Didier Deschamps, the French national team manager, is often seen as an optimist. Despite a somewhat underwhelming Euro Cup Score for France so far this summer – just three goals, two of which were own goals and one a penalty – his post-match comments after a 1-0 victory against Belgium in the round of 16 were characteristically upbeat. “My only regret is the number of shots we had and tried to put too much power into them, and they went off target,” Deschamps stated. “I’m immensely proud of what we’ve done, to be in the quarter-finals again.”
‘Crise? Quelle crise?’ – a question echoing the sentiment of Deschamps, but perhaps not his critics.
Deschamps’ tactical approach, often described as risk-averse and defense-oriented, draws criticism, especially considering the wealth of attacking talent at his disposal. However, history shows his teams know how to find the net. Looking back at major tournaments under Deschamps reveals a consistent goal-scoring record. At the 2014 World Cup, his first major tournament, France scored 10 goals in five games. This was followed by 13 at Euro 2016, an impressive 14 at the victorious 2018 World Cup, and 16 at the 2022 World Cup, with each of these latter three campaigns spanning seven matches as France reached each final. Even in the previous Euros three years prior, they managed seven goals in just four games.
This historical data translates to an average of two goals per game across Deschamps’ five completed major tournaments – a respectable figure.
France’s game often features bursts of attacking brilliance, scoring multiple goals in quick succession, rather than sustained dominance. However, Euro 2024 has presented a different narrative. Their Euro Cup score reflects a noticeable lack of clinical finishing. Despite ranking fifth in expected goals (xG) with 6.94 from four matches, indicating the quality of chances created, France are significantly underperforming in converting these opportunities. They’ve only converted one of ten ‘big chances’ – Kylian Mbappe’s penalty against Poland in the group stage opener.
France: Major Tournament Big Chances
| Tournament | Big chances | Scored | Conversion rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Euro 2024 | 10 | 1 | 10.0% |
| 2022 World Cup | 21 | 10 | 47.6% |
| Euro 2020 | 12 | 5 | 41.7% |
| 2018 World Cup | 9 | 5 | 55.6% |
| Euro 2016 | 15 | 7 | 46.6% |
| 2014 World Cup | 11 | 3 | 27.3% |
‘Ce qui s’est passe, Didier?’ – What’s going on, Didier?
While attributing this goal drought to mere variance is a simplistic explanation, a closer look at France’s missed chances, particularly their crosses and cutbacks, reveals recurring tactical patterns contributing to their low Euro Cup score.
One key issue is the insufficient number of French players entering the penalty area. Deschamps’ midfield trio, typically composed of Aurélien Tchouaméni, Adrien Rabiot, and the returning N’Golo Kanté, prioritizes control, ball retention, and defensive solidity. The creative spark and goal-scoring threat once provided by Paul Pogba from midfield has been absent since his last international appearance over two years ago.
“Even though we did everything we could to score, attack and create chances, we created a lot more than Belgium,” Deschamps argued after the narrow victory in Dusseldorf. “But we now have the ability to control our games a little more. It’s better to have the ball, attack, and force your opponents to defend.”
This echoed his sentiment following the 0-0 draw against the Netherlands, the tournament’s first goalless match. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had such control and created five or six chances. The only regret I have is that we weren’t clinical.”
He responded tersely to suggestions that his team’s play was unentertaining. “If they don’t like it, they can change the channel. Not scoring is the negative point,” Deschamps retorted, highlighting the frustration with the current Euro Cup score situation.
The draw against the Dutch exemplified France’s midfield setup. In one instance, Rabiot, positioned near the box with Marcus Thuram, received a one-two pass, placing him just seven yards from goal with only the goalkeeper to beat. Instead of shooting, Rabiot opted to pass sideways to Antoine Griezmann, and the opportunity vanished.
Typically, Kanté and Rabiot tend to remain on the edge of the 18-yard box during cutback situations. This positioning was evident even in their winning goal against Austria.
As Mbappe dribbled wide and delivered a cross, Griezmann was well-placed, but neither Ousmane Dembélé nor Thuram aggressively attacked goal-scoring positions or disrupted the Austrian defense.
Mbappe cross leading to own goal against Austria
Alt: Kylian Mbappe crosses the ball, leading to an own goal for France against Austria in Euro 2024, highlighting France’s indirect scoring methods.
France currently lacks a traditional penalty-box No. 9. Olivier Giroud, a Deschamps’ long-term favorite, now primarily plays a substitute role at 37. Karim Benzema, despite a recall for the 2022 World Cup after a six-year absence, withdrew due to injury and subsequently retired from international football. While Thuram boasts a prolific partnership with Lautaro Martinez at Inter Milan, his playing style is more focused on dribbling and transitional play.
Deschamps has alternated between Mbappe and Thuram as the No. 9 (and even Randal Kolo Muani during Euro qualifiers). Both tend to drop deeper, contributing to overloads but leaving a void in the box. Consequently, France frequently reaches cutback positions but lacks players positioned to capitalize on the final delivery, directly impacting their Euro Cup score.
Examples from matches against Poland and Austria illustrate this point.
French players outside the box vs Poland
Alt: Screenshot from the Euro 2024 match against Poland showing French attackers positioned outside the penalty box, failing to create scoring opportunities.
French players outside box during cutback vs Austria
Alt: Theo Hernandez delivers a cutback cross against Austria in Euro 2024, but no French players are positioned inside the box to receive it.
These examples are from France’s left flank attacks, but their creativity has been skewed towards the right – 44 crosses from the right compared to 27 from the left. Théo Hernandez hasn’t been utilized enough in behind, placing the creative burden on right-back Jules Koundé, primarily selected for his defensive capabilities.
France’s successful cutback strategy at the 2022 World Cup was built on positioning their best passers in optimal areas. Koundé leads France in open-play crosses at Euro 2024 with 13, followed by Hernandez with seven and Griezmann with five.
“We wanted to take out their wingers, and this worked well,” explained Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco, highlighting how opponents are adapting to France’s tactics and limiting their Euro Cup score potential.
Belgium defended in a compact 4-4-2 mid-block. France attempted third-man combinations on the left to release Mbappe or Hernandez but found more success with Tchouaméni’s switches to Koundé.
France switching play to Kounde vs Belgium
Alt: Animated sequence showing France’s Aurelien Tchouameni switching play to Jules Kounde on the right flank during their Euro 2024 match against Belgium.
Tchouaméni dropped into the left half-space, while Griezmann, playing as a narrow right-winger, pinned Belgium’s left-winger, Jérémy Doku. This created space for Koundé to advance on Tchouaméni’s long passes.
French switch to right flank against Poland
Alt: France initiates a switch of play to the right flank during their Euro 2024 game against Poland, aiming to create attacking opportunities.
From this position, Koundé and Griezmann combined. Griezmann played Koundé in, but only Thuram was in the box, resulting in a 6-on-2 defensive overload for Poland. Kanté remained on the edge of the box, further limiting France’s attacking presence and impacting their Euro Cup score.
Kounde crossing with limited options vs Poland
Alt: Jules Kounde prepares to cross the ball against Poland in Euro 2024, but finds limited French attacking players inside the penalty area.
Few French players in box after switch vs Poland
Alt: Concluding moment of the attacking sequence against Poland showing the lack of French players inside the box despite a promising crossing position.
This leads to the second issue: even when France does get players into the box, their runs are often ineffective.
This wasn’t a significant problem in previous tournaments where France relied more on counter-attacks. Deschamps’ teams often featured pace and dribbling on the wings, runners from midfield, and a target No. 9 for transitions.
Remarkably, in 30 games across Deschamps’ previous five major tournaments, France only failed to register a direct attack once. However, at Euro 2024, they’ve had zero direct attacks in two out of four matches against the Netherlands and Belgium, impacting their ability to quickly create scoring chances and improve their Euro Cup score.
Instead, France is now building attacks through longer passing sequences, partly to control games against more defensively organized opponents. These opponents are more inclined to sit back, wary of France’s past counter-attacking prowess and major tournament successes, including the 2020-21 Nations League title.
France has already generated as many cutback chances in four Euro 2024 games as in 11 matches across the 2018 World Cup (which they won) and Euro 2020 combined. Only Spain rivals them in cutback creation at this tournament.
Euro 2024 cutback creation statistics
Alt: Bar chart comparing cutback chances created by different teams in Euro 2024, highlighting France’s high number despite low goal conversion.
Against settled defenses, effective cutbacks require varied runs to disrupt defenders and provide the crosser with multiple options. Ideally, this involves a runner attacking each post, a player positioned between the six-yard box and penalty spot, and a late-arriving No. 8.
France has lacked these penetrating runs at Euro 2024. Against Belgium, despite a Tchouaméni switch to Koundé creating a cutback opportunity, France had three players in the box, but none made runs across defenders. Koundé’s accurate cross to Thuram resulted in a headed chance, but it was directed over the bar under pressure, failing to improve their Euro Cup score.
Lack of runs in the box vs Belgium
Alt: Tactical diagram showing France’s attacking setup against Belgium in Euro 2024, illustrating the lack of penetrative runs into the box.
Similar examples from the Belgium and Netherlands games further emphasize this point.
In the Netherlands game, France had a 3-vs-2 advantage in the box, but Rabiot’s underhit cross and Griezmann’s backward run resulted in a weak header. A reversed combination, with Rabiot attacking the cross and Griezmann delivering, might have yielded a better outcome, reminiscent of Rabiot’s headed goal from a Hernandez cross in the 2022 World Cup opener against Australia.
Underhit cross and backward run vs Netherlands
Alt: N’Golo Kante delivers an underhit cross during Euro 2024, contributing to a missed opportunity for France against Netherlands.
Poor run and missed header vs Netherlands
Alt: Antoine Griezmann makes a backward run and heads weakly, failing to capitalize on a crossing opportunity in France’s Euro 2024 match against the Netherlands.
Contrastingly, against Poland, Giroud and Griezmann demonstrated effective runs, culminating in Giroud getting a shot from Koundé’s cutback.
Good runs in the box vs Poland leading to Giroud shot
Alt: Olivier Giroud makes a well-timed run into the box against Poland in Euro 2024, receiving a cutback and getting a shot on goal.
Deschamps, known for his tactical adaptability, is currently struggling to find the right attacking balance to improve their Euro Cup score.
Against Belgium, France deployed a 4-3-3 formation with Mbappe and Griezmann flanking Thuram. In the final group game against Poland, a 1-1 draw, Mbappe led the line as No. 9, with Bradley Barcola on the left and Dembélé on the right. This contrasted with the Dutch game, where Dembélé remained on the right, but Rabiot played off the left, and Griezmann operated as a No. 10 behind Thuram.
A balanced forward line is crucial for attacking deep-lying defenses, allowing players to develop familiarity with runs and teammates’ tendencies. France has been practicing cutbacks in training, but replicating these in high-pressure game situations is a different challenge, especially to boost their Euro Cup score.
If France continues with this tactical approach, improvements on the left flank are essential. Currently, attacks can become predictable, relying on Mbappe’s individual brilliance.
France’s two most promising cutbacks in the tournament have originated from Hernandez getting in behind after combinations with Mbappe. Against Austria, a low cross from Hernandez narrowly evaded Griezmann. In the Poland game, a more assertive run from Dembélé across the wing-back could have resulted in a tap-in.
Good low cross from Hernandez vs Austria
Alt: Theo Hernandez delivers a dangerous low cross against Austria in Euro 2024, showcasing France’s potential for cutback success on the left flank.
Good cross from Hernandez narrowly missed vs Poland
Alt: Theo Hernandez delivers another effective cross against Poland during Euro 2024, narrowly missed by French attackers, highlighting the need for better runs.
Bradley Barcola could play a more significant role in addressing these attacking issues and improving the Euro Cup score.
Barcola, a wildcard selection for the tournament, debuted for France in the pre-tournament friendlies. The 21-year-old, seen as Mbappe’s successor at Paris Saint-Germain, possesses a contrasting profile. He excels at attacking the back post and is a proficient cutback passer, evidenced by his three assists for Alexandre Lacazette in Lyon’s 5-4 victory against Montpellier last May.
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Against Poland, Barcola’s presence created a four-player French attack on Dembélé’s cutback, drawing in the opposition’s right wing-back. This opened space for Hernandez to attack the box on a through pass, although his subsequent shot struck the post, again failing to improve the Euro Cup score.
Barcola run creating space for Hernandez vs Poland
Alt: Bradley Barcola’s run against Poland in Euro 2024 creates space in the box, highlighting his potential impact on France’s attacking play.
Hernandez shot hitting the post vs Poland
Alt: Theo Hernandez’s shot hits the post after a cutback play against Poland in Euro 2024, a missed opportunity to improve France’s goal tally.
“The most important thing for me is to adapt to the players and not the other way around. I’m not going to choose a system and put the players into it, I will make sure to choose the system relating to the players I have,” Deschamps stated before the 2022 World Cup.
Deschamps’ tactical flexibility has long been a cornerstone of France’s success. They have consistently adapted personnel, roles, and tactics across tournaments, while maintaining a strong defensive foundation.
However, at Euro 2024, their midfield and attacking profiles are more defined than before, despite possessing a squad brimming with goal-scoring talent. France’s combined goals from players in their Euro squads have increased tournament after tournament since 2016.
“The heart of the game in midfield is important, but above all it is attackers who make the difference, who win the matches,” Deschamps remarked in 2022.
As France prepares for a quarter-final clash against Portugal in Hamburg, improving their cutback execution or reverting to a more counter-attacking style is imperative if they are to increase their Euro Cup score and progress further in the tournament.
