EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — You might have wondered if some degree of uncertainty had crept into the minds of the French after Monday’s first World Cup knockout series, in which four-time winners Germany were eliminated by Paraguay and five-time winners Brazil defeated Japan only by a goal deep into second-half stoppage time. (No, Morocco’s victory over the Netherlands is definitely not an upset.)
We got our answer on a hot day in New Jersey as France cruised to a comprehensive 3-0 win over Sweden. The Swedes may not have been the strongest opponents, but they were crushed in the first half, giving the impression that Blues could raise their game at will. They only scored one goal but hit the post twice, narrowly missed out on creating several goal of the tournament contenders and limited Sweden to one shot on target.
The second half was a case of when France will score more, not if, and they were more cautious in adding two more goals. Two goals from Kylian Mbappe, two assists from Michael Olise and France continue on their way. –Gab Marcotti
How can France beat you? Let’s count the ways
Imagine a front four who either scored or assisted in the same World Cup game. Welcome to France: Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, Olise and Mbappe were unstoppable against Sweden on Tuesday.
It is simple, dynamic, beautiful, impressive – this is France. Danger is everywhere, confidence is high, and these players clearly enjoy playing with each other.
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Sweden was not a test. Even with a back five, sometimes switching to a back six or seven, they weren’t good enough to stop a fantastic four. But who could when Olise plays the way he does, with such creativity and talent, and when all four show such speed and skill?
“He does everything on the field,” Barcola said of the Olise postgame. “He works hard defensively and with the ball, makes great passes, creates danger and is a real pleasure to play with. He also has the ability to score and he came close, but that will come. He’s a genius.”
Five or six goals could have been scored in this game. Oliseh hit the post for a goal that would have gone down as one of the greatest goals in World Cup history had his scissor kick found the target. Mbappe was also in the post for another World Cup hat-trick.
There will be more difficult games ahead, but for now let’s all enjoy the magic of the French attack. — Julien Laurent
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France fans in Paris celebrate Mbappe’s goal in the match against Sweden
Finding France’s weaknesses is a huge task
Neither side is perfect, and neither is France. But identifying these vulnerabilities is a hell of a challenge.
You’ll probably have to go back to the worst half they’ve played in this World Cup, the first 45 minutes against Senegal. Even that looked like coach Didier Deschamps was tinkering with his front four for reasons only he understands. Once they were restored to where you expected them to be, things got much better.
The weak spots in the reserves lie in the backs and central midfield. Right-back Jules Kounde, despite his assists for Barcelona, is limited going forward and won’t be mistaken for Moroccan star Achraf Hakimi anytime soon. On the left, Lucas Digne, although competent, feels like “just a guy.” But even this is a little misleading. With France and Barcelona, Kounde gets (and uses) space because the players in front of him are so talented. As long as he can do that, he’s not a liability in attack, and in defense it’s like having an extra centre-back. And when Digne plays inside himself, he gets the job done and delivers a superb cross.
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You don’t want to go into midfield and help with the play, and maybe that’s the problem. Because while Aurélien Tchouameni is a beast in defense and Adrien Rabiot is big and strong and can strike from range, neither midfielder offers as much creativity. Against some fierce, assertive Dervish team, this could be a problem.
The thing is, few teams dare to test their press tolerance because if you press France you’ll leave acres of space behind. Nobody wants to compete with Mbappe and company. If France gets stuck, Olise could drop deep and become a playmaker. Or Deschamps could turn to his more experienced passers on the bench, such as Manu Kone and Warren Zaire-Emery.
Perhaps France’s greatest vulnerability is France itself. Of course it’s a cliché, but loose front fours can and do break down when given too much freedom. Sometimes they can be too nice, too beautiful, too in awe of their own talent – like a golfer admiring his drive, not realizing that someone is driving away in his cart.
I’m grasping at straws here. Anyone who wants to beat France will have to outplay them rather than exploit their weaknesses – and that’s no easy task either. — Marcotti
Mbappe continues to make history
When will Mbappe stop? He’s not done yet, I assure you, and the sky is still the limit for the France captain.
Another game, another brace against Sweden – he has now scored six goals in four games this tournament, after scoring two against Senegal and two against Iraq. He added two assists against Norway. He now has 18 goals in 18 career World Cup appearances, an incredible ratio and just one goal shy of Lionel Messi’s goalscoring record.
Keelan Mbappe now has the most goals in the World Cup playoffs among all players – nine. Al Bello/Getty Images
When Deschamps sent him off the field a few minutes before the end, the head coach of the French national team made a gesture with his hands, bowing in front of him. After his first goal, the first of the game, Mbappe ran straight to his boss to hug him. That goal was for Deschamps and his mother, who passed away last week.
At this World Cup, Mbappe played like a man possessed, determined to win it again and write his name in its history. — Lawrence
France is now the clear favorite to win it all
You can’t talk about a clear victory when you beat a poor Swedish team. But it was France’s best performance at this World Cup after already impressing in the group stage. Now there are four games, four victories, 14 goals scored and only two conceded – a demonstration of strength, flair and swagger.
“This is football, anything is possible… but personally I haven’t seen a better team,” Sweden coach Graham Potter said after the match. “Because of the quality they have on the pitch and the opportunities they have off the bench.”
They were considered favorites before this impressive win and will now be even more inclined to go all the way and win this tournament. There will be tougher games ahead, but whoever faces them (Paraguay next on Saturday in Philadelphia) will have to be very strong to stop them. The players and Deschamps know this very well.
France’s biggest weakness, apart from the two defenders, is perhaps that they can get carried away and become overconfident. Les Bleus has always had a problem., but this generation seems different and is therefore driven by the ultimate goal: a third final in a row and a third World Cup triumph after 1998 and 2018. — Lawrence
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What went wrong in Sweden’s match against France?
Sweden didn’t deserve to be knocked out
Sweden got in through the back door – finishing bottom of their qualifying group with two points from six games, but receiving a wild card into the UEFA knockout stages thanks to their Nations League ranking – and out through the back door.
Little is remembered about the World Cup in Sweden, apart from a 5-1 victory over Tunisia (who sacked their coach mid-tournament), but even that was a bit like fishing in a barrel. The best news is that midfielders Yacine Ayari and Lucas Bergvall are 22 and 20 years old respectively. Both have room to grow, but both have shown that they can be the core of the Swedish team for the next decade.
Additionally, striker Alexander Isak is still out of rhythm (as would be expected given the last 12 months) and is still nowhere near where he should be according to his transfer fee. Fellow striker Victor Dieukeres is one-dimensional, and as is often the case with one-dimensional players, he is much more productive when he has either talent or a consistent system around him. Both were missing at this World Cup.
Is there anything Potter could or should have done differently? In hindsight, it’s 20-20, but when there’s such a disparity in talent and experience in the starting XI, it’s hard to resist the temptation to just tighten up at the back and trust your more gifted guys to produce something. (Hell, in a tournament setting this sometimes even works.)
Potter followed this path. This took them out of the group, but also meant that they had little chance against the French.
“The stronger team won. We had to be perfect and even if we were, I’m not sure it would be enough, to be honest,” Potter said after the match. “I have no complaints about the players; losing to France is not shameful. It’s important for us to use this as a basis for further development.” –Marcotti