Maignan, Koundé, Upamecano, Saliba, Hernandez… Five guards for an impregnable defense

Since the start of the tournament, the Blues have only conceded one goal (on a penalty) and owe this to an impeccable defensive organisation.

Rightly criticized for its lack of efficiency in front of the opposing goal (only 3 goals in 4 matches, with 2 own goals and 1 penalty), the French team has distinguished itself by its rock-solid solidity in front of its own since the start of Euro 2024. With only one goal conceded, on a penalty that was re-taken by Robert Lewandowski, Didier Deschamps’ team displays, according to advanced statistics, the most effective defense of the tournament.

Les Bleus only concede 0.66 Expected Goals per match (a statistic that calculates the number of goals a team should have conceded based on the danger of the shots they conceded), which is less than all the other favourites, such as Germany (0.74) or Spain (0.75). Romelu Lukaku, Cody Gakpo and Robert Lewandowski all failed to find a solution in the course of the game against the French lock, while the names of the four starting defenders were not yet clearly defined a few days before the start of the Euro.

Maignan, the perfectionist leader

Reclaiming the captain’s place and record holder for selections in the French team is not an easy thing. He did it naturally, by winning unanimous approval straight away. Mike Maignan has been impressive since his change of status in March 2023. A slight doubt about his physical condition had set in at the end of the season due to several physical problems, but the AC Milan goalkeeper ruled him out in no time. After four games, he has 100% saves (excluding penalties) in the tournament (11 saves).

“TEverything he achieves is through the fruit of his work. Every detail counts. He is someone very determined. You can see the difference in the expression on his face between training and the match. He wants to tear everything in his path.”explained his substitute in goal, Brice Samba, on Wednesday. Comments that echo what the French goalkeeping coach Franck Raviot told franceinfo: sport last spring: “He is a great professional with a capital P. He leaves nothing to chance, is very demanding of himself and pays attention to the smallest detail.”

“What stands out about him is that he pays attention to the smallest detail in everything he does. With Mike, it’s always straightforward. In the locker room, he often speaks up. The guys listen to him, it helps the group.”

Kylian Mbappé

to West-France

In this group that has become considerably younger, Mike Maignan is one of the leaders in the locker room despite the fact that this is only his first major tournament as number 1 and his low total of caps (20). In training as in matches, it is his voice that is heard the most on the field. Jonathan Clauss says of him that it is “someone who has a lot of charisma”but it’s not just a question of character. When you’ve kept ten clean sheets in your last 15 matches for the French team, you’re necessarily legitimate.

Koundé, maturity at the right time

For over three years, the debate over who should start at right-back has not found a truly convincing answer. Benjamin Pavard’s disgraceful entry and Jonathan Clauss’ overly offensive profile in Didier Deschamps’ eyes had made Jules Koundé a sort of default No. 1. A hard worker, the former Bordeaux player has come a long way to be more than that. Also used in this position at Barça (continuously since last January), he has found his bearings and gained confidence.

Transformed in this Euro, he was even named man of the match against Belgium on Monday July 1st. “I didn’t have any particular trigger. I’m continuing what I’ve done in recent months at Barcelona. I feel good in this team. I’m trying to adapt, even if my vocation is above all defensive.”the interested party soberly responded that evening. His progress in taking offensive initiatives was also noted, with five opportunities created. At 25, Koundé has reached a full maturity that is felt on and off the field, like his political stance and his clear call to block the extreme right.

Saliba, the quiet strength

Like Jules Koundé, his performances had never really convinced. But Didier Deschamps decided to start him in the wake of his great performance with Arsenal. Taking advantage of Ibrahima Konaté’s difficult end to the season, who was not 100% physically during the preparation at Clairefontaine, William Saliba started the Euro as a starter in a somewhat improvised manner. But being thrown in at the deep end, alongside another central defender with whom he had played little, did not prevent him from having an immaculate start to the tournament.

Not a big talker, he briefly returned to his profitable association with Dayot Upamecano. “We talk a lot during matches and training sessions. We have created something good.”he was content to say a week ago. More and more impressive with each match, he left only crumbs to Romelu Lukaku during France-Belgium. His speed and his quality of reading make him an exceptional player in one-on-one. Against Cristiano Ronaldo, he will have a new client on his back, Friday.

Upamecano, resilience through combat

During the 2022 World Cup, Didier Deschamps had brought out an Upamecano-Konaté hinge. Fully satisfied with this association, he never stopped repeating that it was his number 1 option until the preparation for the Euro. Finally, he only kept the first named, despite his very complicated season with Bayern Munich where he lost his starting place between March and April. Also a man of few words, he did not elaborate on his good performances: “Everything is going very well, we are qualified”.

In his partnership with Saliba, Upamecano is the one who tends to go more to the duel, to intervene by advancing. This role has seen him shine, with only one downside, the penalty conceded against Poland, with a late tackle in the area. “On the action, it’s going a bit fast. I could have done better, but if I let him control it, he might be alone in front of the goal. I made the choice to put my foot in”he analyzed, very pragmatically.

Hernandez, energy at the service of the collective

His speed and impact were well known, but there were questions about whether a four-back formation was the best option to both take advantage of his qualities and not be too penalized on the counterattack. In this sense, the rumor of a reorganization of the defense with three axials and a Theo Hernandez as a piston had emerged during the preparation. But Didier Deschamps kept his line of four, with the Milanese on the left, to continue to form a duo with Kylian Mbappé, making him the “strong side” bruises.

If he has not yet shown himself to be decisive offensively (like many of his teammates), he has largely reassured in his defensive role. Against Belgium, he sacrificed himself on a dangerous strike from Yannick Carrasco and made a last-minute and decisive return on the same Carrasco. We could almost forget that his brother Lucas would probably have started in his place if he had not been absent because of his serious knee injury.