France come into Friday's important UEFA Euro 2024 Group D clash with the Netherlands in Leipzig unsure over Kylian Mbappe's availability. Les Bleus' captain suffered a broken nose in the 1-0 opening win over Austria while Oranje also ran out winners with a 2-1 success against Poland. The Dutch have had injury issues of their own such as losing Frenkie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiners just before the tournament got underway. Mbappe, though, is as talismanic as they come and would be a debilitating loss for the French -- even if it is only for the remaining group games.
This clash with the Netherlands is not as crucial as it would have been had the Austrians found an equalizer on Monday. However, it is still a huge chance to book a round of 16 place with a game to spare and one which Didier Deschamps will want to take. Mbappe trained on Wednesday with wrapping on his nose and spent some of the training session apart from his teammates as France's medical staff continued to assess his recovery from treatment. A large portion of the next 24-48 hours will be dedicated to mind games but Deschamps need a plan B?
We look at solutions in case Mbappe is unable to start and skipper Les Bleus against Oranje.
Tactics
Deschamps is unlikely to change too many elements of his starting XI given that his team started their tournament with a win but also did not concede a goal. With that in mind, the formation should roughly be the same which will be welcome news for N'Golo Kante and William Saliba who were arguably the biggest winners in the 1-0 win over Austria. It does create an intriguing scenario in attack, though, given that there is only really one obvious straight swap into the XI -- veteran substitute Olivier Giroud who came on in Dusseldorf.
Previous XI: Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Hernandez; Kante, Rabiot; Dembele, Griezmann, Thuram; Mbappe.
Olivier Giroud
Assuming that Deschamps wants to continue with a focal point in attack then the solution will logically be Giroud. Tried and tested over many years with the French national team, his final international tournament could yet see him start a game or two including this one. The 37-year-old is Major League Soccer-bound but still has enough to offer based on his most recent season with Milan. Is it enough to lead France to glory in Germany? Possibly not. It could be enough to help Deschamps out of this tight spot, though, which is what will matter most at this point.
Marcus Thuram
One slight alteration that Deschamps could make in his XI is placing Marcus Thuram as the central attacking figure and bringing in somebody else wide on the left instead. The Inter man is not a natural lone frontman and works better as part of a unit but could thrive more centrally if the creativity levels are boosted by adding someone to Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele in the line of service behind him. The big question there is whether or not the 26-year-old is clinical enough for that sort of responsibility.
Bradley Barcola
Should that happen, there is the interesting possibility of Bradley Barcola coming into the XI after a good second half of an encouraging debut campaign with Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes. The 21-year-old has spent much of his maiden term in the French capital alternating with Mbappe on the left so is no stranger to stepping into his shoes and also creates the sort of chances that Thuram or Giroud would need in order to do damage against this Netherlands' back line. Barcola might be a little raw but there is no doubt that he is ready to step up and capable of being a wildcard element that the Dutch will not relish trying to handle
Randal Kolo Muani
This one is a little less likely as it would probably require a change in system with two attackers in front of four midfielders. Thuram or Giroud with Randal Kolo Muani would possess great work rate but not necessarily the goal threat that Mbappe brings and altering the dynamic which Deschamps has chosen to start this Euro with is also not ideal as the third game is likely to be all change again -- especially if France have booked their round of 16 place. Instead, the PSG man off the bench makes more sense and that is likely to be how Deschamps plays it.
Kingsley Coman
Arguably the most unexpected option of all could be Kingsley Coman with the Bayern Munich man in and out of fitness and not exactly a regular under Deschamps of late. He was rewarded with a squad role despite doubts over his future at club level in Germany too but there is a feeling that there are at least a few other options available to Deschamps before he goes down this route.
