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Talk in France suggests Antoine Griezmann could be dropped for the host sides' second game of the group stages against Albania on Wednesday night. The 25-year-old lasted just over an hour on the opening night before being replaced by Kingsley Coman and a change of tactic could be on the cards for their next clash at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille.
If it wasn't for Dmitri Payer's wonder strike against Romania, the hosts and favourites to win the tournament would have suffered a somewhat humiliating draw in a game they were expected to win with relative ease. The three points gained by France does not mean Deschamps is averse to switching things up, however, because more performances like that last Friday night will not be enough to see them finish the tournament as winners. The question now is what decisions Deschamps makes and how he ensures he sets his team up for the remainder of the tournament.
So what is next for France? A 4-2-3-1 with Blaise Matuidi and N'Golo Kante at the base of midfield, along with Kinglsey Coman and Anthony Martial on either side of West Ham's talisman, Payet? That might work and nobody is suggesting that either Coman or Martial is not up to the task but can dropping one of your star men in qualifying and one of the top five players, arguably, in the world come with no expense?
Griezmann is all too familiar with having to earn his playing time given the fact that his first six months at Atletico were filled with trips from the bench to the field and vice-versa. It would not be until he fully adapted to Diego Simeone's style that he was entrusted with a starting spot and has blossomed into what the world class player he has become today since then.
This feels different, however, in that Griezmann is being punished for Deschamps' inability to figure out what he wants from his side. The Rojiblanco attacker was not at his best during the opening game, and it would be disingenuous to suggest he was, but France as a whole struggled to break down Romania's resolute defense. It seemed more of a systematic problem than an individual one that Pogba and Griezmann need to fix. This is why they deserve another chance and the fear is that, while neither player is prone to outbursts of apathy when things aren't going their way, they may lose confidence that will not be regained before the end of the tournament if they are dropped after one performance.
Didier Deschamps has some serious questions to ask himself in the next few hours provided he has not already made up his mind. For all intents and purposes, you have two of the best players in the world and it is your job to figure out how to make it work. It won't happen with knee-jerk reactions and it certainly won't result in a victorious Euro 2016 on home soil for the French national team.