Kylian Mbappe’s nose injury means France must adjust vs. Netherlands: How they could line up without star

France will enter the important UEFA Euro 2024 Group D clash on Friday with Netherlands in Leipzig are unsure about Kylian Mbappe’s availability. The Les Bleus captain broke his nose in the 1-0 win over Austria, while Oranje also won with a 2-1 victory over Poland. The Dutch also had injury problems, such as losing Frenkie de Jong It is Teun Koopmeiners shortly before the start of the tournament. Mbappe, however, is as talismanic as they come and would be a debilitating defeat for the French – even if it is just in the remaining group stage games.

This clash with the Netherlands is not as crucial as it would have been if the Austrians had managed to draw on Monday. However, it is still a great chance to secure a place in the round of 16 with one game to spare and one that Didier Deschamps will want to play. Mbappe trained on Wednesday with a bandage on his nose and spent part of training away from his teammates as France’s medical team continued to assess his recovery from treatment. A large part of the next 24-48 hours will be dedicated to mind games, but does Deschamps need a plan B?

We are looking for solutions if Mbappé is unable to start and lead Les Bleus against Oranje.

Tactics

It is unlikely that Deschamps will change many elements of his starting eleven, as his team started the tournament with a victory, but also did not concede a goal. With that in mind, the formation should be approximately the same, which will be good news for N’Golo Kante and William Saliba who were arguably the biggest winners in the 1-0 victory over Austria. However, this creates an intriguing scenario in attack, given there is really only one obvious direct switch to the XI – veteran substitute Oliver Giroud who came in Dusseldorf.

Previous XI: Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Hernandez; Kante, Rabiot; Dembélé, Griezmann, Thuram; Mbappe.

Oliver Giroud

Assuming Deschamps wants to continue as the focal point in attack, the solution would logically be Giroud. Tried and tested over many years with the French national team, his latest international tournament could yet see him start a game or two, including this one. The 37-year-old is linked to Major League Soccer but still has enough to offer based on his most recent season with Milan. Will it be enough to lead France to glory in Germany? Possibly not. However, it could be enough to help Deschamps out of this difficult situation, which is what matters most at the moment.

Marco Thuram

One slight change Deschamps could make to his XI is to place Marcus Thuram as the central attacking figure and bring in someone else on the left. O International The man is not a naturally solitary frontman and works best as part of a unit, but could thrive in a more centralized way if creativity levels were increased by adding someone to the group. Antonio Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele on the service line behind him. The big question is whether the 26-year-old is clinical enough for this type of responsibility.

Bradley Barcola

If that happens, there is an interesting possibility that Bradley Barcola could make the XI after a good second half of an encouraging debut campaign with Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes. The 21-year-old spent much of his first term in the French capital alternating with Mbappe on the left, so he is no stranger to stepping in for him and also creates the kind of chances Thuram or Giroud would need to do damage. against the defense of this Netherlands. Barcola may be a bit raw, but there is no doubt he is ready to step up and is capable of being a wild card that the Dutch will not enjoy trying to deal with.

Randal Kolo Muani

This one is a little less likely as it would likely require a change in system with two strikers in front of four midfielders. Thuram or Giroud with Randal Kolo Muani would have a great work rate, but not necessarily the goal threat that Mbappe brings and changing the dynamic that Deschamps chose to start this Euro is also not ideal, as the third game will probably be completely changed again – – especially if France have secured their place in the round of 16. Instead, the PSG player off the bench makes more sense and that’s probably how Deschamps plays.

Kingsley Coman

Probably the most unexpected option of all could be Kingsley Coman with the Bayern Munchen man in and out of good form and not exactly a regular under Deschamps of late. He has been rewarded with a role in the national team despite doubts over his future at club level in Germany as well, but there is a feeling that there are at least a few other options available to Deschamps before he goes down that route.