A Faceless France: Navigating Life Without Griezmann And Mbappe
It's a new-look for Les Bleus.
This is a guest article by Chirag Sharatkumar. Subscribe to Sideline Stories.
Monday night was the second time in eight years that France announced a starting lineup that didn’t feature either Antoine Griezmann or Kylian Mbappe. The first was last Thursday.
The one before that was November 15, 2016.
To put that into context, at the time, Leicester City had just done the unthinkable and won the Premier League, Manchester United had signed Paul Pogba (again) for a world-record fee, Gareth Southgate had just been appointed England manager, and Neymar was still thriving alongside Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi for Barcelona.
The better part of a decade has passed with Griezmann and Mbappe as not only the primary attacking forces, but also the faces of the French national team.
Neither of them were available for this month’s Nations League fixtures, with Griezmann having recently retired from international football and Mbappe unavailable having withdrawn due to fitness concerns, which has caused a storm in the French media.
With Olivier Giroud also having announced his international retirement and N’Golo Kante sidelined through injury, this is the first France squad in years not to feature a single member of the 2018 World Cup-winning team.
It is by many metrics the end of an era. These Nations League matches don’t just represent a temporary shift, but a glimpse of what’s to come. And what a different France it is. Blessed with an embarrassment of riches, undoubtedly, but maybe not quite convincing enough just yet. Even if they do have Mbappe to return.
Ousmane Dembele, as is perhaps the story of his entire career, has blown hot and cold too often to offer any real guarantee of quality. He is incredibly quick and offers a degree of flexibility due to his ability with both feet and on both flanks, but his decision-making and end product continue to leave much to be desired. It is difficult to say how much, or rather how little, he has truly progressed as a player since his breakout. Nonetheless, he seems to offer a consistent enough degree of inconsistency to be a regular in Didier Deschamps’ side.
Michael Olise brings something fresh, albeit untested. He is not yet the finished product, far from it, but he has all the materials. He provides something a little bit different to the rest, a clear profile: comfortable on the right with a strong left foot, intelligence in his passing and positioning, and a strong ability to read the game and find pockets of space. After missing out on gold at the 2024 Olympics, Olise has put the world on notice with his impressive start at Bayern Munich, but there’s a steep learning curve from club football to the scrutiny of the international stage.
Bradley Barcola, Mbappe’s heir apparent at PSG, offers pace and directness, not dissimilar to the role Mbappe himself fulfils, though with an undeniable difference in quality. At just 22, he is dynamic, raw, tricky and fleet-footed, willing and eager to drive at the defence. Barcola mainly thrives on the counter when he can play through transitions, a trait Deschamps values in his forwards, but how he is able to contribute in the games in which France dominate possession is yet to be seen. He has potential, but is largely inexperienced and will require time and patience to grow into his role.
And then there’s Randal Kolo Muani, the man who nearly delivered glory to France in the 2022 World Cup final. He is versatile and driven, capable of playing multiple roles across the frontline as a center forward or coming off the right wing.
His pace and work ethic are ideal for Deschamps’ semi-counter-attacking style, but question marks still loom over his decisiveness and finishing, particularly under pressure. His two goals against Belgium on Monday took him to three in this Nations League campaign. He has potential, but his link-up play and ability to create space for others to attack the way Giroud and Griezmann did is certainly not yet up to scratch.
“He’s intriguing. He’s radiant.”
-Didier Deschamps on Kolo Muani
Christopher Nkunku is perhaps the most intriguing piece of this puzzle. He was one of Europe’s hottest prospects, but recurring injury issues have seen him mostly on the sidelines. He is far and away the most Griezmann-esque player of the lot, or at least the one with the potential to become that kind of player, though perhaps not matching Griezmann’s unmatchable workrate. With his creativity and strength, however, he can both lead the line and drop into midfield, while also scoring in bunches. By virtue of his impressive ball control and range of passing, he will also offer a degree of press resistance that France have been missing.
Together, this group presents Deschamps with plenty of options for a forward line that is as fresh as it is talented. Each brings something unique — Dembele’s unpredictability, Olise’s awareness, Barcola’s trickery, Kolo Muani’s versatility, and Nkunku’s creativity.
France’s transition in both defence and midfield have been relatively smooth, with talents like William Saliba, Ibrahima Konate, Theo Hernandez, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga emerging to fill the gaps left by the stalwarts of 2018.
The situation in attack has been less so as both Griezmann and Mbappe, along with Giroud have performed at such a high level for the national team across recent years.
Deschamps, who has traditionally relied on a front three (Mbappe plus two) supported by a deeper-lying Griezmann, now faces something of a tactical identity crisis. Without his two most trusted players, France have struggled with progressing the ball up the field and were forced to rely on long balls to the wingers to get out of danger.
This lack of balance may not have hurt them much against Israel and Belgium, but it will not suffice against the top teams. The midfield is far more defensive than it is progressive and the forwards, bar Mbappe, need more time to plant their feet in international football.
These matches are a testing ground, yes, but they are also a moment of reckoning.
For France, this was more than just group stage fixtures — it was a chance to redefine themselves; to embrace the next generation while understanding what has been lost.
As these new faces take the stage, they carry not just the weight of expectation but the legacy of those who came before. The future is bright, no doubt about it, but it is also uncertain. Without their icons, their architects, their safety net, France will struggle.
But they will learn, and they will grow. And that journey, with all its promise and peril, is only just beginning.