@buzor042_@_Yurdy You can’t say Brazil let him down, he didn’t do much either. Both of them have been average for Madrid in 2 years now. They are not good team players, always want to show off. Kylian is just a better scorer.
People still don’t deep how complete this France team actually is.
You see these two CBs? The best two space defenders in world football. At the same time, they’re build-up cheats, and at the same time they have perfectly complementary defensive profiles.
Upamecano is the aggressive one. He steps out early, attacks the duel, wins the first contact and kills transitions. Saliba is the calmer one. He sweeps behind, reads danger, covers space and almost never looks rushed. It’s just like Saliba playing with a better Gabriel.
If you want to play in behind, they’re probably the fastest top centre-back partnership in international football. If you want to press them, both are comfortable enough on the ball to break your press with either their passing or by carrying it forward.
When opponents press high, those two don’t panic. They invite the press, break the first line with progressive passes or by carrying the ball themselves, and France have turned a defensive situation into a dangerous attack. That’s why they’re so fluid.
Because of their quality on the ball, Kone doesn’t always have to drop deep to receive. The full-backs can push higher. The midfield can position themselves between the lines instead of constantly coming short. Even the front four receive the ball in better positions because the first phase of build-up is so clean.
It’s not just about completing passes. It’s about eliminating opponents with every pass.
Once Upamecano or Saliba break that first line, France immediately have numerical superiority in midfield. That’s why their attacks look so fluid. By the time Mbappe, Olise, Barcola or Dembele receive the ball, they’re already facing defenders running backwards instead of organised defensive blocks.
Then look at what is in front of them. Kone protects the space, the full-backs recover quickly, and the front four press aggressively. It means the centre-backs are rarely exposed, but even when they are, they have the athleticism and intelligence to deal with it.
This is why France look so complete. They don’t just have world-class attackers that can score from nothing, they also have one of the hardest defensive foundations to break down.
France have the best firepower up front and arguably the most complete centre-back partnership in the tournament behind it. Crazy fr.
Funny how everyone rushed to post Neymar and Ronaldo in tears, yet Salah didn’t get a single tribute. The disrespect towards one of football’s greatest icons is genuinely unbelievable.
@FPLfrasier So that you can hype him and call him one of the best midfielder in the last decade even he has not played much. He will now flop and we regret again.