Every day that passes, Michael Olise is revalued. To the point that it may already be worth more than those famous 150 million that Florentino is going to be put on the table for a world star. Right now there is no brighter one than that of the Bayern player. A his hat-trick annihilated Northern Ireland in, by the way, a disastrous night of Kylian Mbappé in the definition. We may be facing the great new star of France.
And the Gauls have plenty of illustrious names. In the last test before the World Cup, Deschamps put them all in the fray. Or at least as many as he could because there are so many that not all of them fit. This time it was Cherki’s turn to stay out. The fight will be between him and Doué in a very defined eleven. Along with them, the aforementioned Olise, Dembélé and Mbappé. Next to nothing.
But even having all that does not guarantee you playing well and showing yourself as a fluid team with clear ideas. Because France is still that: names and little collective. There is no better selection man for man. But his shortcomings in the collective make him earthly, approachable. And it was demonstrated, at times, by a Northern Ireland that in the first half hour of play and after the 2-1 score showed that France scares, but it doesn’t eat anyone.
In Deschamps’ plan it appears Dembélé as a connection point between midfield and forward. The mosquito, pure extreme of those that no longer remain, appearing from within. With an evolution similar to that offered with Luis Enrique at PSG. But with nuances. There is no Vitinha here. And it shows.
An unknown Mbappé
Despite all this, France’s flashes are enough to generate chances with relative ease. Against Northern Ireland he had a good handful of them. Almost all of them in the boots of Mbappé, who was denied in front of goal. The only one who scored, on half a dozen clear occasions, had it disallowed.
So with the franchise player’s puncture, Olise got to work. He opened the scoring at will on the edge of half-time and finished the job at the beginning of the second act with a forceful shot within the area. Kelly closed the gap and doubts appeared until the Bayern player wanted to show his entire repertoire. This time from outside the area, with a shot loaded with subtlety and precision. A hat-trick to frame.
And this is how France presents itself in this World Cup. With the usual doubts, but with the explosion of a new star. In case I didn’t already have enough. Doubting his favoritism would be foolish, but let no one think that it will be a walk in the park either. Because there is not enough football, and sometimes having the best cards is not enough.
