![]() France have made a decent start in the Euro 2016 if we look at the results- 2 wins in 2 games. That is definitely a good start if we look at the other favourites in this tournament. But these numbers are quite misleading. Out of the 4 goals in these 2 games, 3 have come late in the game with the hosts depending too much on the individual brilliance of midfielder Dimitri Payet to conjure something special in both the games. It is clear that the Blues are yet to show why they were considered as favourites prior to this tournament. The hosts faced some major off-field problems with Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema alleged to have played a part in blackmailing international teammate Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape. The Real Madrid striker was supposed to play an integral role for France in the Euros but had to be left out of the squad due to his involvement in the scandal. This made way for Olivier Giroud in the starting lineup who is quite different from Benzema. The Arsenal striker is more of a goal poacher and can be threat to the defence with his strong presence in the box. Benzema on the other hand is more complete as he possesses the ability to drop back and create space for wingers and link up with his teammates. France have struggled in this tournament and it has been largely due to the fact that Giroud has been ineffective in front of goal. While the Arsenal forward managed to get on the scoresheet in the first game, he had a terrible outing in the game against Albania as the team failed to register even a single shot at goal in the first half. Didier Deschamps has also been criticized for his team selection in the previous game as he left out stars Antoinne Griezmann and Paul Pogba for Anthony Martial and Kingsley Coman, fielding a 4-2-3-1 formation changing from the 4-3- 3 in the previous game- a move that proved disastrous for France as both failed to create any good chances in their time on the pitch. The team has been shaky at the back as well with regular starter Raphael Varane and Barcelona defender Jeremy Mathieu ruled out a few weeks prior to the tournament due to injury. This led to the inclusion of Adil Rami in the starting XI but his pairing with Laurent Koscielny hasn’t worked too well in the first 2 games with the opposition able to find some space upfront on a few occasions in both the games. France have to step up as they are looking like a shadow of themselves at best. They have been really lucky so far in this tournament and have relied too much on West Ham midfielder Dimitri Payet who is in the form of his life. He has been instrumental on the left hand side of the attack and has caused all kinds of problems for the defenders. But its uncertain that how long this can continue and sooner or later they might falter against difficult opposition. They have a great team consisting of some of the best young players in the world and if they rediscover their form on time, they can be unstoppable. Author - KRISHNA GULATI
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