Peak or abyss awaits the French team?

Mbappe (10) is still playing steadily, but the French team is not sure - Photo: REUTERS

At 2:00 a.m. on June 18 (Vietnam time), the French team will begin their Euro 2024 campaign with the opening match against Austria (TVT on VTV3, TV360) at Spiel Arena stadium.

The Glorious Era of France

England are the most valuable team at Euro 2024, valued at 1.52 billion euros by Transfermarkt. They are also ranked number 1 in the list of championship candidates by bookmakers.

But in the minds of many fans, France is truly the number 1 team in the world right now. Because they have a Mbappe who always knows how to explode in the national team shirt, are led by good coach Didier Deschamps and are the national team with the most stable performance in the past 8 years.

Brazil, Argentina in South America or France, Germany, Spain in Europe, every team has a period when they reach the top and maintain that form for about 4-6 years. For Brazil, that was when they won 2 World Cup gold trophies within 8 years from 1994-2002, before entering a dark period for the next 2 decades.

For Germany, it was the period 2010-2016, when they always appeared in the semi-finals of the Euro and World Cup. Spain was at its most brilliant during the "tiki-taka era", winning 2 World Cup titles, 1 Euro in just 4 years...

French football experienced a similar golden period from 1996-2000, before collapsing at the 2002 World Cup. After the peak comes the abyss. The same stars, but once they enter a period of decline, the giants cannot even get past the group stage of a World Cup or Euro.

The new era of French football began in 2016, when they hosted the Euro for the third time in their history. Runners-up in Euro 2016, winners of the 2018 World Cup, runners-up in the 2022 World Cup, and only slightly off-track in Euro 2020 (stopping in the round of 16), France's streak of good form has lasted nearly 8 years.

Over the past 8 years, France has not only been strong at the national team level. They are recognized as the most powerful football nation in the world as they continuously produce talented players. French players are present in most of the strongest clubs in the world. They even have a profound influence in African countries.

Will the French team have an impressive Euro 2024 debut against Austria? - Photo: REUTERS

Signs of trouble

And according to the old rule, every era must come to an end. The brilliant period of success of the "Gaulois" in recent years is associated with coach Didier Deschamps, who has been the head coach since 2012. And the appearance of Mbappe is the highlight of that era. It is similar to Zinedine Zidane in the years 1996-2006.

France are still very strong on the road to Euro 2024. But that strength has begun to show some cracks. The mysterious flu outbreak that spread through the team three days ago is an example. Coach Deschamps' students now enter the opening match with less than guaranteed physical strength. Not to mention the fact that two pillars Tochuameni and Coman have not fully recovered from injury.

Coach Deschamps' conservatism is also really confusing. France is the only team to come to Euro 2024 without calling up all 26 players (only calling up 25 people). The 55-year-old strategist ignored a series of young, bright names such as Olise, Moussa Diaby, Malo Gusto, Lukeba to keep his familiar 25 players.

This decision is even more confusing when many of France's mainstays are now old (Giroud, Kante) or are not in good physical condition (Tchouameni, Coman).

Having led the team for 12 years, coach Deschamps obviously knows better than anyone the inside story of French football. It is the most powerful football nation in the world, but also has the most signs of instability in the world.

At Euro 2020, when France was at its peak, the undercurrents began to appear. It was the conflicting atmosphere surrounding Benzema, the arrogant egos of a series of stars. And the intervention of... the players' parents.

Deschamps' "iron hand" helped him tighten all the problems of the French team, bringing the "Gaulois" back to orbit right after an unstable tournament. That is something that previous coaches such as Roger Lemere, Raymond Domenech or Laurent Blanc could not do.

At Euro 2024, will it be a French team reaching the highest peak, with Mbappe determined to become the number 1 star, or will it be a French team in chaos after a period of success?

Strong belief for Les Bleus

Mbappe and the French team are expected by many fans to win the Euro 2024 championship - Photo: AFP

Before the French team's opening match against Austria, AFP news agency published an article with the title: "Mbappe and the French team begin their mission at Euro 2024 as championship candidates".

The article recalls France's last European Championship win in 2000, when Didier Deschamps was a player and captain. Now as a coach, this is the trophy he still lacks after winning the World Cup and the UEFA Nations League.

"The French team is a strong candidate to lift the championship trophy on July 14 at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin," AFP emphasized. The daily Le Parisien also expressed confidence in the French team. The article in this newspaper on June 16 had the opening paragraph: "It has been 24 years, is this the right time? Les Blues believe in the championship and almost all of Europe is convinced of that.

The best team in the continent at the last two World Cups are now looking for a title at the Euros. That is indisputable. Deschamps' players will try to match the glory and end more than two decades without a trophy at the Euros." The article also believes that the home team will win against Austria.

Meanwhile, RMC Sport mentioned the history of the confrontation between the two teams. The interesting detail is that the first meeting between the two teams was nearly 100 years ago. Specifically on April 19, 1925, in a friendly match.

Since then, they have met 25 times. France has the upper hand with 13 wins, 9 losses and 3 draws. The last time France lost to Austria was in 2008 in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. "Before Austria, France was the team with more chances of winning," RMC Sport commented.

The famous sports daily L'Equipe has an article commenting on captain Kylian Mbappe's chances of winning the Golden Ball. Accordingly, although he is currently at a disadvantage compared to Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham, if he wins Euro 2024, Mbappe's chances will increase significantly.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dinh-cao-hay-vuc-sau-cho-tuyen-phap-20240617090939977.htm