Andreas Cornelius soared in the air, some knew the forward for his acrobatics and athleticism that propelled his Trabzonspor side to a long-awaited Turkish Ligue 1 title.
His 15 goals earned him a call-up to the Denmark national team, as a substitute against the 2018 World Cup Champions & 2021-22 UEFA Nations League winners, he needed to show why he deserved his call-up.
As Pierre Emile Hojbjerg lofted a cross to the center of the box, Cornelius weaved his way through the French defense, controlled the ball, and volleyed it. The goal shocked the Stade de France, here was a no-name making players like Jules Kounde and Lucas Hernandez look silly.
He went on to do it again in the 88th minute, sprinting past Kounde, receiving a Joakim Maehle long ball, and booming it into the top of the net. It was a total shock, and it set a series of events that sent France spiraling into dysfunction.
Now, with the World Cup looming in the distance, they need to figure out how they can win and the gameplans they will use.
Cornelius, Kramaric best porous France defense
It may have something to do with underestimating their Danish foes for France. Les Bleus had their chances in the first half, with Karim Benzema scoring in the 14th minute.
The linesman disallowed his goal due to offsides, but it foreshadowed the sheer strength France would exercise over Denmark. After Kylian Mbappe limped off the field with an injury, Benzema continued to wreak havoc on Denmark.
Benzema finally found his goal in the 51st minute. Strolling down the wing, he played a pass to highly-coveted Christopher Nkunku. Nkunku backheeled the ball to the Champions League winner, and Benzema went on to fake out two defenders before smashing a strike into the goal.
All the while, France looked shaky on defense. The back three of Kounde, Hernandez, and William Saliba were too adventurous, and Cornelius took advantage of it. He netted a brace thanks to incisive runs that caught France by surprise, punishing France’s back three.
Their next game, a World Cup rematch against Croatia, saw noticeable changes in France’s lineup. Wissam Ben Yedder replaced Benzema, Presnel Kimpembe, and Saliba headlined France’s back four. Les Bleus looked to shock their Croatian opponents with flair and skill.
They did not shock Croatia. At all.
Ante Budimir broke free to get a through-ball early in the match, bursting into a 1v1 with Mike Maignan. Budimir fired a low-quality shot right into Maignan’s hand.
Croatia’s attacking prowess worried French fans. They could easily infiltrate France’s box, but France could do the same with them. Christopher Nkunku chipped a shot past Dominik Livakovic, but refs disallowed his goal due to offsides. Aurelien Tchouameni shot from a long way out, but Livakovic made a diving save to preserve his clean sheet. Yet France found a breakthrough in the 51st minute.
Ben Yedder played an excellent through ball to find Adrien Rabiot, the Juve midfielder outmuscled a Croatian defender and banged a shot pasted Livakovic, the French side secure the lead.
They had another chance in the 77th minute, Nkunku picked off a poorly placed pass in the heart of Croatia’s defense and embarked on a dangerous run.
He found Antoine Griezmann at the edge of the box for a potential goal, Griezmann should have scored, but his strike dove right in the hands of Livakovic. He had the chance to score from a rebound but lobbed it right into Livakovic’s grateful hands. Griezmann would rue his missed goal soon when Lens midfielder Jonathan Clauss nipped Andrej Kramaric in the box.
When he stepped up to the penalty spot, he outsmarted Maignan. Using a Jorginho-like jump, he waited for Maignan to dive and placed his penalty in the center of the box to equalize for Croatia. Thankfully for France, Croatia slipped up to allow another defensive mistake. Griezmann picked up the ball in midfield, evaded the sweeper-keeper outside of the box, and tracked the ball to a tough position in the eighteen-yard box. An open net ahead of him called his name, and he slammed the ball towards the goal. Yet the ball rolled away from his target. His shot was miles away from the net. He turned to the Stadion Poljud in exasperation, knowing well that his shot threw away a potential three points for France.
Leaky back lines, a lack of inspiration, and the numbers behind France’s collapse
France’s horrible time in the UEFA Nations League may boil down to defensive mistakes.
Against Denmark, despite holding 60% of the game’s possession and limiting their Danish foes to just eight shots, they conceded two goals. The goals boiled down to how far up the French defense was. When France gave up its first goal to Andreas Cornelius, many defending gaffes were already at play.
Despite getting pressured and forced into their own half, the French back three were still on the edges of the box. Eight players in a small strip of space is a recipe for disaster. It allowed Cornelius to make an ambitious and intelligent play to score.
The same thing happened when Cornelius completed his brace. Although Joakim Maehle stood with the ball a few yards from the halfway point, the French still stood a few feet away from the center circle. A lack of synchrony from the defense along with France’s boldness helped Cornelius tear away into the attacking third and slot a screamer into Hugo Lloris’ net.
When France conceded a penalty to Kramaric that eventually cost them the win to Croatia, it was because of another long ball. France was ready for it this time, sitting deep in their half. Luka Sucic received a pass from a Croatian midfielder while France tried to trigger an offside trap and let loose from a short distance.
Fortunately for France, Mike Maignan saved his shot. Unfortunately for Les Bleus, Clauss rushed into a challenge and conceded the game-tying penalty.
What costs France valuable wins is Didier Deschamps’ use of the offside trap. Croatia and Denmark both used long balls to infiltrate the French defense, and it worked. Although the offside trap is traditionally a safe bet, new offsides rules, a change to modern tactics, and speed growth make the tactic riskier.
Add a lack of cohesiveness(in both of their games, none of the starting defenders share the same team), and the offside trap becomes less and less lucrative.
On offense, certain players are proving their worth to Les Bleus. Of course, Benzema and Mbappe are reliable. Yet other attackers can share the duo’s load.
When Mbappe got injured just before halftime, Christopher Nkunku put in an impressive shift, assisting Benzema, and was a threat in the final third. Adrien Rabiot scored against Croatia and got into all the right places against Denmark.
Wissam Ben Yedder had an assist against Croatia and played well as a striker. Yet others like Antoine Griezmann, who missed two clear chances against Croatia, will need to step up their game to reclaim their championship.
France’s Austria fixture will be crucial
Austria is having a great Nations League campaign so far, unlike France. They shocked Croatia, putting three past them in front of a stunned Osijek crowd.
Salzburg center-back Maximilian Wober and Bayern midfielder Marcel Sabitzer impressed viewers as they stifled an uncharacteristically putrid Croatia side. They also had Denmark on the ropes at home.
They conceded to Hojbjerg in the middle of the first half but retaliated in the 67th minute via a Xaver Schlager strike. They only fumbled the draw because of a screamer from Jens Stryger Larsens, losing the match 2-1.
France has better players, better coaches, and a better track record than Austria. Yet for some reason, this game will be somewhat even. Austria is second in the Nations League A Group 1 table, three points below group leaders Denmark.
France trails Austria by two points, leaving them tied for third with Croatia. If France wins the match, they move up to second and get more control over their future. Losing, or even drawing, will be fatal to France’s Nations League dreams.
The keys to the game will be stifling Sabitzer and Alaba, two world-class players that can change the game. Sabitzer is an offensive ace, someone so versatile and fluid that he can slot in anywhere from left-back to center-forward. He is not one of the core parts of Bayern but is always lethal for Austria.
Alaba is a defensive wizard, a brick wall that has starred for Real Madrid this season. He can string together dozens of passes like he did against Croatia(68) and is always involved in setting the game’s tempo(he boasted 93 touches against Croatia).
Although keeping Alaba and Sabitzer in check is good, it will not win France the game. France’s consistency in attack and patience in defense will win them the game.
Although the Nations League serves is essentially a warm-up for the World Cup, a good string of results will do wonders to help France evade the Champions’ Curse.
Mbappe’s injury, a shaky situation in the French attack, and holes in Les Bleus’ defense will worry French fans as they look for a silver lining in their run of shock results. Yet a win against Austria will dispel all these rumors and set them up for success in the World Cup.
