Spain-France: These Blues who (really) lost points

Clément Lenglet, a nightmare evening He hadn't played for the Blues since 2021 and his evening in Stuttgart risks sending him back to the national team's backroom. Lined up with Ibrahima Konaté on Thursday evening, the Atlético Madrid defender, on loan from FC Barcelona, ​​had a nightmare match. He had started well, winning duels and showing commendable technical cleanliness. But faced with the speed of the Spaniards, their passing game and their movement in small spaces, he fell into great depths. He was caught out on the second goal, he was a spectator on the 4-0 and he was devoured by Yamal on the ^5th . It's a lot for one man... Returning to Madrid on Tuesday for "personal concerns", Clément Lenglet (16 caps) showed his limits at this level and lost points to the competition (Saliba, Hernandez, etc.). Under these conditions, it's difficult to imagine seeing him back with the Blues anytime soon.

Ibrahima Konaté, a struggling veteran Smiling and joking in front of the media on the eve of the match against the 2024 European champions, the 26-year-old Paris native missed out on his match in Stuttgart. With his senior and regular status at Liverpool, much better was expected of him. He struggled against Oyarzabal's profile and was never able to live up to what was expected of him in the national team. Dominated in duels, never reassuring, and with a game prone to waste, Ibrahima Konaté played in the same vein as his last poor match in Croatia last March (2-0 defeat), the evening when he was substituted at halftime. His poor performance leaves the way open for the Saliba-Upamecano duo in the hierarchy of Les Bleus.

Also read: The Blues' ratings against Spain: a catastrophic defense, a sluggish midfield and a caricatured attack

Théo Hernandez, a defender who doesn't like to defend Everyone knows the counterattacking qualities of the Milan player, whose name is mentioned in Saudi Arabia, and he demonstrated it again on Thursday with some interesting runs that could have hit the mark. His shot hitting the crossbar in the first half is one example. But that can't obscure his propensity for not defending properly. In great difficulty against Lamine Yamal, he gave the impression of accepting the prodigy's dominance, without ever attacking him, for fear of being eliminated by a classy move. Throughout the match, he suffered, lacking aggression and rigor. At this level, it's worrying. Competition with Lucas Digne, who defends better—which is very important for a defender—remains more relevant than ever.

Manu Koné, Limits Shown It was an interesting match in which the 24-year-old Roman could provide answers about his progress at the international level. Unfortunately, the technical and lively profile of the Spaniards hurt him. At times, it made his head spin. From the start of the match, he could have been yellow carded for an uncontrolled tackle. By pushing forward, he wanted to show his qualities, but also unbalanced a team already struggling when La Roja had the ball. Technically, he suffered from the comparison with Pedri and Merino in midfield, not helped by Adrien Rabiot's decline. His recent performances speak in his favor, but his missed match against the best team in Europe also shows the distance he still has to travel. Still too weak to hope for a starting spot for France.