Griezmann Redeployment Provides France Best Chance of Progression

After the interval in France’s 2-1 win over Republic of Ireland last weekend, it was more a case of when, not if, the hosts would overturn the one-goal deficit. France looked poor and lacked imagination prior to half time as they struggled against the Boys in Green. Yet a change in shape and personnel during the break allowed France back into the match.

N’Golo Kante was withdrawn at Kingsley Coman’s expense as Didier Deschamps moved from a 4-3-3 formation to a 4-2-3-1. The France head coach has drawn the plaudits for his changes to help swing ties back in the hosts’ favour, though that only adds to the pressure for Deschamps to get his tactics right from the off. Coming into the quarter final stage, France are the only team remaining in the competition yet to score a goal in the first half a game.

It’s a worrying trend for the tournament hosts, who are aiming to secure international glory for the first time since their European Championship triumph in the year 2000. While being fast out of the blocks isn't always a guarantee of success - take into account Robbie Brady and Wayne Rooney’s early penalties in the respective defeats to France and Iceland in the last seven days - France may need to be quicker out of the blocks if they are to secure a place in the semi-final of Euro 2016.

Iceland, of course, rapidly regained their composure to get the better of England, though they were helped in part by abysmal defending by the Three Lions. Once they had taken the initiative, however, they never really looked like conceding again, which is what France need to be wary of. Only Germany (225) and Wales (182) have spent more minutes in the lead at the European Championships than Iceland (168). Once they dig their heels in, the summer’s fairytale side are extremely difficult to break down, with the tournament underdogs - to an extent - stealing the limelight from the hosts. 

It boils back down to Deschamps’ half time changes, then, which secured this match up in the first place. Kante’s first half yellow card against the Republic of Ireland means the Leicester sensation misses out on the chance to face Iceland as he is banned. However, the midfielder’s suspension could prove to be a blessing in disguise for the hosts. Iceland average the least possession (35%) at Euro 2016 and are expected to find themselves on the back foot against France once more. Despite their progression this far, they shouldn’t - in theory at least, and with all due respect to Iceland - provide too much of an attacking threat to France’s backline. 

Therefore, it’s in Deschamps’ best interests to adopt a more direct approach, which is what he did against the Republic of Ireland, only this time he is forced into altering his tact. This will indeed benefit Antoine Griezmann, who looked far more comfortable when moved into a central position last weekend than he did on the right wing in the 4-3-3 formation adopted by Deschamps. “It is true that in the centre is where I have my bearings, where I played most of the time this season with Atletico,” Griezmann said earlier this week. His second half brace brought his total number of goals to three for the tournament - no player has scored more - and helped secure the WhoScored man of the match award with a rating of 9.23. 

That, though, would not have been possible had Griezmann not been moved infield to make runs in behind Olivier Giroud and then Andre-Pierre Gignac. His first half rating (6.62) improved significantly in the second half (8.60), coming as a result of his positional change. It helped Griezmann have a more influential role in the encounter, leaving a lasting effect in his quest to help France to glory and secure the Golden Boot. It’s evidently beneficial to France, with Griezmann having netted five of his team’s (Atletico Madrid and France) eight goals in the knockout stages of competitions - Champions League and Euro 2016 - this calendar year. 

Furthermore, 33 starts in a central striking role in league and European action yielded 19 goals and four assists last season, helping to return a WhoScored rating of 7.51. While Kante’s suspension is a blow given his obvious talent, his absence could ultimately benefit France as they look to progress to the next round of the competition. Deschamps will now be forced to adapt Les Bleus’ shape prior to kick off rather than having to wait until a mistake is made or France are behind before making the adequate changes to the side. 

A more direct approach improves France’s chances of success, both against Iceland and in the tournament as a whole, and with Griezmann set to be deployed in a more familiar central role, he has a better opportunity of adding to his three tournament goals already, profiting from Olivier Giroud's ability to bring others into play. Iceland are expected to sit deep to frustrate Les Bleus, much as Albania did in the group stages in France's eventual 2-0 win. Griezmann headed in what proved to be the winning goal and there’s every possibility he can be the difference once more in Sunday’s quarter final encounter in Paris.

Should Deschamps use Griezmann in a more central role against Iceland on Sunday? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below