What makes the French so strong?

The European Championship has been running for a week, spread across the entire continent for the first time. My wish is that football helps to bring distraction, confidence and lightness to people affected by Corona. Stadiums with an audience are balm for the soul of sports enthusiasts.

About the group stage: All teams played, I often had the feeling that it was a David versus Goliath fight. Mostly with the same pattern: the team with better quality wins the game, is vastly superior and tries to crack the opponent's defensive concept.

If this is achieved with a goal, such as in the games Italy - Turkey, Belgium - Russia or Portugal - Hungary, space is created because the losing team has to take risks. Technically gifted players exploit these spaces mercilessly and convert this into goals and victories.

Spain and Sweden drew 0-0. © POOL / PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU

2 examples where defensive counterattack tactics worked for “David” were the Spain-Sweden and Denmark-Finland games. Here, the teams that were inferior on paper managed to keep the score at zero and provide dangerous relief on the counterattack. Germany played against the best team in the world But there were not only pairings “small against big”, but also real hits. Croatia-England, for example, or the game between the 2014 and 2018 world champions - Germany against France. This game could also be a possible final. It was high-class because it was tactically demanding and intense in the duel, but because of the few goal scenes it was only manageably exciting for the general audience. After the game, the German team boss Jogi Löw emphasized that his players had given everything and defended well, but presented little threat of scoring offensively. But Germany also played against probably the best team in the world.

What defines France? The team has been well-coordinated for years, all parts of the team defend with great solidarity, each of the strikers defends, gets behind the ball and maintains a connection to the midfield. Above all, the running prodigy Kante, who repeatedly closes dangerous spaces in front of the defense, and the duel monster Pogba are worth mentioning. The defense solves it as a group, goalkeeper Lloris is very experienced. The friend of the French attacking game is speed. They are almost impossible to stop when they counterattack. Mbappe in particular seems to be traveling in a Ferrari, while opponents often only chug along in Trabis. Just think of the running duel with Mats Hummels. So the path to the title leads through France. “Austria benefits from the Red Bull project” Let's look at our neighbors. Austria also benefits from the Red Bull project in the national team. Many players now have international stature, former Salzburg players such as Sabitzer, Laimer, Schlager, Lainer and Hinteregger have established themselves in the German Bundesliga, not to mention Alaba. The unpredictable Arnautovic can also make the difference. Austria has fulfilled its obligation against North Macedonia, now a point in the remaining two games could be enough for the round of 16, although a lot of hard work lies ahead. In Italy, the team is the star The football world has been raving about Italy ever since the win against Switzerland. While Switzerland disappointed across the board and can only hope to qualify with a win against Turkey, the “Azzurri” have already overcome this hurdle. Coach Mancini has sparked euphoria and is the right man at the helm. He recruits the team wisely and has found a sensible mix of players. The team has found a good balance between offense and defense and if the game requires it, they change the system immediately.

Against Switzerland, for example, Mancini changed the basic formation after subbing in several Swiss offensive forces. A 4-3-3 became a 5-3-2 or 3-5-2. The Swiss then ran into a wall and were punished with counterattack goals. But what impressed me most was that Mancini instilled an offensive spirit into the team. In contrast to previous times, Italy no longer maintains a lead, but continues to attack hungry for goals. In Italy, the team is currently the star. Players like Spinazzola, Berardi, Locatelli and De Lorenzo are still little known internationally and are therefore difficult to assess. Caution is still advised, the opponents will be of a different caliber from the quarter-finals at the latest.

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What makes the French so strong?

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