Doha: Fearing a repeat of their lucky escape four years ago, France manager Didier Deschamps has warned his players not to underestimate the Socceroos – even if, as two of them admitted, they have no real idea of whom they’re coming up against.
Les Bleus have been rocked by injury and dressing room divisions in the lead-up to this World Cup, with Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema the latest addition to an absentee list that includes two of the best midfielders on the planet, Paul Pogba and N’golo Kante.
Ibrahima Konate clearly doesn’t watch much of the A-League.Credit:Getty
As ever, there are suggestions of a divide within their squad that has the potential to consume their campaign – sparked by the return of Benzema to the national team fold after a six-year selection ban by Deschamps for his involvement in a sex-tape blackmail scandal with former teammate Mathieu Valbuena, as well as revelations by Pogba’s brother, which have been dismissed by the Juventus star himself, that he had engaged the services of a witch doctor to cast a spell on Kylian Mbappe to injure him.
And then there’s the ongoing tension between Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann, two certain starters for France in Wednesday morning’s (AEDT) clash with the Socceroos, whom French newspapers have claimed are “far from friendly” and share a stand-offish relationship that reportedly drips with jealousy.
Even accounting for the team’s fitness concerns and internal rifts, France have more than enough quality to safely account for Australia – but that was also the case at Russia 2018, when they only avoided a draw with the plucky Socceroos when Aziz Behich deflected a shot from Pogba into his own net with nine minutes to go.
Deschamps is not taking any chances, however, and has been eager to underline the “trouble” they caused them four years ago, although to what extent his players are absorbing the message or prepared for the likelihood of Australia’s tactical approach remains to be seen.
Youssouf Fofana, Kylian Mbappe, Ibrahima Konate train at the headquarters of Al Sadd SC.Credit:Getty
While Graham Arnold is using June’s Peru play-off win as a template for the high-intensity pressing he wants his players to replicate, Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate is anticipating Australia will sit off in defence and play in a low block.
“We watched them a bit on video. It’s going to be World Cup intensity,” Konate said.
“You have to take the heat into consideration, even if it’s going to impact both teams. There are a lot of teams who know that we have attackers who are very fast, they will surely wait for us. But we have to expect everything in this kind of game.”
It’s a bit much to expect the two-time World Cup champions to be studiously aware of the low-profile individuals within Arnold’s squad, with Australia ranked 38 in the world by FIFA – France is No.4 – and broadly dismissed as tournament cannon fodder by international media.
Eduardo Camavinga faced Aaron Mooy’s Celtic in the UEFA Champions League.Credit:Getty
But Konate and Real Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga, who fronted press conferences on Sunday (local time), have had relatively recent battles with two likely starters for the Socceroos, and were still none the wiser.
Konate, who joined the Reds this season after four years with RB Leipzig, squared off three times in the Bundesliga against Mathew Leckie at his peak, prior to his departure for Melbourne City – and Camavinga went toe-to-toe with Celtic’s Aaron Mooy in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.
It appears neither player left an impression.
“No, I don’t know any of the players individually,” Konate said.
A question to Camavinga on his battles with Ange Postecoglou’s Scottish champions, meanwhile, may have been lost in translation, with the 20-year-old instead providing a polite broader evaluation of the Socceroos.
“It’s a very good team,” he said. “If they were able to qualify for the World Cup, it’s because it’s a good team. We studied this team well with the coach and the staff, and we expect to have a tough game because they put us in trouble four years ago. We saw it in 2018 – they put us in difficulty, we worked on it, the coach warned us.”
Naturally, the big talking point in France is Benzema’s thigh injury, which has ruled him out of the entire tournament and piled more pressure on Mbappe’s shoulders to lead their attacking line.
“Kylian can do it. He is used to having everything on his back. He’s used to receiving this pressure,” Camavinga said. “I’m not worried about him. On a day-to-day basis, he seems at ease, and calm. If they think we are less scary [without Benzema], that’s up to them. I don’t worry what our opponents think about us.”
