Euro: Group A: France vs. Albania, 6/15/2016

[Live in the Now]

France

Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Benoit Costil (Stade Rennais)

Defenders: Samuel Umtiti (Lyon), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Eliaquim Mangala (Manchester City), Adil Rami (Sevilla), Patrice Evra (Juventus), Bacary Sagna (Manchester City), Lucas Digne (AS Roma), Christophe Jallet (Lyon)

Midfielders: Paul Pogba (Juventus), Blaise Matuidi (Paris Saint-Germain), Morgan Schneiderlin (Manchester United), N'Golo Kante (Leicester), Yohan Cabaye (Crystal Palace), Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle)

Forwards: Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Dimitri Payet (West Ham), Anthony Martial (Manchester United), Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich), Olivier Giroud (Arsenal), Andre-Pierre Gignac (UANL Tigres)


Albania

Goalkeepers: Etrit Berisha (Lazio), Alban Hoxha (Partizani Tirana), Orges Shehi (Skenderbeu Korce)

Defenders: Arlind Ajeti (Frosinone), Naser Aliji (Basel), Mergim Mavraj (Cologne), Lorik Cana (Nantes), Elseid Hysaj (Napoli), Ansi Agolli (Qarabag), Frederic Veseli (Lugano)

Midfielders: Ledian Memushaj (Pescara), Ergys Kace (PAOK), Andi Lila (PAS Giannina), Migjen Basha (Como), Odise Roshi (Rijeka), Burim Kukeli (FC Zurich), Ermir Lenjani (Nantes), Taulant Xhaka (Basel), Amir Abrashi (Freiburg)

Forwards: Bekim Bala (Rijeka), Sokol Cikalleshi (Istanbul BB), Armando Sadiku (Vaduz), Shkelzen Gashi (Colorado Rapids)

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[Evilo]

Unconvincing win IMO.
1-0 or something like that.

 

[Carolinas Identity*]

For Albania

 

[East Coast Bias]

Unconvincing win IMO.
1-0 or something like that.

Do you think there's any chance DD changes the forwards up?

Coman or Martial/Grietz/Payet

Giroud seems a weird fit. The other 5 MF/F are moving and interchanging, and he's standing in the box waiting for a cross. Just seemed a bad fit.

 

[Evilo]

Lots of rumors saying he won't start either Pogba or Griezmann.
Coman/Giroud/gloups... Sissoko with Payet behind as a 10.

Yes Sissoko. You read that right.

Hopefully those are just rumors.

 

[Eco]

France should and probably win quite easily.

 

[Nordic*]

France's midfield looks really bad, for an elite soccer nation.

 

[East Coast Bias]

https://twitter.com/Jon_LeGossip/status/


He did bench Pogba and Grietz. He's such a clown.

RIP Evilo.

 

[Power Man]

France should win this

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Wow. Seems like trying to send a message during a game he's confident he can win.

 

[East Coast Bias]

France's midfield looks really bad, for an elite soccer nation.

Their MF is Kante/Matuidi/Pogba. (sans Pogba in today's 11)

How is that bad?

 

[Deficient Mode]

I would have benched Matuidi before Pogba if that's the sort of thing you do to send a message.

 

[Theokritos]

Can't believe they're starting Evra again who looked so painfully out of place against Romania.

 

[les Habs]

France's midfield looks really bad, for an elite soccer nation.

Their MF is Kante/Matuidi/Pogba. (sans Pogba in today's 11)

How is that bad?

Yeah, in what way is that bad? Perhaps you could hope for more creativity, but that's an excellent midfield. Looking at France now or at full strength the midfield is the last part of the starting XI I would call "really bad" much less bad.

I would have benched Matuidi before Pogba if that's the sort of thing you do to send a message.

Not sure how that's a better message to be sending.

 

[Ceremony]

HF loves an argument about a red card. Willie Collum is involved. Beautiful. Carnage awaits.

 

[Virtanen18]

Pogba and Greiz to the bench but playing that same backline? GG. Happy to see Martial start though.

 

[Luigi Habs]

They didn't want Benzema to become a distraction and then he pulls a freaking stupid lineup like this one with no Pogba or Griezmann.

 

[Shrimper]

2-1 France for me.

 

[hatterson]

Tony hasn't seemed to have a great start. Looks a little hesitant.

 

[Edo]

This French team would be deadlier with Greiz in over Coman.

 

[Nalens Oga]

Albania should just play the long ball at this point, they're horrible in possession outside of their half.

 

[TP]

I thought that was going in.

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

No Pogba, seriously?

 

[XO]

100% sure Germany or Spain will win it all

 

[Gecklund]

Giroud is like an anchor to that offense.