World Cup 2022 team guides part 15: France | France

The reigning champions will miss Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kanté but there is quality up front with Kylian Mbappé leading the line

This article is part of the Guardian’s World Cup 2022 Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 32 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from two countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 20 November.

The plan

France come into this tournament as the defending champions and one of the deepest pools of talent from which to pick. Didier Deschamps said in announcing his squad that he will play a 4-3-1-2 formation, changing from the the 3-4-1-2 he used at the Euros last summer. The team’s recent results have been decidedly less than impressive with one win in six competitive matches, but at least Nations League relegation was avoided.

The loss of Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kanté through injury means the midfield that triumphed at Russia 2018 will have completely changed. Real Madrid’s Aurélien Tchouaméni will play a holding role, with Adrien Rabiot partnering one of Mattéo Guendouzi or Youssouf Fofana. Fofana and Guendouzi are the progressive options but Rabiot will have the edge given his experience, even as Deschamps averred his confidence in youth after France’s win over Austria. “From the moment I choose players, it means that I trust them,” he said. “If they’re selected, they have everything necessary to play at the top level.”

Elsewhere, Hugo Lloris is 35, but still a top professional, and should become France’s record appearance holder, provided they reach the last 16. In defence there have been injuries too with Presnel Kimpembe ruled out – Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konaté could actually go from not being included in the original squad to start France’s opener against Australia.

Up front – yes you guessed it – Deschamps has had more bad luck with Karim Benzema and Christopher Nkunku both ruled out just before the tournament with injuries. Marcus Thuram and Randal Kolo Muani have been called up as a replacements and the reigning world champions still have Kylian Mbappé, Antoine Griezmann, Kingsley Coman, Ousmané Dembele and Olivier Giroud to turn to. Not bad at all but at some point all these injuries will have an impact. Expect France to get out of the group but how far they can go now is difficult to guess.

The coach

Wary of the clashing egos and scandals that have engulfed previous tournaments, Didier Deschamps has always placed squad harmony ahead of picking the best players. Despite his pragmatic playing style and being labelled unsophisticated by the French media, that strategy has worked. France are reigning World Cup and Nations League champions and Deschamps deserves better than the begrudging praise he has received from a haughty press pack. However, after a decade in charge, and with his contract up after the tournament, his future remains uncertain with Zinedine Zidane positioning himself to take over.

Star player

No longer the grinning teenager that electrified the last World Cup, Kylian Mbappé’s tournament may yet be characterised by off-field issues. With his sense of self-importance rising, Mbappé seems intent on leaving PSG just a few months into a new contract, supposedly unhappy at the team not being geared towards his style. Meanwhile, allegations from Mathias Pogba that his brother Paul tried to “curse” Mbappé via a witch doctor could yet divide the camp. However, Mbappé has grown as a player over the last 18 months, adding a ruthless authority to his performances while scoring 39 goals and adding 26 assists in 46 games last season.

Unsung Hero

With much focus on Karim Benzema, Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappé, Antoine Griezmann has faded into the background of late. But his undulating club form since joining Barcelona in 2019 has obscured his continued excellence, and importance, for France. A child of Atlético Madrid’s fierce “Cholismo” style, Griezmann embodies Deschamps’ streetwise, stoic ideals and remains a favourite of the coach. He will remain a crucial link between midfield and attack in Qatar after six underappreciated qualifying goals were key in seeing France through.

Probable lineup

Qatar stance

France have joined many of their fellow Uefa representatives in pledging to have their captain wear a rainbow armband in support of the LGBTQ+ community, but what looks to be a far more strident step is the banning of “fan zones” during the tournament. Customarily, France’s matches would be played on large outdoor screens across the country, but the mayors of cities from Paris to Strasbourg have come out against them, for fear of normalising the tournament. The French Football Federation has argued that the tournament “has brought progress to Qatar” and contributed to a compensation fund for workers but the players have remained silent, despite contemporaries such as Toni Kroos and Leon Goretzka speaking out.

National anthem

An early (the earliest?) example of the “European march” style of anthems, La Marseillaise is arguably the world’s most recognisable and stirring. Written in 1792 by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in Strasbourg, its lyrics were meant to encourage soldiers to defend France against foreign incursions. It gained its popular name when it was adopted by soldiers who marched from Marseille to Paris to aid in the capital’s defence, and became the anthem in 1795. While it was later banned under Napoleon, it was reinstalled permanently in the late 19th century.

All-time cult hero

Scorer of a record 13 goals at the 1958 World Cup, Just Fontaine managed 30 in only 21 appearances for France before his enforced retirement due to injury at the age of 29. Fontaine joined Albert Batteux’s legendary Reims side in 1956 from Nice. Fontaine helped Reims reach the 1959 European Cup final and became a key exponent of jeu à la rémoise, now better known as Champagne Football, a central idea within France’s footballing identity.

Adam White and Eric Devin write for Get French Football News. Follow Adam here and Eric here on Twitter.

This piece was updated on 10 November after Didier Deschamps announced he would play four at the back in Qatar

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