“Doesn’t have a Scooby clue”, “We were so close to perfection” – France fans label Didier Deschamps as ‘embarrassing’ after checking line-up against Croatia

France fans are bemused by Didier Deschamps' starting XI for their clash with Croatia on June 13 in the UEFA Nations League.

Les Blues currently sit bottom of Group 1 of League A in the Nations League competition, having failed to win a game so far. Deschamps' side drew 1-1 with Austria last time out thanks to Kylian Mbappe's second-half equalizer.

Mbappe starts tonight's game against Croatia alongside 2022 Ballon d'Or favourite Karim Benzema up-front.

Adrien Rabiot and Christopher Nkunku start on the wings with Matteo Guendouzi and Boubacar Kamara in midfield. Jules Kounde is surprisingly at right-back with Lucas Digne on the left-hand side of the defense.

Meanwhile, Presnel Kimpembe captains France with Ibrahima Konate beside him and Mike Maignan in goal.

But French fans are somewhat bemused by Deschamps' starting XI given they are at risk of falling out of League A if they finish bottom of their group.

Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema likely to shine for France despite reservations over Didier Deschamps

France possess two of Europe's most deadly strikers in Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema.

Paris Saint-Germain's Mbappe has been in extraordinary form for the Ligue 1 champions, playing a key role in their league success.

The 23-year-old hit 28 goals in 35 Ligue 1 appearances whilst he has managed an impressive record of 39 goals in 46 appearances across all competitions.

He was close to joining his French compatriot Benzema at Real Madrid this summer but decided to stay at PSG and sign a new three-year deal.

He would have joined the Champions League winners had he made the move to the Santiago Bernabeu. Madrid's Champions League glory can be much attributed to their star man Benzema, who has flourished in Europe's elite club competition.

The veteran forward, now at the age of 34, is still turning back the years and is the frontrunner for the 2022 Ballon d'Or. Benzema managed a remarkable 15 goals in 12 appearances in the Champions League, scoring two hat-tricks in the R16 and quarter-finals.

His monumental campaign in Europe was just as impressive in the league as he finished as the top scorer in both the Champions League and La Liga. The legendary forward scored 27 league goals in 32 appearances in what was perhaps the greatest season of his glittering career.

The duo are a big reason as to why France are being touted as potential favorites to successfully defend their World Cup in Qatar.

About the author

Matthew is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who has been covering news, rumors and match reports for close to 3 years. Learning creative writing from University of Essex, he combined his skills and passion for football take up writing for the sport professionally.

Matthew always strives to go beyond a story and offer unique and lesser-known insights, while maintaining an unbiased tone in his articles. His reporting exploits at the company have helped him gain a humungous readership of 25 million, with one of his articles raking in a whopping 724,000 reads.

A Manchester United fan since childhood, Matthew admired Sir Alex Ferguson for his loyalty and brave coaching style. His favorite footballer is Thierry Henry, believing the Frenchman to be uniquely talented and charismatic. An ardent Three Lions fan, England's penalty shootout win over Colombia in 2018 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment of all time, and he believes that Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe will have a Ballon d’Or duopoly after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

He also follows his local EFL League Two clubs AFC Wimbledon and Sutton United, and spends his free time watching and writing about professional wrestling. He also likes to work out, watch movies and go for night outs.

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