It seems like only yesterday that Kylian Mbappé was a fresh-faced teenager, his knee slides propelling Monaco to the Ligue 1 title and a place in the Champions League semi-finals. He is now 24, a Paris Saint-Germain player and the captain of France. Is this a new era for Didier Deschamps’ side or is it just a reminder of how quickly time moves as one ages? On the evidence of France’s two wins in the international break – 4-0 over the Netherlands and 1-0 over the Republic of Ireland in Euro 2024 qualifying – the evidence points to the former.
The current France side bear little resemblance to the one that became world champions in 2018 and, after a raft of international retirements (Raphäel Varane, Steve Mandanda, Karim Benzema, the captain Hugo Lloris), one can even make the case that they have little in common with the team that lost the World Cup final in December – save Mbappé, the evergreen Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud. Some of this is circumstantial, with injuries waylaying the careers of the erstwhile midfield linchpins Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kanté, as well as the defender Presnel Kimpembe. But, more than ever, an incredible generation of footballers is coalescing around Mbappé, who looks very happy to take on the mantle of captain.
It would have been easy for Mbappé to ease up in these matches. He will have been frustrated by PSG’s elimination from the Champions League (and Coupe de France) but, rather than let up on the throttle, he instead showed all the more determination to succeed with his country, a firm riposte to anyone who thought Adrien Rabiot or Griezmann might have been a better choice to take the armband from Lloris.
Mbappé, who played on the left of a 4-2-3-1, led his team out at the Stade de France against the Netherlands, as, if not an elder statesman, then at least an experienced head in the team. A ropey Dutch side provided surprisingly little resistance, even if they were diminished by illness and injury. They conceded twice inside the first 10 minutes, Griezemann and Dayot Upamecano scoring, before Mbappé added a pair of superb finishes to seal the result.
Mbappé was bullish, saying: “It’s up to us to create something – because there are a lot of players who left – to move forward again and win titles.” That said, even though he turned in a captain’s display on home turf, France were less assured in Dublin. The team looked more nervous against Ireland, but this tighter, cagier game showed off their strength at the back and illustrated why they are well placed to continue their relative hegemony in world football, having now reached the final of three of their past four major tournaments.
Mbappé’s influence was dimmed considerably in Dublin and, despite some fine saves from Gavin Bazunu, France needed a rocket of a goal from Benjamin Pavard to score the only goal of the game. Against a back three, Mbappé had little effect on the game, but some of his new teammates stepped up. Mike Maignan will be 28 in July, and despite winning league titles with Lille and Milan, he had made only five appearances for his country before this international break, having missed much of the season, including the World Cup, through injury.
It seem that Maignan – and not Alphonse Areola, who has been in Deschamps’ reckoning for far longer, nor Alban Lafont, who has been impressive in recent seasons – will be the successor to Lloris and Mandanda, a pair of goalkeepers who amassed 180 caps between them. Maignan had little to do against the Netherlands other than preserving his clean sheet by saving Memphis Depay’s late penalty. Against Ireland, however, he was far busier, especially in the last minute, making a pair of barely believable reflex saves to secure the victory.
He was hailed by L’Équipe as “Magic Mike” and there is plenty to like about the Milan keeper. As well as pulling off some great saves, his distribution, aerial presence and communication were all impeccable – which is not something we could always say about Lloris, despite all his success. Maignan does not have the experience offered by the Tottenham keeper but his performances suggest there is unlikely to be a drop-off at the back for Les Bleus, something that was seen as a potential problem after the departures of Lloris and Varane.
France still need an answer at right-back, even if Malo Gusto and Pierre Kalulu look full of potential. Jules Koundé and Pavard are experienced and relatively assured from a defensive perspective, but they lack dynamism. Even with those doubts, though, the defence looks very promising. Maignan looked impressive in his first real turn in the spotlight – and the same was true for Upamecano and Ibrahima Konaté in central defence. The Bayern Munich man started in the World Cup final against Argentina, but has had a chequered career for his country, looking world class at one moment and error-prone in the next. Konaté has been more steady for France, but has barely played for Liverpool this season, owing to both injury and the form of Joe Gomez and Joël Matip.
As a pair, however, they look to be finding their feet, even if Deschamps offered a reminder that they still had “room for improvement”. Despite those cautious words, the fact he deployed them again in Ireland shows the faith he has in them – and he also can also look forward to the return from injury of William Saliba and Wesley Fofana. Deschamps will want to construct a team with a strong foundation to maintain consistency and build confidence. Their two wins this week suggest they are well on their way and will continue to be contenders.
