Cybereagles

Griezemann - Atletico
Pogba - Man U
Martial - Man U
Giroud - Arsenal
Dembele - Barcelona
Mbappe - PSG
Mendy - Man City
Kurzawa - PSG
Varane - Real Madrid
Umtiti - Barcelona

Its a team game. France has benefitted immensely from its colony players esp DR Congo, Cameroon, CIV and territories.
I wonder why the Brits haven't benefitted as much

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Cujus esqulum, ajus es usqui ad inferos

Matuidi scores 3rd minute of game.

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If Noah had been truly wise, he would have swatted those two flies. -- Helen Castle

What is scary is the number of players they did NOT pick in their last starting 11:

Areola
Kurzawa-Laporte-Koscielny-Mendy
Pogba-Rabiot-Bakayoko
Payet-Giroud-Martial

THAT "second 11" could probably beat any team in the world - except Spain, Germany, or Brazil.

PLUS Coman, Cabaye, Dembele, Kimpenbe, Sissoko not needed! That is a terrifying "reserve team".

DIDIER DESCHAMPS

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those 'names' have struggled against Luxembourg and Bulgaria.

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Saints baby we did it

“I am in my technical zone and I can’t hear the boos,” Domenech said.

Names don't play soccer, teams do.

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The difficulties of statistical thinking describes a puzzling limitation of our mind: our excessive confidence in what we believe we know, and our apparent inability to acknowledge the full extent of our ignorance and the uncertainty of the world we live in. We are prone to overestimate how much we understand about the world and to underestimate the role of chance in events -- Daniel Kahneman (2011), Winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics
Winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics

bumb.

Teams without names CANNOT play football at the highest level, they can win...no doubt they can, but with grit, with a bit of luck, by remaining compact etc.

To truly play at the highest level, you need names AND a team.

We mention all the teams that won without names, hardly impressive sides. The type of teams that would put you to sleep.

When Zambia won the ANC, I was here posting like a mad man, they essentially won based on their fitness. But at least it wasn't negative football, like the likes of Porto, Greece etc. Portugal in the Euros were one of the least convincing tournament winners ever.

There is a reason why people refer to names, not because it is a proxy for success, but because it is needed to be truly great.

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Bixente Lizarazu once described Spain’s football - which won them two European titles and a World Cup - as “love without the sex. It lacks a bit of spice”. News.com.au

Zambia are one of the most skillful sides in Africa to put their victory down to fitness alone is disingenuous

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"Just call me the Chimurenga Man. A guerilla. Soldier of peace.Man of the people. I write love poems with the barrel of my gun. For Africa always." - Japheth Ncube

Depends what you mean by skill. They were a team of 11 Etebos, which is not bad, but not great either.

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Bixente Lizarazu once described Spain’s football - which won them two European titles and a World Cup - as “love without the sex. It lacks a bit of spice”. News.com.au

Exactly. In fact fitness is NOT one of their attributes. But Zambia are renowned for shoe shine football

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Julius Nyerere and Kenneth Kaunda fathers of Southern African freedom

Abeg make una comot Giroud from that list. All he does is gallop around like a disabled donkey. He is the weak link in that French team.

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www.fuellingthedeltafires.com

They almost pulled it off fielding 12 black players. The largest contingent in 3 Lions history.

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MAGA - Make Arsenal Great Again.

“Emery put on so many videos I ran out of popcorn,” former player Joaquín quipped, “he’s obsessed by football, it’s practically an illness.”

Post Wenger-Arsenal go sweero

Just a reminder of some of the players they deemed "not required" for this World Cup:
Benzema, Laporte, Lacazette, Martial, Coman, Cabaye, Sissoko, Debuchy...plus Payet injured.

You didnt even mention the best of all, Frank Ribery...

Can you imagine a front 3 of Ribery, Griezmann and Mbappe?

Sorry. the fact I forgot Ribery is testament to how many brilliant players they have. France's talent pool is deep enough for them to play different teams in the Euros and WC and reach the final of both.

A team left out Karim Benzema! What a country!

Given the "limited" contributions of Giroud,...it is a travesty that Benzema is not playing in his place.
He is the best kind of anchor for Griezmann and Mbappe to buzz around.

Wow I had totally forgotten about Ribery. I take it he is retired from national duty

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Julius Nyerere and Kenneth Kaunda fathers of Southern African freedom

Benzema was excluded for non-football reasons.

It's not an African country where "do you know who i am" is the mode and way of operation. Benzema tainted his name and got him self disqualified from the French team until further notice. They have enough players to fill up the spot of any of them that acts foolish.

Also Payet got injured right before the world cup. Their squad is just crazy...

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Super Eagus 4 Life!