Sans Kylian Mbappé resté sur le banc des remplaçants, les hommes de Didier Deschamps ont perdu (2-1) ce mardi 12 septembre à Dortmund en match amical. Les Français ne s’étaient plus inclinés face aux hommes de la Mannschaft depuis 9 ans.
The French team experienced their first defeat of the year as they fell victim to Germany’s sudden resurgence (2-1), despite being in crisis. This happened during a friendly match in Dortmund on Tuesday, September 12th.
Two days after Hansi Flick’s dismissal and Rudi Voeller’s appointment as interim coach, the future hosts of Euro 2024 could have feared the worst as they faced the undefeated French team in 2023, who were already almost certain of their participation in the continental tournament. However, it was the troops of Didier Deschamps who fell into the trap, probably underestimating the resurgence of pride from a struggling Mannschaft in recent months, who had just been humiliated by Japan (4-1) on Saturday.
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For this prestigious poster, a true classic of world football, the manager of the vice-world champion team decided to make six changes compared to the starting eleven that easily won against Ireland (2-0) on Thursday at Parc des Princes in the Euro-2024 qualifiers, sparing his star Kylian Mbappé, a first since November 30, 2022, and introducing a completely new defense.
The lack of consideration given to this inconsequential meeting, just a week before the start of the Champions League, was evident. The immediate consequence was that the experimental French team was understandably outplayed, conceding two goals. The first was scored by veteran Thomas Muller in the 4th minute, his 45th goal in 123 appearances, followed by Leroy Sané in the closing minutes (88th), just before Antoine Griezmann’s penalty reduced the deficit (89th). The French, who had kept a clean sheet this year before traveling to Germany, were generally let down by their naivety at the back, particularly the defensive partnership of William Saliba and Jean-Clair Todibo, who were not particularly supported by Benjamin Pavard on the right, who remains unreliable and unable to handle the pace of Serge Gnabry.
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What unleashed the 60,486 spectators at Signal Iduna Park, who even allowed themselves a wave in the first half.
Kolo Muani déçoit encore
If the defense wavered, the absence of Mbappé was keenly and logically felt. The statistic is revealing: France has not won any of their last three matches without the Parisian striker. Only Kingsley Coman stood out while Randal Kolo Muani and Antoine Griezmann, captain in blue for the second time, delivered a very poor performance. Kolo Muani, who aspires to displace the tireless Olivier Giroud from his position as the number one center forward for the French team, did not take advantage of the injured Milanese player to score points and once again became disillusioned, achieving very little against a German defense that was expected to be very vulnerable.
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Giroud can currently rest easy in regards to the Euro. The early exit of Ilkay Gundogan (25th minute), likely due to injury, could have destabilized the Germans, but the overall apathy from the French side combined with an unusual technical waste greatly facilitated their task. The substitution of Ousmane Dembélé (65th minute) for Coman also did not have the ability to change the situation, even though he made a few breakthroughs on a field he had previously played on during his time at Borussia Dortmund (2016-2017).
The neo-Parisian may make crazy differences with the ball at his feet, but he still lacks precision in the final move. Therefore, Germany held their ground and completely reassured themselves by defeating France for the first time since the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup. The French team will have to show a different face on October 13th in the Netherlands in order to secure their ticket to Euro 2024.
Réactions.
Aurélien Tchouaméni, a midfielder for France (speaking to TF1): « I wouldn’t say that he lacked desire, we were just less efficient than usual and at this level, it costs us dearly. Overall, I don’t think we played a bad game. We knew they were a struggling team, and they started the match very well, while we didn’t perform as well. However, I believe we managed to get into the game, but we lacked effectiveness in the opportunities we had. There are still things to work on. But let’s not forget the good period we are in. The last time we lost was a very, very bad feeling (the World Cup final against Argentina, 3-3, 4-2 penalties, NDLR). It’s never pleasant to lose, but that’s the nature of the game. »
Thomas Müller, Germany’s forward (in an interview with German television ARD): « It was clear to us that we would have to run a lot. France is a team that gives the impression that we can play with them, they sometimes give the ball to the opponent. Our quick opening goal did us good. We knew we would have a lot to do. This negative streak was not easy for us, the separation with Hansi Flick at the end of the week was a crazy situation. We must also congratulate Rudi Völler, Hannes Wolf, and Sandro Wagner. We managed to implement on the field what they suggested. We were rewarded at the right moments. It’s pleasing to win against France. But we must not overvalue this match, we still have a long way to go. It was a brief moment of emotional release. »
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