Kylian Mbappe’s nose injury was a serious shock for the French national team. Now, coach Didier Deschamps is forced to look for the most viable alternative in attack.

Mbappe’s injury leaves a big gap in the French national team’s attack

Mbappe is almost certain to miss the match against the Netherlands on June 22. According to doctors, the 25-year-old star’s broken nose will need two weeks to recover. Therefore, Mbappe is at risk of missing the rest of the group stage of EURO 2024. Deschamps still has many quality strikers, but no one is capable of replacing Mbappe. Deschamps’ job is to find the most feasible option among many options.

Is Giroud ready?

At the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, Olivier Giroud both started from the bench before winning the starting role. This veteran striker took advantage of the system change of the French team in Russia and Karim Benzema’s injury in Qatar to lead the attack. It is very possible that at EURO 2024, Giroud will once again change his position thanks to Mbappe’s injury.

Giroud is experienced but burdened by age

Giroud’s strengths are experience, aerial ability, and ability to play as a wall. In addition, Giroud is also a very good partner with Antoine Griezmann. However, the burden of age is starting to weigh heavily on the 37-year-old player. That is a factor that Deschamps must take into account, especially when he has many young and strong strikers in his hands. But it seems that Deschamps’ trust in Giroud is still quite great, as evidenced by the fact that Giroud was brought in to replace Mbappe in the last two matches (against Canada and Austria).

Thuram to play center forward?

Marcus Thuram is often deployed as a left-sided striker. But the No. 9 position is not unfamiliar to this player with a domineering style of play. It is worth noting that both of Thuram’s goals for Les Bleus were scored as a centre-forward, in the match against the Republic of Ireland in September 2023 and against Gibraltar in November 2023. At Inter, Thuram also plays as a striker but in a horizontal style with another striker. Meanwhile, at the French national team, Deschamps often uses a striker to play highest up the attack.

Thuram had an unconvincing performance in the match against Austria.

However, based on the actual situation, Thuram is more comfortable drifting to the left wing. That is the area where the 26-year-old player can take advantage of his speed and power. But the unconvincing performance in the match against Austria was a big minus point for number 15 of the French team. Thuram missed many opportunities in this match and showed clumsiness in the decisive shots.

Deschamps has a headache with the problem of missing Mbappe

Even Thuram is no longer guaranteed a starting position. Deschamps still has quality wingers like Kingsley Coman and Bradley Barcola. It is possible that Deschamps will use the trio Barcola – Giroud – Dembele in the upcoming match against the Netherlands. Compared to Thuram, Barcola is more skillful in dribbling and has more versatility despite his lack of experience.

What are the opportunities for Kolo Muani?

Kolo Muani will always be remembered for his unfortunate miss in the 2022 World Cup final. Since that sad performance, Muani continued to be used by Deschamps as a center forward in three more matches. But Deschamps gradually understood that this was not the player’s forte, especially in the match against the Netherlands last October. In fact, the PSG player was most comfortable when drifting to the right, the position that helped Muani score against Greece last November.

Kolo Muani has speed but is not a good finisher

But Muani is still an alternative to Mbappe, if veteran Giroud is not in good shape. Muani is not strong in finishing but is extremely dangerous in acceleration thanks to his long strides and bold breakthrough ability. If using Kolo Muani, Deschamps will have to change his playing style a bit. The positions will have to move more flexibly and Kolo Muani will play an important role in attracting opposing defenders.

France have failed to win their last two games without Mbappe, losing 2-1 to Germany last September and drawing 1-1 with Croatia in the 2022 UEFA Nations League. Life without Mbappe is not easy, but a top title contender must overcome all challenges.