false start or real concern for the France team after its defeat against Germany, three months before the Euro?

Unrecognizable and beaten at home by an opponent said to be in decline, the Blues did not send a reassuring message on Saturday, but not to the point of throwing the achievements of recent months in the trash.

Before this gathering, Didier Deschamps announced that he had a fairly clear idea of ​​the list of players he intended to take for the Euro this summer. Implied: don’t expect there to be any major upheavals this month of March. Saturday evening, his team completely missed out on its last test against a major European team, Germany (0-2), which is also the host country of the long-awaited tournament.

As the content offered by the Blues disappointed, the players did not want to hide their faces or find a comfortable excuse. “We missed a little bit of everything”decided Lucas Hernandez at the microphone of TF1. “We were outclassed in all areas of the game”, extended Aurélien Tchouaméni. A few minutes later, Didier Deschamps presented himself at a press conference with a little less self-criticism.

Tired Blues?

In a nice preterition, the coach of the Blues minimized the failure of his team: “I don’t want to go into explanations that would be interpreted as excuses. The whole group arrived with fatigue and we had our share of physical problems too.” On three occasions, the impact of fatigue on his group was put forward. The other explanation for the defeat of his team lies, according to him, in the quality of the opposition proposed by Germany, which “a very good match”.

In twelve years in office, the coach has seen others. If he appeared marked, but not particularly worried, it is also because the meeting was a test. “It’s always good to have difficulties (…) At least we know what we have to do to perform well”, he wished to point out. As unsuccessful as it may be, the evening will not call into question the certainties built in recent years. We could even say that some come out strengthened.

The absence of Antoine Griezmann, his first since June 2017, was clearly felt. The score of the Blues lacked a link. Apart from a few solo numbers, by Kylian Mbappé or Ousmane Dembélé, there was nothing to sink your teeth into. “I didn’t need this match to know the importance of Antoine. But if Antoine had been there tonight, given the lack we had in many areas, that wouldn’t have been obvious either”analyzed Deschamps.

No need to question everything

Lost, the tricolor animation did not do any favors to Marcus Thuram, who had a card to play to establish himself as the holder at the forefront of the Blues attack. The latter did not exist. The public at Groupama Stadium may have expressed their preference for Olivier Giroud, but the latter experienced the same difficulties. The status quo is also in place in central defense, the performance of Benjamin Pavard not having been enough to reshuffle the cards. Deschamps’ favorite duo, Dayot Upamecano-Ibrahima Konaté, still has a bright future ahead of it.

The French team’s non-match looks more like a false start for 2024 than a regression. Without Antoine Griezmann, nor Kingsley Coman, nor Mike Maignan, after three months without the slightest gathering, all the conditions were not met to extract the quintessence of this very talented group. Above all, the friendly dimension of the meeting means that it has no real consequences on the future of the Blues. We can also give Lucas Hernandez the importance of opening the lunar score, conceded after only seven seconds of play. A scenario which should not happen again for ages. “It disrupted our match. We had to start from scratch, it changed the entire match”he lamented.

The problem is that there are not many matches left to perfect the adjustments of this extremely ambitious team. This gathering is the last before the players summoned for the Euro are entitled to final tests just before the tournament, during June. The attitude of Didier Deschamps’ players will be particularly scrutinized on Tuesday in Marseille, where a reshuffled team is expected to face Chile.