EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey — For 45 minutes, France’s 4-2-3-1 looked like a system designed by someone who had never met the players. For the next 45 minutes, it looked like a system that could win the World Cup. The difference? One positional adjustment that transformed Michael Olise from a peripheral figure into the most influential player on the pitch.
First-Half Problem: The Disconnected Front Four
Deschamps started with a nominal 4-2-3-1: Maignan in goal; Koundé, Konaté, Upamecano, Théo Hernández across the back; Rabiot and Tchouaméni as the double pivot; Dembélé (right), Olise (central), Doué (left) behind Mbappé.
In theory, this is a devastating attacking setup. In practice, it was a disconnected mess. The problems were threefold:
- Tchouaméni’s distribution was too conservative. The Real Madrid midfielder completed 94% of his passes in the first half, but almost all of them were lateral or backward. He was not breaking lines, and Senegal’s midfield press — led by Pape Gueye and Lamine Camara — was designed specifically to force him into these safe options.
- Olise was wasted on the right. Stationed wide, he received the ball with his back to the touchline, facing a double-team from Senegal’s left-back and left winger. His most dangerous attribute — the ability to receive between the lines and turn — was neutralised by his starting position.
- Mbappé was isolated. Playing as a nominal centre-forward, he was starved of service. Without a target man to play off, and without Griezmann’s clever movement to create space, Mbappé touched the ball just 14 times in the first half. None of those touches were in the penalty area.
Second-Half Solution: The Olise Shift
Deschamps’ adjustment was simple but transformative. Olise moved from the right wing into a central playmaking role — essentially the Griezmann position from 2018 and 2022. Dembélé shifted to a more central position, and Mbappé was given licence to drift across the entire front line.
The effects were immediate and cascading:
- Olise between the lines. Senegal’s midfield had been pressing Tchouaméni aggressively in the first half. With Olise now dropping into the half-spaces to receive, Senegal’s midfielders had to decide: press Olise and leave space behind, or hold their position and let him turn. They chose the latter, and Olise punished them.
- Rabiot’s progressive runs. With Olise occupying defenders, Rabiot had space to drive forward from midfield. His assist for Barcola’s goal in the 82nd minute came from exactly this pattern: Olise dragged two defenders towards him, Rabiot surged into the vacated space, and the through-ball was on.
- Mbappé unleashed. Freed from the constraints of a fixed central position, Mbappé began appearing on both flanks, in the half-spaces, and — crucially — in the channels between Senegal’s centre-backs and full-backs. His opening goal came from a run into the right channel, where Olise found him with a pass that exploited the gap between Abdou Diallo and Kalidou Koulibaly.
Senegal’s Missed Opportunity
Senegal will rue their first-half profligacy. Nicolas Jackson’s shot against the post in the 24th minute was the game’s defining “what if” moment. Had that gone in, France would have been forced to chase the game, and Senegal’s counter-attacking setup — with Jackson and Sarr’s pace against France’s high line — would have been perfectly suited to picking them off.
Instead, Senegal went into half-time level, and Deschamps had 15 minutes to fix his system. He used them well.
The Depth Factor
France’s bench is a weapon in itself. Barcola, who replaced Dembélé in the 80th minute, scored within two minutes of his introduction. Rayan Cherki, who came on for Doué, is a €90 million talent who would start for almost any other nation at this tournament. In a World Cup played in North American summer heat with five substitutes available, squad depth is not a luxury — it is a decisive competitive advantage.
Group I Standings
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 3 |
| 2 | Norway | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Iraq | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Senegal | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 0 |
Match Details:
- France 3-1 Senegal
- Venue: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Goals: Mbappé 66′, 90+6′ (FRA), Barcola 82′ (FRA), Mbaye 90+5′ (SEN)
- Man of the Match: Michael Olise (France)