From Boghossian to Rabiot, France’s midfielders turned full-backs | OneFootball

France have long tried repurposing midfielders as full-backs, a theme underlined when Zinédine Zidane tested Andy Diouf at left-back in Belgium on Monday evening. The outcomes have varied.

L'Équipe notes that, in the team’s modern era since 1960, this storyline is familiar. France’s full-backs have arrived via different forms of versatility.

Some centre-backs moved wide, a fairly ordinary shift, among them Lilian Thuram, Jules Koundé and even Marcel Desailly early in his international career.

Others started higher up the pitch then dropped back two lines, including Jean Djorkaeff, Gérard Janvion, Jocelyn Angloma and Eric Di Méco, and even Bixente Lizarazu, whom Rolland Courbis once deployed very high.

There was also Kingsley Coman occupying the right side of a back five.

Source: L'Équipe

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