World Cup 2018: France vs Denmark, 5 best and worst players

So, this World Cup finally served a goalless draw in its platter, not to mention one of the dullest matches of this edition of the tournament too.

With the Round of 16 qualifications somewhat confirmed for both the teams, the players slowed down the tempo of the game and there was hardly anything noteworthy throughout the duration of the 90 minutes.

Denmark hardly looked to attack, as their primary objective was to ensure a draw that would seal their spot in the next round of the tournament.

Didier Deschamps had rung in the changes, making as many as six variations in the starting XI from the game against Peru.

Players such as Samuel Umtiti, Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappe and Hugo Lloris were rested and there was an obvious dip in the performance of the team from a collective perspective too.

France might not make so many changes yet again further in the tournament, and they would hope that their star players would have utilized this break to a good extent to be fresh for the knockout stages of the tournament too.

Here, we discuss five best (trust me it’s difficult to take them from this game) and worst players from the encounter between the top two teams of the group C.

#5. Worst: Thomas Lemar

What exactly was Lemar doing in this game would remain clouded for a while now? Thomas started on the left flank, but did not provide any attacking zip through the wide areas.

He failed to burst into the box at the correct situations and was often much reserved and compressed for someone who was given the freedom to provide some zealous moments from the wing.

He did not cut in to take shots, neither did he use his left foot to churn crosses for Olivier Giroud.

In the second half, Lemar was shifted to a more central area to control the tempo of the game and to add up numbers at the middle of the park. He was stitching decent passes, but nothing penetrative enough to rip past the Danish defence.

For the majority of the game, Thomas was a spectator on the field, often falling short of his duties and hence it isn’t a big surprise now regarding why he has been unable to break into the starting XI of this team.

His lack of creativity deprived France of breaking through a resolute Danish backline, and we might not see much of Lemar going ahead in the tournament now.

#4. Worst: Ousmane Dembele

Dembele took poor decisions with the ball at his feet

The Australians in France’s first match of the World Cup physically outmuscled Dembele and hence the FCB winger was left out of the team in the second game.

With Mbappe rested, Dembele had the chance to leave a stamp on the right flank, but was miserable in the opening portions of the game. Though he managed to run at a good pace with the ball, Ousmane’s decision-making was wayward in the final third.

He switched flanks to confuse his adversary but appeared confused himself a lot of times. Even after having the opportunity to form good passing triangles and take a shot from the more viable position, Dembele was content at shooting from a long distance.

His shots did not trouble the keeper much, and Ousmane failed to open his goal-scoring account yet again.

Ousmane’s tenacity was at question too, as he hardly dropped deeper and instead relied on collecting the ball through the midfielders before embarking on his trademark, mazy runs.

With no proper link from the midfield to attack, Dembele looked lost in the middle of the match at times and was substituted in the favor of a much more straightforward and effective Mbappe.

#3. Best: Martin Braithwaite

Braithwaite was the only one who looked intent and determined in attack for Denmark

Martin was energetic, influential and quick from the right-wing, protecting, shielding the ball and circulating it to churn out the final kick that could have resulted into a goal.

He was quick to get to the second balls and used his footwork to protect the possession of the ball, regularly finding a way into the box and creating a panicky situation inside France’s penalty box.

He used his left-foot to good effect and squared it off for his teammates at the appropriate time too.

Being a winger, the time at which he released the ball was crucial and Braithwaite almost flawlessly found out his teammates with some good passing range and a couple of deft touches too.

He tried to take a shot at goal himself too, but that could not be successful as Martin was a bit too acute to the goal to thump off a meaningful goal either.

He was the sole shining spark in a match when the Danes primarily focused on their defensive organization more than their attacking endeavors. His energy was infectious, and he was certainly the best forward on the pitch from Denmark’s perspective.

#2. Worst: Steven N’Zonzi

The Seville midfielder was drafted into the midfield in favor of Paul Pogba, who was rested for this match. N’Zonzi accompanied N’golo Kante in a midfield pivot and hardly ever wandered ahead from his position.

This was satisfactory from a defensive perspective, but Steven could have done much more to peg Denmark back into the field.

His rigidity to stick to his position meant that N'Zonzi played a lot of sideways passes and was unable to assert the same level of dynamism and authority to the midfield like Pogba does.

He shielded the backline and distributed the ball to the wings, but did not show the intent to carry the ball ahead like him or to attempt those long balls to target man Olivier Giroud, whose presence would have helped France create some opportunities through the second balls lying inside the box.

Both Kante and Zonzi were quite one-dimensional, with the Seville midfielder contributing more to the defensive side of the game.

This could have been different, N'Zonzi should have taken charge of the midfield by running riot with the ball but he adopted a very reserved approach that certainly did not do justice to his talent and abilities.

#1. Best: N’golo Kante

Kante was at his usual best in the field against Denmark, as he screened the defence, recovered the lost balls, pounced on the loose deliveries and drove the team ahead with his explosive pace on occasions.

He went up higher than usual on the pitch but still did not compromise with his defensive duties.

Kante’s concentration was top-notch, as he sensed attacks earlier and accordingly positioned himself whenever Denmark countered. Whenever he misjudged or lost track of the runners, Kante ensured that he sprinted quickly enough to get to them and win the ball back.

Moreover, his energetic demeanor didn’t mean that he was rash with his challenges. Kante stayed close to his adversaries to win the ball but even took calculated risks to put tough tackles whenever required.

The intensity in his game never seemed to drop, and he undoubtedly was the vital cog for France in their final group stage match of the World Cup too.