France played the first of their two enforced friendlies as the ghost sixth team in the 2016 UEFA European Championship qualifying Group I on Sunday, with Didier Deschamps ’ men getting held 1-1 by Serbia at Partizan Stadium in Belgrade. Dick Advocaat’s debut in charge of the Eagles ended in a credible draw, but it was a frustrating evening for Les Bleus who were unable to capitalise on their dominance of the ball.
Juventus ’ Paul Pogba set the French on their way in just the 13th minute. The 21-year-old stroked home from a Remy Cabella corner after Moussa Sissoko had wisely decided to leave the ball for his team-mate, and Deschamps ’ team looked as if they would go on to build on that excellent start.
It was not the case, though, and Serbia eventually drew level through a thumping Aleksandar Kolarov free-kick.
2 - France have lost only 2 of their last 16 games (W11 D3). Optimism.
— OptaJean (@OptaJean ) September 7, 2014
Deschamps opted to make a number of changes to the side that beat Spain 1-0 at Stade de France just three days before. Cabella , Bacary Sagna , Jeremy Mathieu, Lucas Digne , Morgan Schneiderlin , Yohan Cabaye and Loic Remy were all handed starting berths for Les Tricolores .
Initially, that seemed to work, with Pogba bagging the early goal and France creating some decent chances going forward. A host of second-half changes, particularly to the front line, killed the team’s momentum though, and the hosts managed to salvage a draw towards the end.
Although the result appears to be a step backwards in comparison to the victory over Spain a few days before, there were some major positives to take from the draw.
Two of the most impressive French players on the night were Cabella and Schneiderlin .
Cabella , a summer signing for Newcastle United, was making his full France debut, while Schneiderlin started the goalless draw with Ecuador at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil earlier this summer. Both were excellent, despite the difficulties faced by Les Bleus ’ stars on the patchy Partizan Stadium turf.
Given a rare chance to impress from the start with a host of regular starting attacking talents—such as Karim Benzema and Mathieu Valbuena —rested, Cabella seized it with both hands and put in a good performance. The Newcastle man was often a threat going forward and showed with his assist for the goal from a corner, and on a number of occasions, that he can step up for this team when Valbuena is unavailable.
3 - 3 of the last 4 France goals have been scored from a corner. Specialists.
— OptaJean (@OptaJean ) September 7, 2014
Admittedly, the 24-year-old has not yet proven that he can consistently yield the same creativity that the pint-sized Dynamo Moscow man does, but he showed that he can make an impact in Valbuena ’s absence. His strong showing also suggests that he is now well and truly a part of Deschamps ’ plans and can look forward to getting a number of chances to add to his international experience in order to rival Valbuena for a starting spot at Euro 2016.
Schneiderlin also did his hopes of future inclusion no harm at all. The Southampton man started instead of Paris Saint-Germain’s Blaise Matuidi , with Deschamps sticking with the 4-2-3-1 shape he tried against Spain instead of the 4-3-3 exhibited during this summer’s World Cup.
Although the formation is not likely to stick, Schneiderlin could become a more regular feature in the French starting XI once Deschamps switches back to a 4-3-3.
The 24-year-old, despite starting instead of Matuidi , is now a major contender to usurp PSG ’s Cabaye before Euro 2016. The France No. 4 does not play enough for the French champions and rarely impresses when he is in action for Laurent Blanc’s side, while Schneiderlin is constantly impressing in the English Premier League with Southampton and is now starting to stake his claims for a regular starting place.
Les Bleus ’ No. 22 exhibited excellent long-range passing skills during the game, something that Cabaye has excelled at in the past with Newcastle but is not required to do as much with PSG , while also matching the 28-year-old’s combative style of play. With the former Geordie favourite not likely to break into the French champions’ starting XI anytime soon, his starting role is now there for the taking.
Maintaining his current good form at club level will ensure that Schneiderlin continues to get chances at the international level under Deschamps ’ leadership. It is up to him to seize them and make the starting place his own before the Euros.
Based on their performances in Belgrade, both Cabella and Schneiderlin could be playing big parts in the hosts’ search for glory on home soil come 2016.
from Bleacher Report http://ift.tt/1q4ksPB
via IFTTT September 07, 2014 at 04:42PM
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