If past history is anything to go by, nearly half the world will be watching tomorrow morning as France take on Croatia in the World Cup Final. I've attempted to pour my love for football into an informative piece detailing what to look for tomorrow--whether you love football or are a casual interested in the human side of the game.
For those interested in learning more, Reddit is an incredible place to look--r/soccer is an excellent source of discussion, highlights, and news, r/footballhighlights is an amazing way to catch up on (or rewatch) past matches. The Players' Tribune is also amazing for human interest stories, their recent World Cup project of particular interest.
France
Manager: Didier Deschamps (captained the victorious 1998 team)
Previous Highest WC Finish: 1998 (champions)
The Story
This France squad came to Russia as one of the most talented teams in the tournament--with the incredible French talent development engine (excellently-profiled by Vox) turning out a veritable bumper crop. France was the 2nd-youngest team here in Russia, with an average age of 26 years, heralding the promise of future success.
By the numbers, France has been incredibly successful in recent
football history, this World Cup Final appearance its third in the last 6
tournaments. However, underneath this façade of dominance has lurked an air of turmoil—for
the nation of France has a tumultuous relationship with her national team. Since
the late 1990s, the French football team has been full of black and Arab players
with ties to France’s former colonies and overseas territories. And the team
has alternately served as poster child and scapegoat for the issues of
multiculturalism and religious diversity which have roiled the country’s recent
history.
When the squad has done well, such as in the 1998 and 2006
World Cups or Euro 2000, it has been celebrated as a symbol of the ‘rainbow
nation’, a place where “Black, Blanc, Beur” (blacks, whites, and Arabs) can
live in harmony. When it’s done poorly, its players have been skewered by thepublic and politicans as entitled “racailles” (a prejorative generally used to
describe immigrant inhabitants of the ‘banlieue’ suburban ghettoes characteristic
of the country). Further controversies such as the team’s 2010 revolt and issues with star striker Karim Benzema have only added further fuel to the
fire. (All of this is very well-covered in this amazing piece from the BBC, or
the Netflix documentary Les Bleus).
In recent years, it appeared that the country had once again
come to terms with its national team as they headed into Euro 2016, a
tournament hosted on France’s home soil—just like the 1998 World Cup in which
France won its first-ever championship. The tournament, conducted amidst the
backdrop of France’s recent struggles with homegrown terrorism and the rise of
an increasingly puissant right wing, seemed a ripe opportunity for an even more
diverse core of players to rally a nation divided. There was a cautious
national unity behind Les Bleus as
they navigated their way through a series of trials and knocked off the
reigning champion Germans en route to a final in Paris. Heavy favorites over
Portugal in the final, the French team allowed the scent of victory—of another
1998—to get to its head. And so it is not difficult to understand how flooring a
blow Portugal’s stunning extra-time victory at the Stade de France dealt to this nation and its team.
That 2016 match still hangs over the French team as it
prepares for an even bigger final 2 years later. Sure, only 9 of today’s
players were in the team two years ago, but among them are key members of France’s
central core—GK and captain Hugo Lloris, CB Samuel Umtiti, MFs N’Golo Kanté,
Paul Pogba, and Blaise Matuidi, and FW Antoine Griezmann. It’s clear that the
French have not easily forgotten the sour taste of arrogance unfulfilled, something
palpable in the cool professionalism and restrained manner in which they have
celebrated their knockout victories to date. I’d almost compare it to the
Germans in 2014, another heralded young squad whose failures to win in 2010 and
2012 hung over them all the way through their 2014 World Cup victory.
For the French, Sunday brings an opportunity to turn the
page on the past and temporarily seize the hearts of a nation even more divided—or
a chance for yet another spectacular failure to spill ink on an already-blemished
page.
Players to Watch
Kylian Mbappé - #10 - Forward
No paragraph about this 2018 squad can be written without a mention of Mbappé, football’s newest wunderkind, a star for whom no superlative is too aggrandizing. Since he burst onto the international scene a year and a half ago, Mbappé has raptured the interest of the footballing world. Heralded as the successor to Ronaldo and Messi’s title of “best player(s) in the world”, his recent €150M transfer to Paris Saint-Gernain made him the second-most expensive player in the world. All of this, at nineteen years of age.
So why is he so hyped? What makes him so good? Watch him
play, and you’ll begin to understand why.
To start with, he’s mind-blowingly fast, his blistering pace
enabling him to exert tremendous pressure on opposing defenses. He’s incredible
on the ball, a superb dribbler and fiendishly tricky—possessing an almost
Brazilian impudence to his flicks, stepovers, and dekes. He has a vision and
passing ability that transcends his age, seemingly always picking out the right
ball or pass. His movement off the ball is sublime -- he has a knack for
finding pockets of space or knowing when to drag defenders out and create room his
teammates. He seems humble and grounded, and has not shirked from rising to the
occasion—no moment too big for the young lad.
If he lacks anything, it’s consistency and maturity on the
pitch—his goalscoring tailed off in early 2018, and he has unfortunately
inherited a bit of PSG teammate Neymar’s flair for theatrics. But barring
injury, he seems poised to become the most complete forward in the game, a
cross between the elegant grace of Thierry Henry and the smirkingly arrogant
intensity of Ronaldo Feonomeno, with a bit of Ronaldinho’s flair sprinkled in.
He generally plays on the right wing, though he cuts in far
more frequently than a traditional winger. And he has license to rove
offensively—it’s not uncommon to see him hurtling down the left as the game
opens up.
Watch his performances versus Argentina (his runs to set up
the first goal and score the fourth, his touch and finish on the second), and
Belgium (feasting down the right-hand-side late in the game and his ridiculous would-be
assist to Olivier Giroud earlier on) to get a sense of who he is as a player.
N'Golo Kanté - #13 - Defensive Midfielder
There’s a funny saying that football fans have co-opted to describe N’Golo Kanté: Two-thirds of the earth is covered by water—the other third is covered by Kanté.
A joke said in jest—but only partially. Watch any France
match and you’ll see why—N’Golo Kanté is arguably the best defensive midfielder
in today’s game. Technically, a CDM should sit deep and centrally, just in
front of the back line—roving left and right as needed to break up attacks. But
you’ll see Kanté almost everywhere (check out his absurd touchmap vs. Uruguay) on
the pitch—closing down space high up, only to pick up a missed defensive
assignment in the box ten seconds later, breaking up an opposing attack and passing
to Pogba to spring Mbappé free on the counter. He has a tremendous defensive
intuition, seemingly knowing where to be at all times. And he seems to have a
third lung, because he NEVER stops running.
Kanté was a late bloomer, spending the first few years of
his career plying his trade out of the spotlight in France. But since he burst
onto the Premier League scene in 2015, he’s been vital to any team he’s played
for, leading Leicester City to the most unlikely Premier League title ever in
2016 before moving to Chelsea the following year and winning the title again
with his new club. And he’s the beating heart of this French squad, playing a
vital role in their defensive solidity thus far this tournament.
Watch the second half of the France-Belgium match (or any match,
really) for an exhibition in the indomitable force that is N’Golo Kanté.
Paul Pogba - #6 - Central Midfielder
The Manchester United star is a tremendously polarizing player, simultaneously (and rightfully) lauded for his brilliance when playing well—and criticized for his perceived immaturity and “disappearance” in big matches when playing poorly.
In this tournament, however, we’ve seen little of the “bad”
Pogba, and so much of the good. A central midfielder with a tendency to push
forward into attack, Pogba has excelled in the later matches of this
tournament.
Indubitably talented, Pogba is a brilliant midfielder on the
ball—a superb dribbler and passer with more than a few spectacular long-range goals
to his name. When he plays well, he retains possession admirably, using his
vision and technical ability to effectively transition the ball between defense
and attack.
And despite his relative youth at age 25, he’s truly
exhibited his leadership this tournament. He’ll be the first to admit France’s
failings in 2016, and he seems a key locker-room presence in helping his young
team maintain focus throughout this tournament.
Most impressive to me was his performance in the second half
of the Belgium match. After France took the lead, Pogba dropped back on the right-hand-side
as a quasi-extra-defender, using his aerial ability to keep Marouane Fellaini
in check and freeing up right back Benjamin Pavard to shut down Eden Hazard,
who had run rampant in the first half. All this, managed alongside his traditional
transitional midfielder role. It was an incredible display of selflessness—seeing
a player not commonly known for his defense exerting full energy on that side
of the pitch—one which exhibited just how dedicated Pogba is to this cause.
Olivier Giroud - #9 - Striker
The former Arsenal man is a bit of a head-scratcher. Watch a highlights video, and you’ll see nothing but insane goals (a common Reddit joke is that Giroud can share his “best goals” video with his grandkids and convince them he was better than Pele). He’s a tremendous header of the ball, and at times, his link-up play is as good as Karim Benzema’s. But he frequently struggles at the most basic of a striker’s tasks—putting the ball in the back of the net. At 31 years of age, he’s anemically slow, has the turning radius of a pregnant whale, and skies the easiest of chances even as he bangs in the most difficult of them.
But he’s somehow vital to this French attack. Take him off
the pitch (see: match vs. Australia), and the French fall flat, somehow unable
to string together more than two passes. His presence is vital in providing a
focal point for outlet balls, as well as occupying central defenders to free up
space for Mbappé and Griezmann to work their magic. If he plays well versus
Croatia (and can convert even one of the chances he will get), expect good
things for the French.
Style of Play
On paper, this team seems primed for offensive explosion—but
in practice they play more like Uruguay than they do Belgium. With the raw pace
of Mbappé and the brilliant passing ability of Antoine Griezmann and Paul
Pogba, this is a team that offensively thrives off exploiting space. And defensively-minded
Didier Deschamps believes that the best way to create this space is to sit back
and play on the counter.
So Les Bleus have
largely played in a tight, organized defense—happy to allow their opponents
ample possession but clamp down near the 18-yard box. Center-backs Rafael
Varane and Samuel Umtiti have been immense in heading away crossed balls
(though they struggled against crosses early on versus Uruguay), and the French
midfielders and forwards have proven amenable to playing ferocious defense in
their own half.
Fullbacks Lucas Hernandez and Benjamin Pavard have generally
been reluctant to push forward, and much of the French offense has come through Mbappé on the break, Kanté or Pogba picking up the ball deep and looking to
spring the young forward free into space. When it hasn’t been a counter, it’s
been a set piece,
Antoine Griezmann (who’s otherwise gone missing for the French) providing a prime
delivery for a teammate to convert.
But much of the French success has been predicated around allowing
(or forcing) their opponents to attack—either because France nabbed the first
goal (v. Belgium, Uruguay), or because of a team’s generally offensive strategy
(v. Argentina). We still haven’t seen the French succeed against a parked
bus, where creativity and clinical finishing are crucial in breaking
through.
And for me, those are this team’s weakest areas. Antoine
Griezmann (who plays forward for Atletico Madrid) simply has not been up to the
task of playing as an attacking midfielder, and in my opinion France has begged
for a more adept chance-creator like an Eden Hazard or Philippe Coutinho.
Indeed, much of the creative burden has rested on Mbappé shoulders down the
right side—showing again how vital he is to this squad. And unfortunately, the chances he has created
have largely been wasted, for France has been woeful in front of goal. Giroud,
Griezmann, midfielder Corentin Tolisso—all have failed to convert tantalizing
chances in the final third and take pressure off the French defense.
And its lacking offense, in my opinion, could be this squad’s
Achilles heel. I could easily see a match where Croatia sits back and denies
space, where the French have all the possession but only two key chances, where
Giroud and Griezmann bottle those opportunities, allowing the Croats a chance
for a late goal or penalties.
In fact, that’s almost
exactly what happened in that miserable Euro 2016 final. It seems that if the
French are to exorcise the demons of their past, they’re going to have to come
face-to-face with their biggest flaw in order to do so.
Croatia
Nickname: Vatreni
Manager: Zlatko Dalić
Previous Highest WC Finish: 1998 (semifinalists)
The Story
[Note: I won’t spend too much time here, as my knowledge of
Croatian football is limited at best]
As footballing nations go, Croatia is among the tiniest. At
3.4 million people, Croatia is the second-smallest nation ever to reach a World
Cup final (behind two-time champions Uruguay). It’s also an incredibly young
nation, coming into official existence as the first offshoot of Yugoslavia in
1991.
But despite its limited talent pool, despite the violent
conflict that marred its early years and forced many of its citizens into
exile, the Croatian Football Federation has somehow managed to find two “Golden
Generations” in its twenty-odd years of existence. The first, composed of a
Croat contingent of the former Yugoslav national team, reached the
quarterfinals of Euro 1996 and the semifinal of the 1998 World Cup (where it
was, coincidentally, knocked out by eventual champions France). After a barren
period with high expectations but little success, this current squad—with roots
in Slaven Bilic’s 6-year managerial stint—has once again catapulted its nation
to the fore of world football.
Players to Watch
Luka Modric - #10 - Central Midfielder
Widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world, the Real Madrid man has proven himself up to any task this World Cup. His best position is in the center of midfield (think +/- 20 yards of the halfway line), as a deep-lying playmaker with moderate defensive responsibility (Marcelo Brozovic plays the Kanté role for Croatia).
He’s elite in almost every skill of required of him, be it
dribbling, passing, vision, positional awareness, or defense. And as I
mentioned before, he has a motor that rivals N’Golo Kanté's—he never stops
running. He is integral in Real (and Croatia)’s game, picking the ball up deep,
retaining possession, setting up attacks with inch-perfect aerial balls. He’s
not going to show up on the stat sheet, as he doesn’t commonly get goals or
assists—but he is a master of the “hockey assist” (setting up the pass before
the pass(es) that lead to a goal).
For those more interested in the human side of the game,
Modric’s story is fascinating—his rise from a war-torn childhood to
international superstardom the stuff of movies, his recent controversy only adding to the mystery.
Nearly every Modric performance this WC is a trademark
performance, but his match against Russia garnered him tremendous praise.
Ivan Rakitic - #7 - Central Midfielder
A bit more of a direct attacking threat than Modric, the Swiss-born Rakitic excels at many of the same things (offensively and defensively) as his midfield partner. Won’t go into it too deeply, as I’d largely be copy-pasting from the above. However, I’d say he’s a bit less adept as a playmaker and a bit better at involvement in the final third—more aggressive at pushing forward to provide the final ball or crashing into the box to finish off a move. And he is a vocal, outspoken leader on the pitch—a second captain alongside Modric.
Haven’t watched too much of him this WC, so unfortunately
cannot recommend a key match of his.
Check out his Players' Tribune article for more great content
Danijel Subasic - #23 - Goalkeeper
As stated above, Subasic has pulled crucial saves out of his hat this World Cup—he will be crucial if the Vatreni are to prevail against France.
Ivan Perisic - #4 - Left Winger
Crucial down the left side versus England, Perisic will have another massive role to play against France. I think his ability to pressure left back Benjamin Pavard—who struggled early on against Eden Hazard—will be crucial in limiting France’s attack and sparking Croatia’s creativity.
Style of Play
Scrappy is perhaps the best way to describe this Croatia
squad. They’re more talented than the “Modric and a bunch of nobodies” label
gives them credit for, though Belgium or Brazil they are not. But boy, can they
run. And run. And run. They have twice equalized in the second half of matches
this tournament—and seem to get better and better as matches go on, their
insane stamina and unrelenting pressure carrying them where lesser teams have
flagged (they looked fresher in the 110th minute versus England than
the Brits looked in the 75th). And their mental fortitude is
something else—sustaining them through the battle of wills of two penalty
shootouts.
The midfield duo of Modric and Rakitic is the beating heart
of this team, and the two superstars have been at the peak of their powers for
much of this tournament, in all three phases of the game. Modric (a dark-horse
contender for the Ballon D’Or, if you’re to believe the Reddit pundits) has run
39 miles in 6 matches this World Cup—so many times looking on the brink of
collapse only to spring up and throw himself into a match-saving tackle.
Rakitic, though he hasn’t received the plaudits of his compatriot, has been
solid at his side.
Ivan Perisic has also been superb, especially in the match
against England, where his motor and drive were vital to the Croat comeback.
Striker Mario Mandzukic—the big, lumbering Juventus man—also came up big
against England, his awareness and finishing ability netting the match-winner
late on.
At the back, Dejan Lovren and Domagoj Vida have anchored a
solid, if uninspiring, defensive line. This defense is a bit slow on the wings,
though, struggling to keep up with Raheem Sterling early vs. England. If Kylian Mbappé can find an inch of room on the wing, he will eat these fullbacks alive.
My Thoughts:
An incredibly tough one. If both teams play to their expected level, France should easily dispatch the Croats. But I have serious doubts about France’s ability to handle the pressure (they’re bottlers) and their abysmal finishing gives me pause.
I’d be equally unsurprised with a 2-0 France victory or a
scrappy extra-time affair (all bets are off then), but my gut tells me France
will somehow prevail.
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