From our special correspondent in Düsseldorf,
Didier Deschamps’ cheating has no limits. While the media were only talking about the 4-4-2 diamond system, announced on Saturday by our colleagues at The teamwith the return of Antoine Griezmann in a number 10 role that best suits his qualities, all of this was shattered as soon as the whistle blew for France-Belgium. And what was our surprise to see the man with the silver fox mane position himself on the right of the 4-3-3, him, the man of the axis who has almost no qualities to play in this position.
He’s the one who says it, not us. “Ah but I’m not a winger who’s going to go into one-on-ones,” he said, laughing in the mixed zone of the Düsseldorf stadium. “I’m also left-footed, I tend to look for one-twos and come back into the middle. But the coach asked me to move away from time to time. After that, no matter where I am, I’ll always give 100%.”
Besides, we weren’t the only ones to open our eyes wide when we saw the boy sticking to his touchline. He himself learned late that he was going to have to change positions for the 538th time in the last eight years with DD. “I learned that this morning (Monday). The coach came to see me in my room to tell me and I told him ‘well, go coach, let’s go! I’m here for you, I’m here for the team. Let’s go'”, he recounted, not without a hint of irony and surprise in his voice.
Grizou, the good soldier who doesn’t say a word
Delighted to have thumbed his nose at journalists who were too proud of their move after having managed, they thought, to “crack” the closed-door meeting to reveal the Blues’ line-up in advance, Deschamps did not hesitate to throw out fake news galore. “There was not the slightest doubt in my head. Afterwards, it’s just a question of balance. As I told you before the match, even if you had started on a diamond, there is always the possibility of having a player who is not in the best position, he explained in the post-match press conference. Antoine regularly plays in this position with his club, he has the ability to adapt.”
As for the ability to adapt, there is nothing to say about that. Grizou himself agrees. An ideal player and teammate, the Colchonero is one of those who will never budge – unlike some whose names we will not mention (KYLIAN) – in the interest of the collective and the country. “I am at the service of the coach and the collective. As we always say, we adapt. That is what is important for today’s players, to be able to play everywhere, to sacrifice themselves for the collective.”
As for the first part of the sentence, however, the coach is kindly taking us for fools. No, Griezmann does not play “regularly in this position with his club”. “The last time I played on the wing like that was at Real Sociedad, but on the left side”, the man in question confirmed to us. That was… ten years ago!
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A surprise announced two and a half hours before the match
Beyond the Griezmann case alone, it is the coach’s choices in their entirety that are enough to make you bang your head against the wall. Because until the pre-match talk at 3:30 p.m. – only two and a half hours before kick-off – they thought (like us) that they were actually going to play in the 4-4-2 diamond formation that they had worked on the day before. In double doses, even, with an initial tactical appetizer on the pitch and video analysis work to replace the pear as a “digeo”.
Asked about this surprising turnaround by Deschamps, Adrien Rabiot did not know what to say in the mixed zone after the match. “Maybe it was to mislead you, I don’t know,” he said with a smile. “We worked on it (the 4-4-2 diamond) the day before and then the coach wanted to do it differently today. You should ask him the question, ”why did you change so late?”. We apply his instructions on the pitch. We are capable of adapting, we are professionals and we have demonstrated it again.”
The question will unfortunately not be asked at the press conference. “It’s not serious,” commented Aurélien Tchouameni a few minutes later. “Maybe the night brought counsel to the coach. If he decided to put this system in place, it’s because he was absolutely right.”
A very risky bet on the part of DD
Let’s be clear: even though Deschamps puts the result above all else, that doesn’t mean that this narrow (but deserved) victory against Belgium is the direct consequence of this tactical choice that would make any tactician with any sense see things in a blur. We have to call a spade a spade: we are still far from Guardiolesque’s stroke of genius. Because Griezmann may have done his best, the poor guy still missed his match.
This sudden turnaround mainly reflects a certain groping on the part of Deschamps, who does not seem, as is often the case during competitions, to have yet found the miracle solution. But maybe that is, deep down, the miracle solution: to catch everyone off guard by trying absolutely improbable things to destabilize the entire world, players included. From there, eagerly awaiting the next 3-5-2 lineup against Portugal with Griezmann at number 6 and Jonathan Clauss as center forward.
