Besides Mbappe, World Cup debutants, such as William Saliba, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Randal Kolo Muani, will be France's hidden strength to end the bad record of the defending champion team.
By
YUNIADHI AGUNG AND M IHSAN MAHAR from Doha, Qatar
·3 minutes read
FRANCK FIFE
France's midfielder Paul Pogba eyes the ball during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group D qualification football match between France and Finland at the Groupama stadium in Decines-Charpieu near Lyon, central eastern France on September 7, 2021.
DOHA, KOMPAS — Bad luck comes in threes, a proverb that rightly describes the French national team in their preparation for the 2022 World Cup. One after another, their main players are injured, even though they have not started defending the trophy that they had won four years ago.
No doubt, their failure in South Korea-Japan 2002 overshadowed their steps in Qatar. At that time, the French team, coached by Roger Lemerre, was in disgrace after becoming the first defending champion to fall in the group phase.
This year, France fails to play its best player, namely Karim Benzema, who had to return home due to suffering from pain on his left thigh while undergoing training in Doha last week.
"Karim [Benzema] has a big role not only for the French team, but also for French football as a whole. Despite the sadness and disappointment, we must continue the struggle [to defend the title] starting with the match against Australia," said French goalkeeper and captain, Hugo Lloris, in a press conference ahead of the match in Doha on Monday (11/21/2022).
AFP/CHANDAN KHANNA
Australia's teammates take part in a training session at the Aspire Zone Training site in Doha , on November 21, 2022, on the eve of the Qatar 2022 World Cup football match between France and Australia.
France's match against Australia, who are members of Group D, will take place at the Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, on Wednesday (23/11) at 2 a.m. It will be a repeat of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, in which France played Australia in the opening match in Group C with a 2-1 victory.
Trusting Mbappe
Even without Benzema, French coach Didier Deschamps believes the remaining France forwards, especially Kylian Mbappe, can take on more responsibility than in his Russia 2018 debut.
"He is four years older than when he played in Russia. I see Kylian [Mbappe] has matured a lot and is a team player who can decide the team's results," said Deschamps.
Besides Mbappe, World Cup debutants, such as William Saliba, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Randal Kolo Muani, will be France's hidden strength to end the bad record of the defending champion team.
Les Bleus only had one win, then suffered three losses and two draws.
When asked about the tactics of the three defenders at the 2022 World Cup, Deschamps said he would not stick to one tactic. This year, France has played six matches in the 2022-2023 European National League using a back three formation that has kept them from winning. Les Bleus only had one win, then suffered three losses and two draws.
Besides being overshadowed by a nightmare in 2002, France also has other challenges to end the disaster for the defending champions who have always been eliminated in the group phase in the last three editions of the World Cup.
According to Opta, a statistics data agency, only Germany (1994) and Brazil (1998 and 2006) were able to get three points in the first match after becoming world champions in the previous edition.
AP PHOTO/HASSAN AMMAR
France's national team coach Didier Deschamps, right, arrives with his team at Hamad International airport in Doha, Qatar, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022, ahead of the upcoming World Cup. France will play their first match in the World Cup against Australia on Nov. 22.
Meanwhile, Australia is also overshadowed by a bad record ahead of facing France. They have always been eliminated in the group stage in their last three participation of the World Cup since the 2010 edition.
In fact, in the last 13 matches in the World Cup since Germany 2006, Australia has always been unable to prevent a goal from its opponent.
In Qatar 2022, Australia coach Graham Arnold set a target to get past the round of 16. "We have to set targets and give players confidence in their abilities. I want all the players to play at their maximum in every game,” Arnold said in Doha.
