According to L'Équipe, despite a friendly match victory, the French team's defense still leaves something to be desired.
On June 8, France defeated Northern Ireland 3-1. Although they won the game, France still conceded a goal. This is the fifth consecutive match in which France has conceded at least one goal. More importantly, France gave their opponents three chances in this match, which is slightly fewer than the 2-1 loss to Ivory Coast four days ago, but it is still concerning before the big test in the United States. In this match, Northern Ireland clearly focused their attacks on the left flank of the French defense, and this strategy proved to be well-founded. Due to Saliba's average performance and Konate's disappointing performance, it seems that the pecking order of the French center-backs has been reshuffled. Against Northern Ireland, Deschamps even replaced Saliba with Lacroix at halftime.
The lack of defensive solidity clearly displeases Deschamps. Gusto stated in the mixed zone: "It would have been better if we had kept a clean sheet tonight. These small mistakes will cost us, and we must solve these problems before the match starts, and we know that. As long as everyone focuses, these situations will not happen. It's better for them to be exposed now during the preparation phase than in the matches on June 17 or later."
Theo, the left-back who plays for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, started both of France's friendly matches, which is certainly a signal. In attack, his involvement is still valuable. Theo is still full of drive and aggression when moving forward. In the early stages against Northern Ireland, he also provided a wonderful pass for Mbappé.
However, Theo's defensive responsibilities were also exploited by opponents, leaving space for them to attack. In challenges, the former Milan player was not always rock solid. Digne came on as a substitute at halftime in the match against Ivory Coast and replaced him in the 62nd minute of Monday's match, providing more security in this aspect, although Digne is slightly slower in covering. If Theo had a head start in the early stages of preparation, his advantage may now have narrowed.
Despite being involved in Northern Ireland's goal, Upamecano remains a very reliable part of France's defense. Of the four defeats suffered by France since the 2024 European Championship, he was absent from two, namely 1-3 against Italy and 4-5 against Spain. In the other two defeats, 0-2 against Croatia and Thursday's match, he was either not on the field or had already been substituted when the opponent scored. His partnership with Saliba in central defense looks promising, although the Arsenal defender is currently experiencing some discomfort in his back. In Lille, he was substituted at halftime, which was planned before the match. In principle, Saliba is not experiencing any worrying discomfort and should be able to play in the match against Senegal at 3:00 AM Beijing time (CEST) on June 17.
The question is: if the Arsenal defender is unavailable during this World Cup, who will replace him? The initial choice should be Konate. But from the preparation phase, the situation is more like the future Real Madrid player's position has dropped, while Lacroix has gained opportunities due to his reliability in challenges and accuracy in passing. However, the Crystal Palace defender only has 4 caps for the national team, and his lack of international experience before a major tournament raises some doubts. Another option is Theo. He has experience, but is he still reliable enough?