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kamilo87 t1_ixvv8me wrote

It’s nice to see them qualifying for the next round after so many “Holders” missed that chance in the last World Cups. Also Denmark wasn’t easy and they were able to complete that game.

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kbRED96 t1_ixvvlcx wrote

Wc curse broken❤️😌

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Dan19_82 t1_ixvy95x wrote

Technically yes, realistically not the first. Wales would have to beat England 4-0 to have a hope of stopping them from qualifying. Pigs would also have to grow wings and take to the skys.

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Islandgirl1444 t1_ixvykmx wrote

Good game to watch. Denmark held their own against the power of France.

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minos157 t1_ixw5xtr wrote

France looks good again, but without Kante I'm not sure they'll repeat. From the looks of things the tournament is really up in the air with no one team truly standing out above the rest yet, which is awesome.

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TheLightningPanda t1_ixwemct wrote

It can make a pretty big difference, not necessarily in a vacuum but some players can do a lot for advancing the ball and some have a very strong ability to create chances that others can’t do. When a single goal/moment can change a game, having a player that can create that goal or moment is key.

I don’t know what sports you follow, in terms of basketball it would be akin to losing a niche role player, like Andrew Wiggins in the finals. He’s not their best player, but he was insanely key in their success. In the NFL it would be like losing an o-lineman or two, it just hurts your chances to repeat if your game plan is focused around running behind those o-lineman.

I could also be talking out of my ass, but my understanding is he’s a huge deal in France’s general game plan.

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minos157 t1_ixwggxt wrote

As the other reply said it's not a yes or no and very dependant on why said player is important.

In this case Kante was an absolute beast of a holding midfielder last world cup for France. He basically dominated the midfield and gave France WAY more possession as a result.

Without him they are allowing more chances for opponents which will lead to more goals against which I think will ultimately cost them the competition, especially if it plays out how I think it will where they face Belgium or Brazil at some point on the way through the knockouts.

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Raphelm t1_ixwhwt5 wrote

Ugh, yes, I love Kanté. I don’t know how he manages to be everywhere like that, it’s like he has a twin. And he seems to have the most gentle soul, all shy and discreet despite being a beast on the field. It’s his absence I was the most disappointed to hear.

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minos157 t1_ixwiuz4 wrote

After that world cup, I don't know why Chelsea didn't just shove him into the exact same role and build a tactic around him.

It's similar to how I questioned why Belgium played KDB as a defensive midfielder at that world cup......

Lots of questionable coaching choices in soccer lol

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HamTillIDie44 t1_ixwj9ju wrote

This French team won’t hold against Brazil, unfortunately. Their attack is great but Brazil has a way more formidable attack. Likewise, France’s defense is horrible but Brazil’s is world-class.

If France meets Brazil on their way, they’ll get destroyed.

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the_real_rs t1_ixwqe8w wrote

Just an fyi but I think Chelsea used Kante just fine post World Cup 2018, they won the Champions League in 2020. As a Chelsea fan I can say that Kante’s biggest issue is that he’s missed 50% of all possible minutes since 2019.

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Yung_Corneliois t1_ixwrg4y wrote

“First team to qualify for last of 16”

Not sure about how it said in other languages but in English I’ve never heard of “last of 16” makes it sound like they were the last team to qualify for the round of 16.

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__JO__39__ t1_ixws9vs wrote

I genuinely think if Brazil lost Casemiro their chances would drop to something very close to 0. Even though his replacement is a decent player, I think there is no defensive midfielder at his level currently and they would lose all the defensive security that allows them to play such attacking football without being suicidal.

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Falconflyer75 t1_ixx0j3r wrote

So the team that began the European champions curse could be the team that breaks it

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HamTillIDie44 t1_ixx93mt wrote

Mbappe - vini (Mbappe wins by a small margin)

Dembele - Neymar (dembele who? 😂)

Giroud - everyone (Giroud would be on the bench for Brazil)

Griezmann - Rodrygo/rafinha/richarlison/Jesus (way better players)

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BretonDeter t1_ixxaage wrote

No fucking way you actually think that, you must be out of your goddamn mind lmao

Vinicius is good but he isn't even in the same league as Mbappé

Neymar is injured and Dembelé has had 2 first games that put all wingers of the WC to shame

Giroud is underrated but he makes others shine and opens up the game in huge ways, he's also France's top scorer of all time

Griezmann is the best attacking midfielder of the world cup rn, and it's not even close

France also has bundesliga's second top scorer on the bench

Idk if you've been paying attention, but offensively no team in the tournament even comes close to France's level of offensive play, and I've watched all of the big nations' games pretty much

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stxrxer t1_ixxmcsp wrote

Let’s hope they don’t peak too early, but that said, they look solid and are still the team to beat, and they look sharper at this point than they did in the Euro.

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HarmyG t1_ixxq02o wrote

Great, now they have little reason to be competitive in their next match.

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cesinsf t1_ixy66y2 wrote

They have the easiest group by far

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TheWholesomeBrit t1_ixyb654 wrote

I'm a Chelsea fan, Kante plays for Chelsea. He's incredibly key, BUT, he's not as good as he used to be, so I don't think he's as important anymore. They miss him, clearly, but even if he was back I don't think he would be the shining light they would hope he is.

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minos157 t1_ixyu3o0 wrote

They were tenth headed into the tournament. That makes them a dark horse, not a predicted winner or favorite.

A dark horse is a team that's good but not expected to win, Denmark fits that bill. If everyone came out of groups seeded by FIFA ranking there would.be nine other teams who would be predicted to win before Denmark.

Not sure how that doesn't make them a dark horse. It's also why I specifically called it out, to showcase that while I'm calling it an easy group, I was not discounting the talent of Denmark.

You'd have been better off reading my comment instead of being offended by it.

0

kharjou t1_ixz08k3 wrote

Who's the player who can score? Eden "big mac" hazard or romelu "bench warmer" lukaku?

They have a great goalkeeper and de bruyne is nuts but they have average forwards

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kharjou t1_ixz0heq wrote

Rabiot is doing amazing. Tchouameny is not as good tho. But griezmann is insane right now. Idk if you wat hed the match vs denmark but DAMN his performance was impressive. He was everywhere

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kharjou t1_ixz732j wrote

As a french fan I'm mainly worried about how unbalanced the skill level is. Kunde/pavard are not good enough to deal with world class players. Tchouameny is also not there yet. But at the same time watching griezmann, dembele, hernandez, upamecano , mbappe and rabiot at their current level is a pleasure. Its like we have an insane left side... and then deschamps just tries to stop the right side from sinking.

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deck4242 t1_ixzcdv9 wrote

A back to back would be a surprise, didnt happend in like 50 years

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saint-simon97 t1_iy001d3 wrote

Yes and no. Not as much as in say, basketball, but there are players who have an extreme importance either because they're decisive in their roles (eg players like Messi, Mbappe, etc) or because their replacements aren't good enough.

Don't think this applies to Kante personally but yeah.

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