France suddenly find themselves in second place in Euro 2020 qualifying Group H after a shock 2-0 defeat by Turkey over the weekend. Didier Deschamps will look for a response from his French players as they head to Andorra on Tuesday night.
Despite winning the battle of possession against Turkey, France were down 2-0 at halftime and managed an unbelievable zero shots on target. The French had just four shots in total as Turkey played them off the park.
The likes of Kylian Mbappe, Olivier Giroud, and Antoine Griezmann were wholly ineffective against the Turkish team. The good news for Deschamps is Andorra are up next and they are yet to win a match in Group H.
Not only have Andorra failed to win a game but they have not scored against in their first three games of qualifying. France should have no difficulty overcoming their setback at the weekend by beating the Group H minnows.
Only four players in Andorra’s current squad play their football outside of the country’s domestic league. The quality in Andorra's team is lacking and it has shown in their three Group H qualification matches.
Andorra were beaten 2-0, 3-0, and 1-0 by the likes of Iceland, Albania, and Moldova. The positive of those three scoreless losses was they kept the scores respectable. However, the negative aspect of those losses was none of them came against Group H’s top teams of France and Turkey.
Following France’s loss to Turkey, Deschamps claimed it was a “good slap” to the reigning World Cup winners. The manager may be correct as France had cruised through many of their matches post-World Cup.
Despite missing out on the UEFA Nations League semifinals, France had shown their dominance through two Euro 2020 qualifying games. France conceded just one goal and scored eight ahead of their trip to Turkey.
The loss could light a fire inside the French that had faded following their World Cup win in 2018.
Despite the 2-0 loss in Turkey, Deschamps has little reason to change his team. Perhaps a refreshed midfield would do the trick against Andorra and give the side more energy.
Moussa Sissoko and Paul Pogba were tasked with being the midfield engine against Turkey and the duo was overrun. Lyon’s Tanguy Ndombele could be an option to come into the side. Deschamps does have a limited number of midfielders due to injuries as N’Golo Kante is not available.
France have never lost to Andorra. The French have posted a 3W-0D-0L record while scoring seven goals against the Andorrans. That record should remain strong on Tuesday night as France rebound with a win against Andorra and over 2.5 goals scored.