trust between players and staff. Not to mention If there is no Robiot, Kante is the only player with experience in the whole midfield. Why should Dembele who has been given so many chances by Deschamps get ahead of Diaby or Coman who are much better professionals and very talented too. What about Nkunku who waited so long to get a cap, he should just be kicked out ? Some people seem to want a squad of 50 players so that every player with talent can get called up. It doesn’t work that way.
so they should never get a chance to start cause "it doesn't make sense to throw out the players who have been makinv the squad for months" okay gotcha. this is a horrible take lmao. there is nothing wrong with trying out other players. you have no idea how these "team dynamics" will work unless you give other players a chance, especially if they had a stellar season.
Who said they should **never** get a chance to start ? The players on the current team took a long time to be there, those coming after will eventually get their place too. There’s a hierarchy of core players on a team, young players take a while to get integrated. It makes no sense to select those players because it means others are being left out for no good reason. That’s why I say people like you want squads with 50 players so every single player is selected. National team football, at least with the top teams, doesn’t work like that.
you must be delusional if you think deschamps is picking them for anything upcoming (including the world cup) which means he's not picking them any time soon. this is such a weak argument dude they cant just sit around waiting for him to die so they can get a chance just cause he doesn't like switching things up.
There are already many players called up that are new to the team and haven’t settled in yet. NT selection has NEVER been about just picking whoever is in the hottest form of the moment. It’s important to develop chemistry in the team with the limited time the players have to train together. You can’t just bring in 10 new guys every time. France has unreal talent to choose from and many extremely deserving players are left out each time. Your approach to the situation is little more than amateur FIFA video game player mentality of just selecting based on A/B stat comparisons of the last few months. Experienced managers who know what they are doing stick with players even through some of their down periods because form is cyclical and building a team has always been about developing a cohesive group which requires regular call ups.
Go watch American football so you can have your 50 man squads. More seriously most of players on the squad are not fully established either. If Konate performs and Saliba dips for example no reason he doesn’t take his place. In midfield same with Guendouzi or Kamara (literally his first cap). And in attack same with Diaby, Nkunku, or even Ben Yedder. What is strange is if he takes an established player like Varane, Rabiot, Coman which is something you seem to fail to understand.
No Giroud ffs, just let him get the record
Is football popular among ethnic French ? I heard tennis or rugby are more popular. Most of their players come from immigrants background .
People bang on about the French roster pool but I feel like England’s is a lot deeper. (And before people downvote based on flare, I’m not English and I do not support the England national team).
Not really, the gap is really too big to be even mentionned
England is deep but not at every position. GK ? Striker ? English B-team is going to have serious weakness.
Tammy Abraham and DCL are more than sufficient for backup strikers, and I'd argue both are better than current Giroud/Yedder, especially Abraham. Goalkeeper is fine too with Ramsdell, who should be first choice anyway. (He's been better than France's first choice this season, too). France, I think is particularly weak at defenders (backs, especially compared to England which is unmatched) and probably midfielders too. England's "B" team includes players like Sancho, Foden, Alexander Arnold (or Reece James), Grealish, Trippier (or Chilwell).. that talent for a "B" team (and I'm not even including everyone) is simply unmatched.
Ok for Abraham I thought it will be in the A team same for Foden and grealish I guess i should review my english players. Looking for a way to make my point I looked at the player who play in champions league this years. On the 236 player who play at least 450min 12 are english (25 brasil, 22 france, 20 spain, 19 portugal...) And If i look at your b-team player - Meslier versus Ramsdalen ? - Sancho vs Fekir (this year fekir) - Alexander Arnold versus ferland mendy - Grealish versus O. Dembele - Trippier versus dubois - this one for england even with one-leg Trippier - Abraham - Giroud - ? - Konate - ? - Camavinga - ? - Payet - ? - upamecano - ? - zouma - ? - Lemar I don't think it's far away...
Ramsdell has been better than Meslier. TAA > Mendy, then you have to remember there is also KYLE WALKER, Sancho > Fekir, Sancho only looks worse because he plays in the premier league and plays for United. Grealish v. Dembele is close and I like Dembele if he can stay fit - but wouldn't he start for France? Abraham > Giroud Camavinga should be in the team instead of Rabiot, so he's first choice for me, and I think Bellingham, Phillips, and JWP are all better than Rabiot. Abraham > Giroud (especially this year 15 goals to 9). CBs france wins. (But outside backs England wins by a lot). Foden, Saka, Rashford (maybe not now), ESR >> Lemar. Again, I think France is really stacked.. I just think people act like they're way better than England and when you break it down player by player I'm not sure that's the case.
TAA is not a better defender than Mendy. Sancho is not a better player than Fekir. Grealish isn't close to Dembélé's level. Abraham is a decent striker but he has not achieved what Giroud did. Ben yedder is closer to Abraham's level however he is much more talented. Lemar is inconsistent but when in form he's better than ESR at the very least. As for midfield: Tolisso, Rabiot, Tchouameni, Camavinga, Caqueret, Ndombele are better than Bellingham, Phillips, and JWP. They have all performed at the top level unlike JWP or Phillips. Bellingham is a Dele Alli 2.0 he is not a great passer and use basic skills to beat the press. A very good player but he's not better than the french i have mentioned especially Caqueret. Rabiot is like the new Matuidi: an underrated player. He walked on Barcelona's and Real Madrid midfields twice. Now he is learning a new role. I'm pretty sure that a lot of people will change their opinions about him soon enough. Foden is better than Sterling, in fact he is with Kane the only world class talent England has. England have good players,, some are very good at times (Sterling, Rashford). Also France's back up keeper is Maignan. He would start for England.
I disagree with a lot of what you said but for now I’ll reply to “Kane and foden are the only world class players in England” TAA and James are both world class and that’s not even debatable.
TAA is really talented however he isn't a world class defender. Or else Southgate would have started him. I don't really know Reece James so i will take your word for it. So 3 WC talents (Kane, Foden, James).
Southgate also didn’t start foden and you still call him a world class talent
Foden is not starting because he (Southgate) doesn't know how to use him properly. Note that I said that Foden is a world class **talent**, he is not actually world class yet unlike Kane. He needs more experience to be able to play for a different team than Guardiola's. However TAA isn't starting because he is great at attacking while lackluster at defending. Southgate want a good defensive line up to counter attack.
See? He can't defend! Good on the ball, average defender.
I also think it's depends which league you follow as english player are not playing outside england en french players are everywhere
True, again, I'm not saying France isn't deep or anything. Its probably the second (or first) deepest roster. I just think England edges it.
Clauss deservedly there again. Love to see it!
Happy for Kamara
No creativity in midfield, Camavinga would have been great there
That midfield underwhelming
Damn I hope Kamara choose Senegal
American here who is completely confused because I'm trying to purchase tickets to the France-Austria game. The seating chart says "Rank" and then "square"- is that "section and seat"? I'm so lost.