How will France fare against surprise of the tournament Iceland ?

France have not quite hit top gear as of yet, they have persevered through close encounters with Romania, Albania and the Republic of Ireland only to ultimately come out on top thanks to the quality of Dimitri Payet and Antoine Griezmann. Didier Deschamps will be hoping that the likes of Pogba, Giroud and Matuidi can offer more to, at times an uninspiring French team. France lost central defender Rami to suspension and Deschamps has the option to bring in Barcelona bound ummmm Umtiti (a real name!) into the starting line-up or alternatively Manchester City's Mangala, a player who rarely goes 90 minutes without a heart-in-the-mouth moment. Further forwards Leicester midfielder Kante is also out of contention consequently one would expect Cabaye, Schneiderlin or Sissoko to come in, assuming Deschamps opts for the same 3 in midfield system. So how will France set up to break down a packed Iceland defence whilst also remaining wary of the counter attack ?


Option 1 :

France are almost certain to set up with the following in their starting line up:
Lloris, Evra, Koscielney, Sagna, Matuidi, Pogba, Payet, and Griezemann.
This leaves a central defence spot and a central midfield spot up for grabs. Additionally Giroud's starting spot as striker may be in contention.


Samuel Umtiti will be hoping to claim the spot alongside Arsenal rock Laurent Koscielny. The 22 year old is subject to a £20 million move to La Liga victors Barcalona. However Deschamps is far from the greatest admirer of Umtiti having previously criticised the Lyon man's performance in the Champions League. As a result Umtiti has NEVER played for the French first team and the match against Iceland may offer the chance for him to prove himself. French fans will be extremely nervous at the prospect of such an inexperienced player defining the outcome of such a crucial match.


Yohan Cabaye featured against Switzerland where he impressed alongside the explosive Pogba. The Crystal Palace man compliments the Juventus superstar fantastically, Cabaye has the ability to win the ball back and to distribute it excellently, even more so he will be comfortable to sit back and stop Iceland on the counter and allow Pogba to bombard up the pitch. Furthermore Cabaye delivers a quality set piece, notably penalties, which could be applicable  if honours are even after extra time.


Option 2 :

Alternatively France could opt for Mangala in defence ahead of the less experienced Umtiti.

The £32 million man has failed to live up to expectations for Manchester City, as a result he's acquired just 7 caps for 'La France'. However Mangala's case is that 7 is significantly greater than Umtiti's 0, which is sure to leave Deschamps tearing his (remaining) hair out. Mangala has delivered countless reckless displays for City, complete with poor positioning, comical individual errors and 10 yellow cards alone last season. Whilst Mangala may be a good ball playing centre back with a 87% pass accuracy last seaon, Deschamps will be concerned at Mangala's inefficiency in the air, especially with looping Icelandic throw ins looming. Such a selection issue has arisen for the 47 year old manager since Mathieu, Varane, Laporte and Zouma all fell victim to injury.

In order to provide protection in front of a questionable defence who have given away two penalties and kept just two clean sheets Morgan Schneiderlin may make his first contribution at the tournament. The former Southampton man came in for the injured Diarra to scrape into the French squad. The 26 year old has endured an underwhelming season for the Red Devils and by result has seen the defensive midfield spot inherited by Kante on every occasion. Deschamps knows Schneiderlin could carry out a professional job in midfield yet may be concerned about breaking down a compact Icelandic defense and opt for a more attacking threat (Sissoko).

Anthony Martial failed to impress on his tournament starting debut against Albania and was eventually substituted after a lacklustre display. However a question over Coman's match fitness and average Giroud displays could see the Manchester United man return to the starting line up as a right forward. The youngster obtained 17 goals after a £36 million move to Mancheter in what proved to be a successful campaign which exceeded all expectations. Despite his free scoring record for the Red Devils Martial has not registered a goal for France in 11 appearances. His introduction would see Griezmann move central and Giroud sat on the bench.

Option 3

The most attacking line up could see a change in formation for France to compensate for the loss of Kante in the heart of midfield. An attacking 4-4-2 without a recognisable holding midfielder could see France face Iceland with all guns blazing. Moussa Sissoko is highly regarded in France thanks to his desire to drive with the ball at his feet, most prominent after a full-pitch run against Switzerland saw a Payet volley crash against the bar. Sissoko would play wide right however would tuck in centrally if need be. The combination of two strikers up front, one a target man, the other quick and free to make runs could help get past the resolute Icelandic defence in a similar manner to France's second against the Republic of Ireland. However this could go horribly wrong for France if Matuidi and Pogba fail to carry out defensive duties, especially if Icelandic talisman Gylfi Sigurdsson ends up in space in the French half.

PREDICTION :

I am predicting an early goal for France and as a result a more open affair than Iceland would have hoped for. I expect France to go for option 3, Deschamps will have seen how few chances fell to the likes of Hungary, Austria and England against the Iceland unit, by consequence he will most likely opt for a more attacking, less cautious formation when compared to those seen previously. I predict a 3-0 victory to France and a MOTM performance from Pogba, after all his time is due.