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England has a losing record against France but the current crop of Three Lions can pose them problems. Arsenal’s legendary manager, Arsene Wenger, believes Gareth Southgate’s men will give Les Bleus their toughest challenge in Qatar.
The reigning champions will be confident in their abilities and take the pitch as favourites. They cannot trifle with the English who made the semi-finals of Russia 2018 and the inaugural Nations League in 2018/19. They bettered their tournament appearances in Euro 2020, where they finished runner-ups to Italy.
The experienced racked up by Harry Kane and co. has helped them easily get to the quarter-final stage in Qatar. This came in the backdrop of going winless in six matches in the UEFA Nations League group stage.
The Three Lions have only conceded two goals to reach this stage and have three successive clean sheets to boast off. Given their performances, Arsene Wenger has come out to warn his compatriots about their English rivals.
The former Arsenal and Monaco manager believes France will take the most damage from Southgate’s men and need to be wary of them. However, he backed Didier Deschamps to manoeuvre a win and get Les Bleus closer to a historic successive World Cup triumph.
The midfield is where the Three Lions are most assured and can physically dominate their rivals. Declan Rice has missed training heading into the knockout fixture but young Jude Bellingham continues to go from strength to strength.
Wenger hailed the 19-year-old’s impact from the centre of the pitch and believes this is where they are the most dangerous.
“France has a potential with regard to physical power which is clearly above that of other teams, with the possible exception of England.
“In this sense, the midfielders, notably Jude Bellingham, can perform well. That’s why England is maybe the team that can cause the most damage to France in this competition. It’s an early final [smiles].”
Wide men will determine the victor
Deschamps has the magical Kylian Mbappe to call upon in this crunch meeting. Southgate is also well stocked in this department with Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden impressing. Raheem Sterling has also joined the squad and will be in contention for the starting eleven.
Wenger expressed the importance of fast and electric wingers in the modern game. They can beat the offside trap and stretch the game, which can open the game and allow their compatriots to make in-roads in deep-lying defences.
“That’s why, for me, the team that wins the World Cup will be the one that has the best wing players.
“Brazil, for example, are well equipped, with Vinicius, Martinelli or Raphinha, who balance the team well by going into the middle. On the other hand, I think Argentina lack some speed on the wings, and always has to go through Messi to penetrate,” Wenger commented.
This is only the third meeting between England and France since 2015. However, due to their club commitments, both sides are well-versed with each other. Kieran Trippier has had many BBQs with Antoine Griezmann while Harry Kane and Hugo Lloris are teammates at Tottenham for the last nine years.
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