International Friendlies: France vs Italy, 3 key battles that decided the game

#3 Antoine Griezmann vs Leonardo Bonucci

Griezmann was at the heart of most of France's attacks

This match was a perfect example of just why Griezmann is the driving force for the national team despite having so many creative players in the side.

Every time someone got the ball, you could see Griezmann pointing his hands in the air saying where it should go next - a pass to him, a pass back to Pogba to keep the ball in the game, or simply hold the ball and wait for reinforcements to arrive.

While France did not always abide by it, they were successful mostly when they listened to him. Admittedly, Hernandez did not listen to him and went into the box without keeping hold of the ball, in turn earning the penalty that led to Griezmann's goal.

But otherwise, Griezmann always knew and he was the best player on the pitch ahead of even Dembele. His passing is on par with any other player in the world, and he has the goal-scoring ability to go with it.

Like Umtiti, Bonucci scored a tap-in but his defensive work-rate was seriously lacking. It can be attributed to the new style of play and the team not knowing each other very well - unlike the past - but it was still too raw of a performance at the back from the experienced Italian.

Mancini might not shake up things immediately, but he must have to at some point in the future if Italy do not want to miss out on any other important tournaments. One of the important decisions will be to find a suitable player to partner Bonucci at the back.