https://footballfutbolcalciosoccer.blogspot.com/2016/06/euro-2016-best-xi-group-stage-round-of.html France have yet to show their best, but a matchup against the Irish should see them a clear favourites. I cannot see anything but a home team win here, but the Irish would do well to channel the hurt/anger for retribution for the infamous Hand of Henry goal to knock the Irish out of the World Cup 2010 qualification place. I was absolutely disgusted with this decision even without an affinity for the Irish team. Pogba, Griezmann, Payet versus Brady, Hendrick, Long.... this should not be close on paper but the Irish I am sure will fight to the end, hopefully giving us a great match. France - https://footballfutbolcalciosoccer.blogspot.com/2016/06/euro-2016-preview-group-france.html Republic of Ireland - https://footballfutbolcalciosoccer.blogspot.com/2016/06/euro-2016-preview-group-e-belgium-italy.html
Ireland certainly will not score. Easy game for France. Good chance for Pogba to dominate. He will be man of the match.
Join the other waaaay off base predictors who no longer need to expect that call from Dos Equis saying you're a finalist for the next M.I.M.I.T.W.
Ireland never chased a second goal and it bit them. Played above their pay grade and their fans are the best on the planet in any sport. Team needs an overhaul before the WC - too many old players sticking around.
Exactly the start the game needed. I thought the Irish were impressive, before the French really upped the ante and looked great in the final third of the match. Griezmann's header was brilliant, for a relatively small guy he really is a great header of the ball. Pogba looked really good in spurts (JUVE fan bias maybe). Robbie Brady (goals aside even) I thought was brilliant at this tournament. Can't see him staying with Norwich in the championship.
France turned it on in the second half to the point they scared me. They've swung me as favourites to win the competition now. The home soil is working to their advantage, I think it would be asking alot for England or Iceland to beat them in the quaters. It's between them and Belgium I think.
Thank you for the kind words, but I don't think we're favorites right now. I'd say Germany and Italy look really tough (great game coming up btw!), Belgium woke up last game so who knows... But what you mention is what's so frustrating about our squad. It's that we know what they're capable of, they just don't show it a lot since Euro 2016 started. You should have seen our recent friendlies, these are the games that have earned France its position as favorites initially. We can look like world beaters at times, and that's true of many of our national teams in many sports (who remembers the France-Germany game at the last Women's World Cup?) but our problems have always been mental toughness. That's what separates us from teams like Germany, even when we're better than them. We often beat ourselves. Btw imagine all the players we're missing: Karim Benzema, Hatem Ben Arfa, Lassana Diarra, Rafael Varane, Mathieu Debuchy, Jeremy Mathieu, Nabil Fekir, Kurt Zouma, Mamadou Sakho, Franck Ribery... We're like half a squad right now...
The current squad is operating like a real team and that is different from recent French outfits. This tournament continues to show, the team is better than the group of individuals. Varane aside, none of the above mentioned players would improve the first XI. Benzema in my opinion would crowd Griezmann's space and Giroud has shown some flashes of good hold play. Fekir is fantastic but would mean likely displacing Payet who has been inspirational.
It's not necessarily about modifying the starting 11. It's about having options. Just look at that list of players...