Without Mbappé there is no paradise

In a duel marked by the absence of Kylian Mbappé, who still feels uncomfortable with the mask and it is not a question of taking risks at this point in the Euro Cup, France and the Netherlands signed the first draw at nothing of the tournament. Curiosity or not, the fact is that without the Bondy star, who according to L’Equipe claims 100 million euros from PSG, there is no paradise. And it could have been even worse for Les Bleus if Xavi Simons’ goal had not been disallowed for a positional offside by Dumfries, which supposedly bothered the goalkeeper. A balanced dispute that went from more to less and in which Griezmann did not make a difference and wasted the clearest options of the Frenchmen. With this point, the two teams will play for first place on the last day, in which France faces Austria and the Oranje faces an already eliminated Poland.

The long-awaited match between a great favorite who does not fall in love and an ‘outsider’ who lacks stars, was well below the atmosphere in Leipzig, both in the stadium and in the central streets transformed into rivers through which dyed water flowed. of Orange. A tide in this refreshing and multifaceted city, cradle of classical music and also famous for the Peaceful Revolution of 1989 that facilitated the transition to a parliamentary democracy, a prelude to German reunification.

Confirmed that Mbappé was not prepared for a long and demanding battle, Deschamps brought out his conservative tendency. Instead of replacing the Bondy star with another striker, either Giroud or Kolo Muani, it turns out that he recruited Tchouaméni, absent due to injury from Real Madrid’s Champions League semi-final against Bayern. The merengue was positioned next to Kanté in the axis of a pure muscle midfield, Rabiot leaned to the left, Griezmann advanced his position and Marcus Thuram played as a striker. Koeman also had a surprise prepared for the ‘Oranje’. He played in the end with four in the back, not three centre-backs, and opted for Frimpong’s speed.

With these traces, the fact is that the crash started strong, surprisingly unstitched. In the first minute, Frimpong outran Theo Hernández, which has merit, but goalkeeper Maignan prevented the goal with a great save. Shortly after, Griezmann tried with his left foot from outside the area, but Verbruggen knew how to read his intention. The mattress player, the captain in charge of assuming more responsibility without boss Kylian, is much more active than against Austria. There’s a reason he has 131 caps and 44 goals, in addition to being a starter in six consecutive major tournaments.

The Little Prince threatens but does not hit

The Little Prince immediately showed his teeth again, but first the ball was left behind after an action by Rabiot that the Juventino himself should have finished and then his left-footed shot passed near the post. He acted as a leader, ordering his teammates to press higher and pulling the team, but it was not important. And Deschamps never tires of repeating that “there are no irreplaceable players, but Antoine is essential.”

In this messy but colorful round trip, Gapko, the best of the Dutch against Poland, appeared on the scene. He faked Koundé, drew the diagonal and tested Maignan, once again very successful. On the stroke of half an hour, the Barça defender himself saw Thuram’s unmarking, who started with De Vrij but filled the ball in front of the goalkeeper. From there, the duel declined, with hardly any news until the break beyond the glasses of water that were thrown at Griezmann when taking a corner.

After the restart, Deschamps became desperate when he saw Dembélé losing balls and giving away dangerous fouls, like the one Memphis crashed into the barrier. Very bad game from the PSG winger, another of those called to make a difference. France dominated more and more, but moved the ball slowly and Mbappé didn’t even warm up.

A long shot from Thuram and a high header from Tchouaméni in a strategic action preluded a key action in which Griezmann did not hit the target against Verbruggen when the goal was called. Koeman had to do something to change the dynamic, although the triple change occurred after the disallowed goal against Xavi Simons with great suspense in the review. Not even the old Giroud and the revulsive Weghorst could break the cerocerism.