ROFL , Don Andres Iniesta is laughing at you right now..
Game 15: France vs Albania
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) is joined by CEO Duncan Drasdo and Financial Director Andy Green from the Manchester United Supporters Trust for a special episode on all things behind the scenes at Old Trafford including a brief history of MUST and their aims today, views on INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe so far, and the Old Trafford regeneration.
ROFL , Don Andres Iniesta is laughing at you right now..
Bilic was class tonight on ITV. Joey Barton will be a pundit on TV 3 highlights package tomorrow ... Wonder why not the live games? 
Respect to Albania. They defended well. Italian coaching helps with that.
Can't wait to see the Frogs playing a decent side, Not sure when it will happen though , 1/4 or 1/2 sadly.
Patrice Evra won 17(!) aerial duels... more then the entire Albania team combined.
Congratulations to France.
But they have to do so much more if they want to win the Euro. They have been quite disappointing. If they keep up like this and end facing Germany, oh boy...
But they have to do so much more if they want to win the Euro. They have been quite disappointing. If they keep up like this and end facing Germany, oh boy...
Iniesta is such a classy player, absolutely brilliant! It's an honour to watch him play.
I just love Slaven, he's such a great lad.
France is by far the most disappointing 'so called' favorites so far (with Belgium) We can expect another 1-7 if Germany face them , like they did against Brazil , would be amazing.
Gotta hand it to West ham, it was very good business tying Payet down to a new contract before the last season finished. He's one of their highest paid players as well so it will take a lot to get him. He's class though.
SOmeone isn't happy that Benzema wasn't called up
Like Belgium, it's embarrassing to not get more from that mix of talent. Should have clear cut plans A, B, and C. So far, looks like it's just been a mashup of all 3
No, he is the guy who said in 2006 during the WC that Spain would send Zidane to the retirement home.
Can't help but think Martial would do a better job than Giroud up top for France. Giroud is a good striker but will always be just 'good'. Without pace you have to seriously special to play well as the lone striker - like Zlatan - so why not use Martial there?
Any French fans on here rate Giroud?
Any French fans on here rate Giroud?
Think they'd be better with Griezmann up top and Martial/Coman and Payet out wide. Gets the best out of Griezmann and Payet, who France should look to build around.
You think so? After seeing Griezmann play all over the front line this season for Atleti, I thought he always looked at his best in a strike partnership playing slightly behind Torres and at his weakest when he was leading the line.
With France's 4-3-3, he's best drifting from a wide position, IMO. If they went 4-4-2, I think he'd excel playing off Giroud but they lack Atleti's solidity in central areas in that system.
In a strike partnership would be ideal for Griezmann but I think he's a lot better centrally even as a leading striker than he is out wide - he has to do too much defensive work tracking back when he's out wide for France and is pretty uninvolved.
A false 9 role would be good for him I think. Nominally the most advanced but with plenty of freedom to drift about.
Yep, I'd agree. Griezmann's probably best centrally, and while Martial is as well he's also very capable of playing well out wide and delivering a decent performance there too.
Giroud is okay, but ridiculously unreliable when it comes to converting chances. God help France if they're in the final and relying on him as their main man up front against Germany or Spain.
Strangely i never thought about it, but a 4-4-2 could be great actually.
----------Lloris
Sagna-Rami-Koscielny-Evra
Sissoko-Kante-Pogba-Payet
---------Griezmann
----------Giroud
I put Sissoko there instead of Coman for balance's sake. I would have never guessed i'd end up writing an XI with him in it, but that formation looks promising to me.
Surely you are kidding?! Sissoko!?! Ignoring the fact that he's not even close to good enough/consistent enough, are you forgetting that he is a box to box central midfielder?
I think Albania have surprised a few people, they were unlucky not to get something out of both games they have played so far, although France wore them down eventually.
France remind me a bit of Arsenal last season, the main problem is midfield. Neither Kante or Matuidi can build from deep, both of their limitations being shown up yesterday. Meaning the attacking players are having to drop deep. Payet was supposedly playing off Giroud yesterday but felt like he was receiving the ball next to Kante at times.
Kante is beginning to resemble a young Lucas Leiva. Not quite the box to box player we thought. He could struggle in a bigger club where opposition teams sit deep rather than him sitting deep, a bit more guile required.
The feck? Not sure how you can suggest he'd struggle off the back of two games where he was restricted but still played well.
He hasn't played a box-to-box role for France.
I thought the same - Matuidi/ Kante reminded me of our problems playing Ramsey/ Coquelin against organised sides. Having most of the ball but no-one smart enough to dictate the play and quickly and consistently make the right pass to the man in space.
Kante was outstanding in both games I thought. His passing has been better than Pogba and Matuidi's as well.
Unlucky is a bit of a stretch about last night, France had much more chances but you are right in a sense because Albania looked more solid than expected. They are not easy to beat.
Agree with that. I still don't really get Matuidi to be honest, haven't watched a great deal of him but he doesn't seem much more than an athlete. Maybe I need to watch him more.
Agree with this - great athlete but seems to lack finesse. More suited to coming on late in the game and using pace
Germany haven't been that impressive. It is a very weird Euros so far.
Sure, France is very disappointing contrary to Portugal
Portugal aren't disappointing. They are meeting my expectations.
But France need to do a lot more if they want the title.
It's weird because of the expansion. The bigger teams aren't really giving all they got. And they don't need to, at least yet.
Portugal aren't disappointing. They are meeting my expectations.
But France need to do a lot more if they want the title.
Sure, France has to do more: lack of fluidity, fragile defence, midfield to be fixed.
Since Pauleta - unfortunately - Portugal hasn't found a top striker
I wish that was our only problem...
GFFN -THE VERDICT | Why Anthony Martial failed against Albania
This past Wednesday night against Albania, Didier Deschamps made a huge decision to swap Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann for Kingsley Coman and Anthony Martial.
For the latter, it wasn’t exactly the ideal start to his Euro 2016 campaign, as Martial was hooked off at half time by Deschamps because of his poor first half.
It was clear to all watching that Martial wasn’t quite ready for such an occasion, but what was the reasoning behind his poor performance? Tom Scholes takes a look at Anthony Martial’s game against Albania.
Too much, too soon?
Martial has only burst onto the international scene this past year, and his appearances in friendlies have been sporadic at best since making the move to Manchester United, so maybe the pressure of playing such a vital game in front of a packed out Stade Velodrome where the fans and the country were expecting a win was maybe a bit too much for him?
Sure, he plays at one of the biggest clubs in the world where expectations were high, but Martial has never been in such a pressure cooker situation like he was at the Velodrome last night.
The attacking runs that normally function well for Manchester United failed to work last night mainly because of the solidity and compactness of the Albanian defence. Martial couldn’t figure out how to adapt his game to the style and tempo of the match, as well as the disappointing quality of the pitch, and it affected him from the first minute.
A very long season for Manchester United:
Prior to the game last night, multiple media outlets in France compared the amount of games that each of the attackers have played this season, and Martial topped the list after he played 66 games this season for both France and Manchester United.
Martial’s first appearance for United came on September 12th against Liverpool, and it seemed that he played every game for the Red Devils from then until the FA Cup final in May.
Very early on in his United career, fans identified Martial as the star man, so the physical demand of being the attacking threat in a very defensive United side would have taken it’s toll on the former Monaco player.
Now, when it comes to the crunch of the European Championships Martial doesn’t seem able to keep up with the aggressive tempo. The toll of playing without a winter break for the first time in his career looks like it’s working against Martial this summer.
Not intelligent enough?
For players in the European Championships to really make a mark, it takes a lot of footballing intelligence to really make an impact. Players like Zidane who can turn the game by a simple pass know how to change their style to suit the tempo and the opposition.
Martial should’ve recognized last night that trying to run through the middle of the pitch was a losing strategy, and he should have followed the example set by Kingsley Coman on the opposite side and tried to cross the ball in, using his outstanding pace out wide.
Coman was able to recognize that he had to play closer to the touchline, and used his footballing brain to do so, whereas Martial failed to do so. Maybe it was due to Coman playing in a Bayern Munich side who come up against teams similar to Albania who place 11 players deep behind the ball, and Coman has had to adapt each and every week. Martial’s career at Manchester United has so far been with a team who move the ball slowly and allow opposition defenders to come out and now sit deep.
It will come with time for Martial, but for the here and now, it was detrimental to Martial’s play.
Psychologically frail?
One of the criticisms that is leveled at Anthony Martial is that his character when things are not going his way does not positively impact his team. When he loses the ball or can’t get through the defence as was the case against Albania, his shoulders drop and he looks like he is unable to find it in his mind to dig deep and try and find a way to get through on goal.
In comparison, Coman on the opposite kept on plugging away, and continued to try to find a way to get in the cross. He never gave up, whilst Martial disappeared after being sounded out by the Albanians.
It is something that really needs to change in Martial’s game, because opposition sides will know that if they get on his nerves and rattle his cage essentially, he will flicker in and out the game and be largely ineffective, like he was on Wednesday evening.
With the performances of the likes of Coman, Dimitri Payet, Antoine Griezmann and Andre Pierre-Gignac, it seems that Martial’s tournament could be restricted to vary rare appearances off the bench.
He may get another chance against Switzerland seeing as France have already qualified for the knockout round, but, at this stage, it is very unlikely that he will start in the latter stages for France.
This past Wednesday night against Albania, Didier Deschamps made a huge decision to swap Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann for Kingsley Coman and Anthony Martial.
For the latter, it wasn’t exactly the ideal start to his Euro 2016 campaign, as Martial was hooked off at half time by Deschamps because of his poor first half.
It was clear to all watching that Martial wasn’t quite ready for such an occasion, but what was the reasoning behind his poor performance? Tom Scholes takes a look at Anthony Martial’s game against Albania.
Too much, too soon?
Martial has only burst onto the international scene this past year, and his appearances in friendlies have been sporadic at best since making the move to Manchester United, so maybe the pressure of playing such a vital game in front of a packed out Stade Velodrome where the fans and the country were expecting a win was maybe a bit too much for him?
Sure, he plays at one of the biggest clubs in the world where expectations were high, but Martial has never been in such a pressure cooker situation like he was at the Velodrome last night.
The attacking runs that normally function well for Manchester United failed to work last night mainly because of the solidity and compactness of the Albanian defence. Martial couldn’t figure out how to adapt his game to the style and tempo of the match, as well as the disappointing quality of the pitch, and it affected him from the first minute.
A very long season for Manchester United:
Prior to the game last night, multiple media outlets in France compared the amount of games that each of the attackers have played this season, and Martial topped the list after he played 66 games this season for both France and Manchester United.
Martial’s first appearance for United came on September 12th against Liverpool, and it seemed that he played every game for the Red Devils from then until the FA Cup final in May.
Very early on in his United career, fans identified Martial as the star man, so the physical demand of being the attacking threat in a very defensive United side would have taken it’s toll on the former Monaco player.
Now, when it comes to the crunch of the European Championships Martial doesn’t seem able to keep up with the aggressive tempo. The toll of playing without a winter break for the first time in his career looks like it’s working against Martial this summer.
Not intelligent enough?
For players in the European Championships to really make a mark, it takes a lot of footballing intelligence to really make an impact. Players like Zidane who can turn the game by a simple pass know how to change their style to suit the tempo and the opposition.
Martial should’ve recognized last night that trying to run through the middle of the pitch was a losing strategy, and he should have followed the example set by Kingsley Coman on the opposite side and tried to cross the ball in, using his outstanding pace out wide.
Coman was able to recognize that he had to play closer to the touchline, and used his footballing brain to do so, whereas Martial failed to do so. Maybe it was due to Coman playing in a Bayern Munich side who come up against teams similar to Albania who place 11 players deep behind the ball, and Coman has had to adapt each and every week. Martial’s career at Manchester United has so far been with a team who move the ball slowly and allow opposition defenders to come out and now sit deep.
It will come with time for Martial, but for the here and now, it was detrimental to Martial’s play.
Psychologically frail?
One of the criticisms that is leveled at Anthony Martial is that his character when things are not going his way does not positively impact his team. When he loses the ball or can’t get through the defence as was the case against Albania, his shoulders drop and he looks like he is unable to find it in his mind to dig deep and try and find a way to get through on goal.
In comparison, Coman on the opposite kept on plugging away, and continued to try to find a way to get in the cross. He never gave up, whilst Martial disappeared after being sounded out by the Albanians.
It is something that really needs to change in Martial’s game, because opposition sides will know that if they get on his nerves and rattle his cage essentially, he will flicker in and out the game and be largely ineffective, like he was on Wednesday evening.
With the performances of the likes of Coman, Dimitri Payet, Antoine Griezmann and Andre Pierre-Gignac, it seems that Martial’s tournament could be restricted to vary rare appearances off the bench.
He may get another chance against Switzerland seeing as France have already qualified for the knockout round, but, at this stage, it is very unlikely that he will start in the latter stages for France.
PLAYER RATINGS | France 2-0 Albania – How the French fared
Tom Scholes takes a look at the individual performances of Les Bleus tonight, as they defeated Albania 2-0 at the Stade Velodrome.
Hugo Lloris: 6
The captain wasn’t called upon much this evening, but when he did he dealt with any pressure fairly well. A clean sheet will do him the world of good going into the knockout stages.
Bacary Sagna: 6
A standard performance from the right back, who didn’t do anything spectacular, yet remained solid at the same time. Maybe his legs aren’t in the same shape they were a few years ago, but he is still able to put in the performances when called upon.
Adil Rami: 6
Again, a solid performance at the back where the whole defence was largely untested, but Rami did put in the cross for the opening goal late on. It was a superb cross considering who it was from, but this performance will give both him and Koscielny a huge boost in regards to their partnership.
Laurent Koscielny: 6
Similarly to Rami, Koscielny wasn’t tested much throughout the 90 minutes, but maybe he will look back and feel that he could have gotten his name on the score sheet. The Arsenal man found himself in some good positions off of dead balls, but couldn’t convert any of them into goals.
Patrice Evra: 5
Evra has looked shaky since the first group game against Romania, largely due to his fatigue late on in games, and this game was no different. The Juventus full back started off well enough, but as the game went on, he found himself being late into challenges and losing his man too often.
Seeing as France have already qualified for the knockout stages, maybe Didier Deschamps could draft in Lucas Digne to see how he fairs.
N’Golo Kante: 6
An unusual performance from the Leicester City man, who didn’t exactly live up to his high standards that everyone expects from him. Every pass seemed to go astray, but fortunately his fitness levels going into the latter stages of the game allowed him to have an advantage going forward compared to the Albanian midfielders.
Hopefully as the Euros keep going, Kante plays more like the player that we have become accustomed to seeing for the Premier League champions.
Blaise Matuidi: 5
The PSG midfielder is usually a superb attacking threat whilst also being able to defend when needed, but tonight he just wasn’t up to his usual standards, just like Kante.
He gave the ball away a lot, and failed to win back possession in the middle of the park, but again his superior fitness levels kept him going, and eventually his workhorse mentality got him through the 90 minutes. I really do hope we get to see the real Matuidi sooner rather than later.
Kingsley Coman: 6
The tricky winger was drafted in for Antoine Griezmann for this game, and showed in glimpses why he is one of the best young talents in European football. Coman was the threat attacking wise for France in the first half, but couldn’t get a good enough end product to make it matter. Hopefully he gets another chance against Switzerland, but tonight was his big chance to show what he can do from the start.
Anthony Martial: 3
Similarly to Coman, Martial was the replacement for Paul Pogba (never easy boots to fill at the best of times), but couldn’t make an impact on the game at all. Martial was poor and was hauled off at half time for Pogba, but in his defence he rarely got any service for any chances. He tried to run at the Albanian defence, but he just kept getting the same results, and Deschamps took him off before Martial’s play became borderline madness.
Dimitri Payet: 7
It may not have been the same rousing display we saw last Friday at the Stade de France against Romania, but it was just as important. His goal deep into stoppage wrapped up the victory for Les Bleus, but he was a constant threat all night long, especially when he was moved out to the left wing, where he delivered some tantalizing crosses into Olivier Giroud.
Olivier Giroud: 5
Giroud had chances to add to his opening goal from last Friday, but the best he could do tonight was hit the base of the post with a deft header in the second half. It was a “typical” Giroud performance where he missed multiple chances, but the game wasn’t suited to his style of play. He will need to become a lot more lethal in front of goal as the tournament progresses, but Didier Deschamps will have to recognize in games that he may not be the best option in front of goal.
Substitutes:
Paul Pogba: 6
After being dropped pre game, Pogba came on at half time for Anthony Martial, and immediately changed the dynamic of the game. The switch to 4-3-3 with Pogba’s introduction forced Albania to change their game plan and defend further out wide whilst keeping an eye on Pogba. He looked fresh and he looked ready to play, but he couldn’t grab a goal, but did provide a superb cross-field pass in the build up for the final goal.
Antoine Griezmann: 5
Like Pogba, Griezmann was dropped to the bench, but came on late on to great affect. His goal deep into normal time sent French fans into disarray and bailed out Les Bleus, but his pace did change the game too. Albania struggled to cover all the ground and keep up with Griezmann’s pace, even though the Atleti man was virtually anonymous throughout, and France will hope he can take this into the latter stages of Euro 2016.
Andre Pierre-Gignac: 6
A short but sweet appearance for Gignac in his former home of the Stade Velodrome, his appearance in the game sparked an ambition in the French attack that Giroud failed to provide. Gignac is a beast of a man, but also has enough pace to cause damage to the defences. Gignac may not be the most fashionable of strikers, but he will be an absolute gem for France going into the knockout rounds.
Tom Scholes takes a look at the individual performances of Les Bleus tonight, as they defeated Albania 2-0 at the Stade Velodrome.
Hugo Lloris: 6
The captain wasn’t called upon much this evening, but when he did he dealt with any pressure fairly well. A clean sheet will do him the world of good going into the knockout stages.
Bacary Sagna: 6
A standard performance from the right back, who didn’t do anything spectacular, yet remained solid at the same time. Maybe his legs aren’t in the same shape they were a few years ago, but he is still able to put in the performances when called upon.
Adil Rami: 6
Again, a solid performance at the back where the whole defence was largely untested, but Rami did put in the cross for the opening goal late on. It was a superb cross considering who it was from, but this performance will give both him and Koscielny a huge boost in regards to their partnership.
Laurent Koscielny: 6
Similarly to Rami, Koscielny wasn’t tested much throughout the 90 minutes, but maybe he will look back and feel that he could have gotten his name on the score sheet. The Arsenal man found himself in some good positions off of dead balls, but couldn’t convert any of them into goals.
Patrice Evra: 5
Evra has looked shaky since the first group game against Romania, largely due to his fatigue late on in games, and this game was no different. The Juventus full back started off well enough, but as the game went on, he found himself being late into challenges and losing his man too often.
Seeing as France have already qualified for the knockout stages, maybe Didier Deschamps could draft in Lucas Digne to see how he fairs.
N’Golo Kante: 6
An unusual performance from the Leicester City man, who didn’t exactly live up to his high standards that everyone expects from him. Every pass seemed to go astray, but fortunately his fitness levels going into the latter stages of the game allowed him to have an advantage going forward compared to the Albanian midfielders.
Hopefully as the Euros keep going, Kante plays more like the player that we have become accustomed to seeing for the Premier League champions.
Blaise Matuidi: 5
The PSG midfielder is usually a superb attacking threat whilst also being able to defend when needed, but tonight he just wasn’t up to his usual standards, just like Kante.
He gave the ball away a lot, and failed to win back possession in the middle of the park, but again his superior fitness levels kept him going, and eventually his workhorse mentality got him through the 90 minutes. I really do hope we get to see the real Matuidi sooner rather than later.
Kingsley Coman: 6
The tricky winger was drafted in for Antoine Griezmann for this game, and showed in glimpses why he is one of the best young talents in European football. Coman was the threat attacking wise for France in the first half, but couldn’t get a good enough end product to make it matter. Hopefully he gets another chance against Switzerland, but tonight was his big chance to show what he can do from the start.
Anthony Martial: 3
Similarly to Coman, Martial was the replacement for Paul Pogba (never easy boots to fill at the best of times), but couldn’t make an impact on the game at all. Martial was poor and was hauled off at half time for Pogba, but in his defence he rarely got any service for any chances. He tried to run at the Albanian defence, but he just kept getting the same results, and Deschamps took him off before Martial’s play became borderline madness.
Dimitri Payet: 7
It may not have been the same rousing display we saw last Friday at the Stade de France against Romania, but it was just as important. His goal deep into stoppage wrapped up the victory for Les Bleus, but he was a constant threat all night long, especially when he was moved out to the left wing, where he delivered some tantalizing crosses into Olivier Giroud.
Olivier Giroud: 5
Giroud had chances to add to his opening goal from last Friday, but the best he could do tonight was hit the base of the post with a deft header in the second half. It was a “typical” Giroud performance where he missed multiple chances, but the game wasn’t suited to his style of play. He will need to become a lot more lethal in front of goal as the tournament progresses, but Didier Deschamps will have to recognize in games that he may not be the best option in front of goal.
Substitutes:
Paul Pogba: 6
After being dropped pre game, Pogba came on at half time for Anthony Martial, and immediately changed the dynamic of the game. The switch to 4-3-3 with Pogba’s introduction forced Albania to change their game plan and defend further out wide whilst keeping an eye on Pogba. He looked fresh and he looked ready to play, but he couldn’t grab a goal, but did provide a superb cross-field pass in the build up for the final goal.
Antoine Griezmann: 5
Like Pogba, Griezmann was dropped to the bench, but came on late on to great affect. His goal deep into normal time sent French fans into disarray and bailed out Les Bleus, but his pace did change the game too. Albania struggled to cover all the ground and keep up with Griezmann’s pace, even though the Atleti man was virtually anonymous throughout, and France will hope he can take this into the latter stages of Euro 2016.
Andre Pierre-Gignac: 6
A short but sweet appearance for Gignac in his former home of the Stade Velodrome, his appearance in the game sparked an ambition in the French attack that Giroud failed to provide. Gignac is a beast of a man, but also has enough pace to cause damage to the defences. Gignac may not be the most fashionable of strikers, but he will be an absolute gem for France going into the knockout rounds.