Next up in our series of World Cup 2014 articles, we cast an eye over Group E favourites, France. Didier Deschamps’ side could be set for significant investment over the group stages, with a trio of kind-looking fixtures on the horizon – up first, they face Honduras on Sunday June 15 at 8pm before squaring up to Switzerland five days later at 8pm and then taking on Ecuador on Wednesday June 25 at 9pm:
Road to Qualification
The French finished second to Spain in a group that also included Finland, Georgia and Belarus. Winning five and drawing two of their eight matches, their home loss to the defending champions proved costly and forced them into a play-off with Ukraine. After losing the first leg 2-0 on their travels, Deschamps’ side looked dead and buried but a change in tactics from 4-2-3-1 to 4-3-3 proved pivotal and saw them rack up a 3-0 win, thus progressing to next month’s tournament by the narrowest of margins.
Most Starts Hugo Lloris, Franck Ribery (10), Patrice Evra (8), Karim Benzema, Blaise Matuidi (7) Mathieu Valbuena, Olivier Giroud, Paul Pogba, Laurent Koscielny (6), Mamadou Sakho, Yohan Cabaye (5)
Most Goals Franck Ribery (5), Karim Benzema, Olivier Giroud (2)
Most Assists Franck Ribery, Mathieu Valbuena (5), Karim Benzema (2)
The Key Targets
Deschamps’ decision to retain the 4-3-3 system in the subsequent two friendlies has earned back-to-back wins over Holland (2-0) and Norway (4-0) and suggests that his side could be set to pick up the Fantasy points at both ends of the pitch in the group stages, at least.
At the back, most of the likely starters ply their trade in the English top-flight. Hugo Lloris is nailed-on between the posts, whilst Laurent Koscielny, Patrice Evra and Mathieu Debuchy are also favoured to be named in the XI, with Eliaquim Mangala, Rafael Varane or Mamadou Sakho set to battle it out for the role alongside the Arsenal man in the heart of the back-four. In FantasyiTeam, Debuchy is the cheaper of the two full-backs at 5.8 to Evra’s 6.0, whilst Koscielny is more budget-friendly than either, coming in at 5.7.
In central midfield, Paul Pogba and Blaise Matuidi should get the nod regardless of formation. Those two would expect to make up the double-pivot in a 4-2-3-1, though the introduction of Yohan Cabaye as a deep-lying option in front of the back-four has allowed both Pogba and Matuidi license to bomb forward and score against Norway and Holland respectively in recent friendlies. Cabaye is the cheapest of the three in in FantasyiTeam at 6.1, with Matuidi coming in at 6.2, whilst Pogba, at 6.7, could still be worth the extra outlay if he can replicate the form that produced seven goals and seven assists for Juventus last term.
Franck Ribery missed the friendly win over Norway earlier this week as he continue to struggle with a back problem. The Bayern Munich man (available for 7.6 in FantasyiTeam) is on course to be ready for the start of the tournament, though, and with five goals and five assists in qualifying, it’s crystal clear just how crucial his contribution will be for Les Bleus.
Real Madrid’s versatile Karim Benzema seems the most nailed-on of any forward. Available to play in any of the front three positions in a 4-3-3, he could also be fielded in “the hole” or as the most advanced forward in a 4-2-3-1 and perhaps offers a greater guarantee of game time over Olivier Giroud, who will either play through the middle or be forced onto the bench. It’s potentially significant that Deschamps opted for Benzema (priced at 9.8 in FantasyiTeam) as the lone striker in th crucial second-leg play-off clash against Croatia, though the Arsenal man – who sets you back in 9.0 in FantasyiTeam, arrives in decent form, with a finely-taken double against the Norwegians on Tuesday evening.
The Long Shots
Mathieu Valbuena started six of the final seven qualifying games and has more than merited his place in the squad at the expense of Samir Nasri. The Marseille man proved a crucial creator for the French, teeing up five assists, and turned in another hugely impressive showing earlier in the week by producing a trio of assists in the 4-0 win over Norway. Valbuena could shine on the right of a 4-3-3 and at just 6.1 in FantasyiTeam, has the potential to be a bargain if he can nail down a starting role.
Alternatively, Antoine Griezmann could be the man to watch. The 23-year-old is much in demand after firing 16 goals for Real Sociedad last term and has been linked with a move to Arsenal over the summer – available for 7.7 in in FantasyiTeam (and classified as a forward), he’s started each of the last two on the left of the front three but could also switch flanks to accommodate Ribery when the tournament gets up and running.
Further Analysis
Group A – Brazil,Cameroon, Croatia, Mexico
Group B – Australia, Chile, Holland, Spain
Group C – Colombia, Greece, Ivory Coast, Japan
Group D – Costa Rica, England, Italy, Uruguay
Group E – Ecuador
Fantasy iTeam
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Our League name is Fantasy Football Scout and the pin is 4915.
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