The land of the in-between. In an attempt to return to the top of the world this summer in North America, Didier Deschamps announced the final list of his term on Thursday evening. Among the 26 players called up, only five midfielders were selected by the French coach: N’Golo Kanté, Manu Koné, Adrien Rabiot, Aurélien Tchouaméni, and Warren Zaire-Emery.
A primarily tactical choice
Rather than calling up an additional player in midfield and trusting Eduardo Camavinga or Corentin Tolisso, DD chose to invest in another defender (Maxence Lacroix) and one more striker (Jean-Philippe Mateta). By opting for nine attackers and so few midfielders, the former Marseille coach confirms that he is leaning towards a 4-2-3-1 formation with four players with an offensive role in front of a double pivot. Knowing that Désiré Doué and Maghnes Akliouche can drop deeper, if necessary.
Is this a first? Not really, even though Deschamps had indeed relied on six midfielders in 2022 (not counting the withdrawn Antoine Griezmann). Yes, in 2018, the year of the triumph, the coach had also placed his bet on five midfielders named N’Golo Kanté, Blaise Matuidi, Steven Nzonzi, Paul Pogba, and Corentin Tolisso.
All for the attack!
