France’s Rollercoaster Ride in the League of Nations: Comedy and Chaos
Ah, the French football team. Always a source of flair, passion, and… well, a fair bit of confusion! Picture this: deprived of their star magician Kylian Mbappé and the recently retired showman Antoine Griezmann, France meanders through a 4-1 victory against Israel in the League of Nations. They’re like a fancy restaurant serving a soufflé that falls flat—technically a win, but does anyone really feel satisfied? One can only hope they haven’t used all the good ingredients on that 4-1 scoreline because it feels more like a mildly entertaining punchline in need of a punch.
Too Predictable, Yet Comfortably Mediocre
Welcome to the Bozsik Arena in Budapest, where the rain falls as consistently as Israel’s losses in this event—a delightful setting for a decidedly unremarkable match. In front of a committed fan base of 2,226, most of whom might have wandered in searching for a shelter from the downpour (and who could blame them?), Didier Deschamps’ squad strutted about like they owned the place—only to reveal they were merely renting on a month-to-month basis.
Let’s break this down: Eduardo Camavinga’s goal was like one of those unfortunate handshakes—awkward and unintentional! The Israeli goalkeeper, Omri Glazer, might have thought he was auditioning for a slapstick comedy with his hilarious gaffe. And, speaking of comedy, the equalizer from Omri Gandelman—sure, let’s just forget about him—was about as welcomed as a pop quiz on a Monday morning. It’s almost as if William Saliba mistook ‘marking’ for ‘taking a coffee break.’
A Team in Need of a Creative Director
With the departure of Griezmann and Mbappé absent due to injury—or as some might say, ‘injured but miraculously in prime form for La Liga’—the French team has found itself in a creative drought. They’re looking about as inventive as a five-year-old with a crayon, struggling to draw anything more than stick figures. Where’s the character? Where’s the imagination? Watching them is like reading a book where the protagonist doesn’t even remember their name!
The only silver lining was the return of Christopher Nkunku—refreshingly alive after a long injury layoff. He was like the breath of fresh air you didn’t know you were missing, and that goal of his? Beautiful! Now, if only he could’ve been a little more contagious in terms of performance. Meanwhile, Ousmane Dembélé had several chances that he inexplicably turned into near-misses—a bit like setting up a date and then forgetting to turn up. Don’t worry, Ousmane; we’ve all had those days!
The Pressure Mounts Ahead of Belgium
This victory will perhaps momentarily ease the load on Deschamps’ shoulders, but my goodness, does he have a task ahead! A trip to Belgium looms, and one can only imagine the tension in the air. If they thought Israel was a challenge, wait until they see the Red Devils—who undoubtedly have the measure of this French side, and let’s face it, they play just enough jazz to make the French blush!
In the grand tapestry of football, sometimes victories mask underlying issues. The question hanging in the air is: can this team reinvent itself? Can they weave a charismatic story rather than a series of predictable plot twists? One thing’s for certain, they better throw in some surprises before they find themselves laughing at their own misfortunes in Brussels!
So here’s hoping the French team gets their act together before the next show. They’ve got a few days to muster up some creativity before Monday’s kickoff. Otherwise, we might witness another classic instance of ‘what could have been’—and not the glorious kind, but the sort that leaves you scratching your head wondering if they’ve taken a detour off the ‘glory road’ entirely!
Deprived of its captain Kylian Mbappé and the newly retired international Antoine Griezmann, the French team did not force its talent to easily dominate Israel (4-1) in the League of Nations, offering itself a little comfort in a very complicated period, Thursday in Budapest.
Too predictable a game
In the tiny Bozsik Arena in the Hungarian capital, which hosts the home matches of the Israeli selection since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023 and the IDF counter-offensive in Gaza, and in pouring rain, the Blues released a rather mixed copy, hardly likely to raise questions about their level, only making the difference at the very end of the meeting. In front of a very meager audience (2,226 spectators), the troops of Didier Deschamps have, as in recent months, sinned in offensive animation and creativity, struggling to really get the game going against the 79th FIFA nation, who conceded a third defeat in as many outings in this event.
The essential was certainly ensured thanks to an innocuous strike from Eduardo Camavinga, helped by a gross hand mistake from the unfortunate Israeli goalkeeper Omri Glazer (7th), a great personal exploit from the returning Christopher Nkunku (28th) and two goals in the final minutes of Matteo Guendouzi (87th) and Bradley Barcola (89th). But this second success in a row after that brought back from Lyon in September against Belgium (2-0) will add nothing to the glory of the Blues. Because, in addition to a too predictable game, the vice-world champions gave themselves a little scare by conceding the equalizer in the 24th minute on a header from Omri Gandelman, strangely forgotten by William Saliba.
Lack of character and imagination
Enough to tarnish the performance of the Tricolores, who nevertheless really needed to boost their morale after the upheavals of the last few days, marked by Griezmann’s farewell and the Mbappé controversy, not called up to treat an injury to the left thigh but established by Real Madrid, Saturday in La Liga. Relieved of any technical leader, France logically lacked character and imagination. Criticisms that stick to this team’s coattails since the disappointing Euro-2024 during which it only scored one goal in the game.
Without Mbappé and with the departure of “Grizou”, Deschamps lacks experienced executives. If Israel did not really have the means to take advantage of it, the trip to Belgium on Monday risks being on a completely different level.
The main satisfaction on the French side came from Nkunku, too often injured and who returned to the selection for the first time since June 2023. In addition to his goal, the first in 11 selections, the Chelsea player, sometimes on the left, sometimes in the axis as in the second half, was rather active while Ousmane Dembélé experienced his usual waste despite several attempts (12th, 32nd, 44th, 52nd, 63rd).
This victory somewhat eases the pressure weighing on the shoulders of Deschamps, who has not yet succeeded in completely relaunching his team and chasing away the ghosts of the Euro. He has no interest in seeing his players collapse in Brussels in four days, otherwise he will continue to live in a zone of turbulence.
