[Review] The third-place finisher scored positive results, Deschamps test young players gained a lot of money

Germany 0-2 France

All-media reporter Wang Qinbo

Although it was an "insignificant" game, at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Stuttgart, the French team defeated the host Germany 2-0 and won the third place in the UEFA Nations League in the 2024-25 season. This result is still positive, avoiding Deschamps and the players from falling into the tide of criticism.

Some people awaken, some people revived

Compared to the 5-4 "played" by Spain three days ago, this victory seems to be messy and there is no clear idea to speak of. But it can be seen that the French team did not win by just "luck", and they still showed their strength that was better than Nagelsmann's team.

To a certain extent, the French team's victory in this game is the product of the experience of the veteran, the awakening of young people, and the superposition of personal talents at critical moments. The three young players who started for the first time - Bade (25), Gustou (22) and Serki (21) - not only performed well on the court, but also proved that they already had the possibility of gaining a foothold on a larger stage and even replacing their original main players. The "recovery" Mbappe and the brave goalkeeper Meinian injected a long-lost confidence into the swinging French team at the most critical moment.

The German team's offense after the opening game was very fierce. Especially No. 11 Waltermad, this giant who is nearly 2 meters tall has excellent foot skills. He seems to be more like a fish in the double forward formation than being the center alone. In the face of the German team's attack, French goalkeeper Meinion became the tone setter of the game. He saved Waltermad's powerful shot in the second minute, then blocked Adeyemi's two threatening attacks, and blocked Kimmich's long shot in the 88th minute.

Germany created as many as 5 high-quality opportunities in the first half, which once put the French defense in chaos. If it weren't for the many efforts of Menion to turn the tide, the pace and process of the game might have changed long ago. After the game, Le Parisien gave him a high score of 8 points. This game once again proved that in addition to occasionally making mistakes against Spain, Meinian is still one of France's most trusted national goals in recent years.

If Menion is the team's stabilization needle, then Badai and Gusto, who started for the first time, were unexpected gains from Deschamps in this game. During his more than ten years of coaching the French team, Deschamps has tried young players and marginal internationals many times, and has not always made active discoveries, but this game has indeed gained a lot.

Sevilla central defender Bade was impressive: facing the German center forward Phil Kruger, who was 1.91 meters tall, he used his decisive physical confrontation and predictions to suppress the opponent's most direct offensive threat. Especially in the 11th and 66th minutes, the strength and calmness he showed in the confrontation made it difficult to believe that this was just his national team debut. The bent over header in the 21st minute, which almost scored, was a reflection of his confidence and ability to read the game.

Gustok worked diligently on the right and successfully limited the performance of Werz, who is worth 100 million yuan. Although his contributions on the offensive end were limited, his pursuit and physical confrontation built a barrier for the French team. Especially in the 64th minute, he faced a blockade by Wendav, which showed his physical confrontation and judgment advantages.

Midfielder Serky actually performed amazingly in the last game against Spain, and this "starting test" showed a little ups and downs. He was one of France's few starting points to create threats in the opening stage. The bicycle breakthrough on the right in the 10th minute and the long shot in the 21st minute were rare highlights in France's first 30 minutes. Although his choice to be greedy for merit in the 58th minute was a bit immature, it was still an "acceptable" growth-type performance. Compared with Badé and Gustok, it can be said that Serki has been tested in this UEFA Nations League. His position in the French team will be very solid in the future, and only involves the suspense of whether it is the main force or the substitute.

Double Mid-middle system, should Deschamps stick to it?

Another key figure in this game is of course Mbappe, who contributes one shot and one pass. Deschamps confirmed that Mbappe was an "axis player" before the game, that is, he was sure that he would not put Mbappe back on the wing. Dembele would only continue to play No. 9 at Paris Saint-Germain, and he would still resume his winger status when he was in the French team.

Mbappe's goal to break the deadlock was crucial because the German team was in the adjustment period after the fierce attack and was likely to start pounce again after the half-time break, but Mbappe started in the penalty area with a cheetah-like moment, getting rid of the opponent and completely disrupting the German team's plan. Nagelsman's team lost the initiative, and the counterattack under the game led to more loopholes in the defense line. It was finally Mbappe seized the opportunity again before the end of the game and generously assisted Olise.

Mbappe broke the goal drought of a one-year sports game in France. Although the performance of the whole game was not perfect, there were still many pass mistakes and wastes of opportunities, this shot and pass still showed his superstar character. He himself also said after the game, "The goal is of course a joyful, but what I value the most is the performance of the whole team."

However, despite winning, the French media still cannot praise Deschamps' national team too much because the French team's problems are still obvious: the midfield organization is chaotic, the counterattack timing is improper, and the wing support is inefficient. Marcus Toulam was particularly struggling, and despite the threats created by several shots in the second half (including one block and one saved by Ter Stegen), his sense of efficiency and tactical integration with the national team was still poor.

The Team News believes that the key problem of the French team's poor midfielder is Deschamps' double midfield system. Currently, there are only two players who are familiar with the double midfielder, one is Chu Ameni of Real Madrid and the other is Gondozi of Lazio. The other midfielders, such as Rabio, Zaire Emery and Cone, are players who are more familiar with the three-midfield system.. Therefore, if Deschamps wants to stick to double midfielders, he either needs to adjust his tactics, such as giving Rabio greater freedom. Don’t forget that Rabio is almost playing forward in Marseille now, or Deschamps can only retrace the old path and let Kante come back to partner with Chu Ameni with two midfielders... This means that other players will be wasted.