Nizhni Novgorod, July 6, 2018. The French football team is in the quarter-finals of the World Cup. A few days after taking out Argentina from Lionel Messi at the end of a Homeric match, with a “b…” strike from Maubeugeois Benjamin Pavard (4-3), the Blues know that another adversity, very different, awaits them. Against Uruguay, it is another Northerner who will be the detonator: Raphaël Varane.
1. An impressive Uruguay team on offensive set pieces…
When it comes time to face the Céleste, the Tricolores know that they will have to be extremely rigorous on set pieces. The Uruguayans scored 5 goals during the group matches, including 2 from free kicks and 2 from corners. It was a header from Gimenez, in the 89th minute, from a free kick which gave the victory against Egypt (1-0). It was from a corner that Luis Suarez offered success against Saudi Arabia (1-0). The Barça striker then planted a direct free kick against the Russians, before Edinson Cavani killed the match with a poorly pushed corner (3-0).
2. But a Celeste who can make mistakes behind
During the round of 16, won against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal (2-1), the Uruguayans conceded their only goal of the competition on a corner taken in two stages. Pepe, the ex-Real Madrid defender, planted a smashed header, benefiting as much from the movement and “blocks” of his teammates at the near post, as from the lack of marking of the Uruguayans.
3. Blues not at their best in the field
The Blues’ play in the group stage caused debate: victories against Australia (2-1), against Peru (1-0) and a calming match against Denmark (0-0). The madness of the round of 16 against Argentina (4-3), enhanced by Benjamin Pavard’s goal, did not mask a reality: the French, despite the quality of Griezmann’s left foot and the size of some of their players (Pogba, Umtiti, Giroud) have still not scored from set pieces (excluding penalties) since the start of the competition. One of the best opportunities was a header from… Raphaël Varane against the Peruvians from a “Grizou” corner.
4. A video service on point
In Istra, the place where the Blues have been staying since the start of the competition, Thierry Marszalek and Éric Dubray, the video analysts of the French staff, can rely on the upstream work of an entire team which has collected data for many months on the 31 other selections present at the World Cup. “ Video analysis is a very time-consuming field, assure Thierry Marszalek in the newspaper The World, during the 2018 World Cup. The twenty-minute montage presented to the players by the coach during the rallies represents 100 to 150 hours of work. Between watching the matches, discussing with the staff, pre-editing, final editing, dressing… »
5. The rift
Between the match against Argentina (June 30) and the match against Uruguay (July 6), the Blues had almost a week to prepare for this quarter-final, a unique luxury at the heart of competition. They also know that Cavani, Uruguayan idol, excellent leading player and not the last to come and help in defense, will be absent for the quarter-final.
By dissecting the images, the staff realized that the three best Uruguayan front players were placed in the center and had a tactic: move back before the opposing shooter sends his cross to then be able to regain their momentum and cut the trajectory of the ballsmoving forward, and therefore having a certain advantage over the attackers. Griezmann, one of the French players most fond of video analysis, knows this. Especially since two of the opposing defenders who use this little trick of mischief… play with him at Atletico Madrid (José Gimenez and Diego Godin).
6. The Trafalgar coup
To circumvent this preferential position of the Uruguayans, the staff asks Antoine Griezmann to perform a slight feint, if the situation arises, in order to create an imbalance in the well-oiled tempo of the opposing defensive triplet and of the entire Céleste defensive system.
7. Execution
In the 40th minute of this quarter-final, the opportunity is there. The free kick should be struck lightly from the right wing, about 25 meters from Muslera’s goal. Griezmann pretends to rush forward, stops on the last foot when sending the cross, steps back again and immediately carries out his cross with his left foot. This very brief period of time between his feint and his cross was enough to see the three Uruguayans already retreat. They are trapped, completely out of time. The space is there. Raphaël Varane rushes in and arrives launched. He majestically deflects the ball with his head and propels it into the opposite net. France leads and flies to the semi-finals (2-0, in the end with a second goal from Griezmann).
8. A golden suite
This victorious set piece will free the Blues at the end of the competition. In the semi-final, Griezmann, magnificent conductor, will place a corner on the head of Samuel Umtiti against Belgium (1-0). In the final, against Croatia (4-2), it’s sure an action similar to that carried out against Uruguay that the Blues will open the scoring. Varane will not be very far from deflecting Griezmann’s center distilled in the same area. It was ultimately Mandzukic who touched the ball to deceive his own goalkeeper. The Blues have just laid a first hand on their second star.
9. The France – Uruguay jersey
Antoine Griezmann and Raphaël Varane succeeded perfectly. Kylian Mbappé comes to congratulate them. – AFP PHOTO
This goal is the most important of the 5 scored by the former Lensois en Bleu (in 93 caps). Always very classy, Raphaël Varane will pass through La Gaillette, three days after the world title, to greet the employees of the RC Lens training center. He will also offer a great gift to Gervais Martel, president of his artesian years: the jersey worn when he rose into the sky of Nijni Novgorod to plant an arrow in the heart of the Celeste.
Raphaël Varane’s joy after his goal. – AFP PHOTO
Also read At AS Hellemmes Football, we remember the debut of Raphaël Varane
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Also read Jean-Guy Wallemme: Raphaël Varane “was the best player I had under my command”
Also read Raphaël Varane and “La Voix du Nord”, a long story
