France’s Win Against Germany Is More Impressive Than the US’s Against Italy (Sorry)
Following the meltdown during the 2010 World Cup (which was, let’s be honest, very French), France, under some new direction and with invigorated spirit, have now reeled off an 18-match unbeaten streak, including what many consider to be a surprise win over Germany in a friendly on Wednesday night.
While Tom Williams of Football Further notes in this piece on France’s future that “The quality in France’s squad is enough to nourish hope of something more enduring than the sorry group-stage exits witnessed in the last two major tournaments,” he adds a hope-grounding proviso: “but the post-Knysna reality is that France are ranked 17th in the world and are likely to find their route to the semi-finals in Poland and Ukraine blocked by either Italy or Spain even if they manage to get through their group.”
Still, France is poised to be a possible sleeper in upcoming tournaments as things progress. Although Clint Dempsey dominated Football365’s roundup (with barely a mention of Olivier Giroud), the USA’s win is less impressive to me than France’s, if only because Italy, with all its storied history, has really not been that great of a team as of late, while Germany is one of the world’s strongest.
By beating them in Bremen, France has proved that it can win close games away from home against opponents that have them out-gunned in almost all facets of the game. Perhaps it’s just a surprising fluke, but it takes a lot to keep a clean sheet in regular time against the Germans, and such a performance bodes well for the uncertain but rising Bleus. The Americans, on the other hand, haven’t sold me that they’re ready to beat elite teams in late rounds of tournaments, especially with their shaky defense. (Also, France beats the US in food, wine, health care, and taunting.)
Maybe Euro or World Cup ambitions are just pipe dreams at the moment, but France is showing signs of rebuilding. And while many are calling the US win over Italy “historic,” the French win is, at least to me, more impressive. Now Blanc’s squad needs to ride this momentum for all its worth; as they say, battre le fer pendant qu’il est chaud.
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