Champions of the planet, a squad thickness to rival anything global soccer has seen previously, a number of the very best young talents in Europe and also a head coach that has won everything, as a participant and for a boss.
The group is packed full of star titles from the greatest nightclubs, a lot of whom had genuinely excellent campaigns in 2020/21, on a private or club-collective degree.
Nevertheless, every nation they come up against will probably be hunting for the 1 weakness that they can exploit, the only region where France may not be in the highest degree on the afternoon – and this summer, for this particular tournament, possibly their main weakness is located in defence.
This isn’t to say they’re dreadful, or anything coming bad. Far from this, on the surface of it: one of their nine defenders from using this term independently, a Champions League winner and also two name winners may technically be discovered.
He’s the backup, combined with Clement Lenglet that has had an error-strewn year with Barcelona.
Normal left-back Lucas Hernandez was out and in all season long in Bayern’s Bundesliga effort. And trophyless centre-back newcomer Raphael Varane had everything could be best described as a combined season, in the core of Real’s back line that was regularly changed from necessity, but that saw its own share of mistakes against the 28-year-old.
Furthermore, a late-season injury along with a brief Covid-related lack meant he finished 20/21 with only three 90-minute trips from mid-March onwards, together with the operation that culminated in the brain being one at which he had been provided a genuine first-half run-around with a Christian Pulisic-inspired Chelsea. Varane is among those that has matched consistency using quality through time, but he fails to come into this championship anywhere close to his peak.
Together with him, it is going to be Presnel Kimpembe as Deschamps’ other rookie in the middle.
The 25-year-old is the chief of this PSG defence at the post-Thiago Silva age, but hasn’t attained the Brazilian’s degree of calm ability and elite conclusion. There stay rash minutes, episodes of doubt few and far between in comparison to Lenglet’s season, for certain, but nevertheless there.
Jules Kounde is another fundamental choice, also effective at filling in on the best. He is excellent, a real choice to substitute Varane punctually, but he’s one cap up to now. He is unlikely, barring accidents or absences, to be originally called upon.
