France look unbeatable but have never faced a team that can press them or control the ball — that might all change in the semi-finals

France eliminated Morocco connected Thursday and moved done to the semi-finals with a comfy 2-0 win. Reaching their 3rd consecutive semi astatine a World Cup, Deschamps' broadside look to person deed the highest of their generation. They look unbeatable astatine this moment.

The French person the champion attack, pb the tourney successful chances created and efforts hitting the woodwork, and person lone conceded doubly successful six matches, keeping cleanable sheets successful 4 of them. On paper, it is an extraordinarily balanced broadside wherever deficiencies are hard to identify.

That cognition is mostly accurate: France person precise fewer flaws. But determination is 1 item their opponents whitethorn privation to survey much intimately — a substitution that has possibly gone nether the radar successful their left-back position.

Attacking France down their near should beryllium a precedence astatine the World Cup

Lucas Digne has been France's left-back starter, but helium began the tourney connected the bench. Theo Hernandez was the archetypal prime and mislaid his place, mostly owed to underperformance. He was the weakest nexus successful the broadside some with and without the ball.

The opening lucifer against Senegal was the crippled successful which France struggled most, and yet they inactive won 3-1. They could, however, person fallen down successful the archetypal fractional aft 2 wide chances were missed by Nicolas Jackson and Ismaila Sarr connected the counter. Senegal's extremity came lone successful stoppage time, erstwhile the effect had already been settled, but it came precisely down the near broadside of France's defence.

Digne is simply a much reliable defender than Hernandez, but helium does not person the aforesaid carnal qualities arsenic Jules Kounde connected the other flank. He is shorter and little ascendant physically, and portion helium works hard to property and way backmost successful transition, helium tin beryllium susceptible successful isolated one-on-one situations.

The clearest mode to wounded France, therefore, whitethorn beryllium precisely to people the near broadside with idiosyncratic duels down the close flank. Especially due to the fact that that portion besides begins defensively with Kylian Mbappe — little suited to that function, contempt immoderate bully pressing moments — and Desire Doue, who is besides little coagulated without the ball.

Adrien Rabiot has played his portion successful covering that sector, and William Saliba has balanced his country responsibilities with attraction to the half-spaces for players looking to exploit the channels. But successful isolation, Digne whitethorn beryllium the people to onslaught successful the French antiaircraft structure. The occupation is that nary of their opponents truthful acold person recovered a mode to bash so.

After Senegal, who played good successful possession successful the archetypal half, nary different France hostile had the prime to instrumentality that approach. The broadside that came closest to causing Deschamps' squad existent problems was Sweden successful the past 32 — they had the astir incisive wide guardant successful one-on-one duels that France person faced: Anthony Elanga.

The pacey Swedish winger had a mixed evening and did not execute accordant success, mostly due to the fact that his broadside lacked the structural quality to make isolated situations for him, and yet ended with lone 39% of the ball. Even so, helium recorded 19 ball-carries — the immense bulk down the close attacking channel, pushing towards the container oregon the byline — and progressed a full of 89 metres with the shot astatine his feet.

After that, France faced a Paraguay broadside who surrendered possession wholly and a Morocco who operated that transmission otherwise — Brahim Diaz drifting wrong from the close arsenic a creator, to let Achraf Hakimi to overlap. Beyond the much measured build-up, Hakimi is not a prolific dribbler successful nonstop confrontations either, and the attack besides near Morocco's ain defence exposed connected Mbappe's broadside of the pitch.

In fairness, it is close to accidental that Digne and France's near broadside person not been genuinely tested astatine this World Cup. That could alteration successful a imaginable semi-final against Spain, wherever a Lamine Yamal duel could determine the necktie for the Spanish.

France person spent precise small clip successful antiaircraft shape

A imaginable clash with Spain could beryllium fascinating for different reason. Beyond an fantabulous wide guardant successful one-on-one situations to trial the near side, France could look for the archetypal clip an hostile that volition effort to power the crippled done possession.

France's 4-4-2 antiaircraft artifact has not been importantly tested astatine this tourney precisely due to the fact that they person not yet faced a broadside that either could oregon adjacent tried to suffocate them adjacent their ain goal. There is, of course, recognition owed to France for their precocious property that prevents opponents from gathering cleanly — crossed the archetypal 5 games, they registered 8 high-press recoveries that led to shots and scored 2 goals from those situations.

But the attraction of violative endowment could travel astatine a outgo successful organised antiaircraft phases. Against a ascendant Spain broadside that places much players successful midfield, France could find themselves outnumbered and forced to driblet deeper. Another vulnerability that has appeared, albeit a insignificant one, is the abstraction betwixt antiaircraft lines.

As a broadside built connected carnal strength and attackers who emotion to property and accelerate successful unfastened space, determination are moments wherever France take to support successful a mean oregon debased block, and permission gaps betwixt the lines that much susceptible opponents could exploit dangerously. Spain, for example, would instrumentality afloat advantage.

For comparison, nary knockout-stage hostile has managed a azygous expected extremity supra 1 against France, according to Opta data:

Sweden: 0.7 xG
Paraguay: 0.2 xG
Morocco: 0.1 xG

Against Belgium — who besides contention the semi-final spot with Spain — determination is simply a further consideration. The Red Devils property with exceptional strength and person shown results from it: they pb the tourney for full pressures (41), pressures starring to shots (15) and goals from property recoveries (four).

Nobody has pressed France with that level of strength yet, precisely due to the fact that they person not faced sides that request the shot truthful aggressively. It could beryllium different mode of hurting a squad that, until now, has hardly been troubled by anyone.