One is not enough. Especially one against four. After the dreadful month of June for the Blues with two draws and two defeats, one of which was at home against Denmark (1-2), the idea of continuing their awakening must guide Didier Deschamps’ men this Sunday (8:45 p.m.) at Copenhagen for their final Nations League outing, coinciding with their last warm-up game before Qatar.
Less than two months from the World Cup (November 20 – December 18) and despite his list of injured, no one could be satisfied with a victory against the ghostly Austrians. Against Danes who we hope are more biting, the DD band passes a test of solidity with its resources of the moment.
Without Lucas Hernandez forfeit before the rally and without Jules Koundé, injured Thursday at the Stade de France, the coach will once again tinker with a defense, look for a new right piston, perhaps change the pair of recuperators in a “committed” meeting according to the coach. And see how all this little world resists the team of Kasper Hjulmand, still in the running to take the lead of the group.
Maintaining a Spirit and a Momentum
France remains in the dark, because of the absentees and its slowdown in June. Each exit serves as a cursor to locate it even if it knows how to transform itself in the competition. Four years ago, there were fewer injuries but as many uncertainties before Deschamps and his Blues became magic in Russia.
Of the victorious team against Austria, probably no more than five players will start at the World Cup, from Raphaël Varane to Kylian Mbappé via Jules Koundé, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Antoine Griezmann. Ferland Mendy, Youssouf Fofana and even Olivier Giroud are unsure of making the final list. This proportion drops again this Sunday, first mechanically with the injury of Koundé then because of the turnover, which situates the difficulty and the unknown in which the A are immersed and the observers to judge them.
It’s a test for the bench, perhaps, but not a repeat as Denmark cross our paths in the second game in Qatar on November 26, after Australia, before Tunisia. The challenge remains, with the desire to obtain at least the same result as Austria, which receives Croatia, to keep its place in the elite of the League of Nations. But above all, therefore, this desire to maintain a spirit and a momentum, seen intermittently against the proteges of Ralf Rangnick Thursday in Saint-Denis. It’s time to save the best for last, knowing that Denmark is only the beginning of the end.
