France only scored two goals in their three group matches – a penalty against Poland and an own goal against Austria
, in no small part due to the return of Kylian Mbappé. The captain played the full match and coolly slotted home a penalty but the team has not lived up to its billing as near-unanimous pre-tournament favourites. There were bright spots in Dortmund and they are through to the last-16, but there are as many questions as answers for France after they drew two of their three group games and only scored two goals – a penalty and an own goal.
Saliba has not been a consistent pick for Deschamps. Part of that was down to the presence of Raphäel Varane, to whom Saliba has often been compared. They are both good passers of the ball and superb in the tackle, as well as being right-footed defenders who have often played on the left side of a two-man central defence.
Just 18 months ago Bradley Barcola was a promising yet untested Lyon player. With just a single Ligue 1 assist to his name at that point, he was generally kept out of the team by Karl Toko Ekambi. The next six months in Lyon were the stuff of legend, though. Barcola racked up five goals and nine assists in just 16 starts, earning him a big-money move to Paris Saint-Germain.
The Milan striker is not getting any younger, but it could be an option should France need a goal. It’s also worth noting that Dembélé played just two minutes in the knockout stages at that World Cup in Russia, with Griezmann playing off Giroud centrally. That’s probably too radical a shift at this juncture but, if Kingsley Coman is fit by the time the round of 16 rolls around, he might be a better option than Dembélé.
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