Is France Producing the next generation of Great Defenders?

Kick wrote:I didn't think about France at the Euros, Surely they'll have a core of Lloris, Varane, Zouma, Pogba, Griezmann, Lacazette and Benzema.

That could be very hard to beat, tbh.

Yo Imma let you finish but Koscielny is the best French CB atm

I can see him not playing though given his drop in NT stock after that Ukraine WC qualifier.

Well I don't think Sakho will be dropped by the NT any time soon. Sakho - Varane partnership for the forseeable future I think.

Honestly though the Netherlands might be entering into a golden age of defenders for them. I can't remember a time with so many highly touted defensive prospects. If even half of them reach most of their potential it will really be something for us. Veltman, De Vrij, Rekik, Kongolo, van Beek, van Dijk (kinda), Hoedt and van Aken then even some of the really bright young guys like Verdonk, Fosu-Mensah, Riedewald, etc.

Sakho is not the starter btw... Mangala and Mathieu have been the two used. Based on Deschamp's recent comments, Zouma is seen as the frontrunner next to Varane and laporte is going to get called up.

Too many massive brainfarts by Kos at NT level to get a look now + deschamps wants to develop a young CB pairing and he's too old.

So Zouma is better than Laporte ? Or is a better complement to Varane ?

Zouma is a physical beast who could outleap superman, he is best paired with a smart tactical CB.

I think purely for the fact Varane and Zouma would complement each other so well, they'll be partners.

@Eman, Kos is 29, while he is a very solid defender, I didn't really consider him as he is part of the current generation, not the next.

I predict Sakho to be a starter when it's all said and done.

I don't buy the hype for some of these guys you guys are listing. Mangala Mathieu will be nowhere near the starting XI either.

The only reason those 2 were starting last few matches was because Sakho was injured during that period and Deschamp was obviously experimenting as neither Varane nor Kos was playing either.

Laporte's issue is that he's slow of foot and Deschamps wants athletic CBs so that he can push up his defensive lines if he feels he has the advantage. Laporte is also a bad pairing with Varane.

Sakho, Zouma and Mangala are the best pairing for Varane... Zouma is the one really. Like Varane when he was starting to play for Madrid, he's getting a lot of ink in France and many feel that it's just a matter of time for him to take over.

He will when we sign him and make our CB partnership Zouma-Varane.

Then France's CB future is secured as well as ours