Why Bradley Barcola may start over Désiré Doué on France’s left | OneFootball

There are few uncertainties in this France side heading into their FIFA World Cup opener against Senegal, but one does exist on the left-hand side. 

It is a role that Marcus Thuram has often played, including during the Euro 2024 campaign. Despite rarely impressing in the role, he nonetheless started there in the warm-up game against the Ivory Coast last week. However, Didier Deschamps looks set to make a change and, whilst there is debate as to who will occupy the position on the left of the attack, it is two other names who are in the conversation.

It was Désiré Doué who started for France against Northern Ireland. However, the configuration left a little to be desired. Starting in an attack that also included Ousmane Dembélé, Kylian Mbappé, and Michael Olise, there was little variety in Les Bleus’ play. Whilst Mbappé did make runs in behind, the other three sought to get the ball to feet. 

Bradley Barcola, in contrast, also makes runs in behind, and L’Équipe understands that Deschamps may favour this type of profile in order to add variety. Having played at Euro 2024, Barcola also has experience on his side, whilst there is also a feeling that he links better with Mbappé.

There is, therefore, a chance that Barcola starts over Paris Saint-Germain teammate Doué next week.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle