France And Uruguay Unconvincing In 0-0 Draw
June 11th 2010 23:08
When Lassana Diarra was ruled out of the World Cup with an illness, Raymond Domenech shifted his team's formation from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-3. Surprisingly, he went back to the 4-2-3-1 against Uruguay, benching Malouda and starting Abou Diaby instead to play beside Toulalan. France started the game well, but they often got in each other's way in the final third, leaving Uruguay relatively unharmed.
Individualism was the key word for Les Bleus throughout this game as no one seemed to trust his fellow teammate to finish the play. Gourcuff was the most guilty of that behavior, wasting free-kicks by shooting at the net instead of looking for a cross and going for the shot instead of looking for the killer pass. Anelka seemed to want the ball all to himself as soon as France reached the edge of Uruguay's penalty box to the point of killing one of France's best passing sequence when – in an offside position – he took Diaby's through-ball destined for Govou who was speeding down the wing.
For all of France's failures in the final third, they did a great job in the middle of the pitch, disconnecting Uruguay's midfield from Forlan and Suarez. They did such a good job that Forlan often had to come back to pick up the ball and try to take on France's defense. One stat stands out in that regard: at half-time, France had six shots, Uruguay – one. La Celeste didn't help themselves by what seemed like a stubborn refusal to pass the ball to Suarez who had a disappointing night, marred by numerous offsides. Still, Forlan was very dangerous and France had to count themselves lucky when his half-volley from the penalty shot veered wide of the goal halfway through the second half.
It looked like France would grab the opportunity to take the lead when substitute Nicolas Lodeiro was sent off after picking up two yellow cards in less than twenty minutes of play (that has to be some sort of record) but the entrance of Henry, Malouda and Gignac didn't bring the expected spark.
In the end both teams played poorly. Yes, they canceled each other out tactically, but the individuals themselves didn't have a great match. The next game should tell us more about the two teams.
My man of the match: Diego Perez
Individualism was the key word for Les Bleus throughout this game as no one seemed to trust his fellow teammate to finish the play. Gourcuff was the most guilty of that behavior, wasting free-kicks by shooting at the net instead of looking for a cross and going for the shot instead of looking for the killer pass. Anelka seemed to want the ball all to himself as soon as France reached the edge of Uruguay's penalty box to the point of killing one of France's best passing sequence when – in an offside position – he took Diaby's through-ball destined for Govou who was speeding down the wing.
For all of France's failures in the final third, they did a great job in the middle of the pitch, disconnecting Uruguay's midfield from Forlan and Suarez. They did such a good job that Forlan often had to come back to pick up the ball and try to take on France's defense. One stat stands out in that regard: at half-time, France had six shots, Uruguay – one. La Celeste didn't help themselves by what seemed like a stubborn refusal to pass the ball to Suarez who had a disappointing night, marred by numerous offsides. Still, Forlan was very dangerous and France had to count themselves lucky when his half-volley from the penalty shot veered wide of the goal halfway through the second half.
It looked like France would grab the opportunity to take the lead when substitute Nicolas Lodeiro was sent off after picking up two yellow cards in less than twenty minutes of play (that has to be some sort of record) but the entrance of Henry, Malouda and Gignac didn't bring the expected spark.
In the end both teams played poorly. Yes, they canceled each other out tactically, but the individuals themselves didn't have a great match. The next game should tell us more about the two teams.
My man of the match: Diego Perez
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