Football Genius Midfielder System

"If we break down what makes Lloris such a good goalkeeper, it has to be his outstanding shot-stopping, quick reflexes, and sharp positioning!"

"Lloris was one of the best goalkeepers at the last World Cup, and he remains one of the best at this European Championship. He and Courtois have both been called the tournament's top goalkeeper, and now Pickford has joined that conversation after helping England win their penalty shootout!"

"If France beat Spain because of another brilliant performance from Lloris, then the award for the best goalkeeper at this European Championship will surely belong to him!"

Whenever Gullit saw Lloris, he was reminded of another goalkeeper, Spain's current backup.

"I've always thought Lloris and De Gea had very similar styles of shot-stopping. France also have an excellent young goalkeeper named Maignan, but Deschamps hasn't replaced Lloris with him. Hierro, meanwhile, chose Unai Simón over De Gea."

"That reflects the different ways the two coaches approach building a team. Hierro is willing to replace established players with younger, more promising ones very early."

"France, on the other hand, tend to keep those young players on the bench first. They may not earn a starting place alongside the veterans until they're twenty-five or twenty-six."

"Take Pedri, for example. If he played for France, he definitely wouldn't be starting. He'd be on the bench."

Gullit seemed capable of talking about Lloris forever. On the pitch, France were gradually settling into the match, finding their rhythm and beginning to combine properly.

Rabiot had struggled to find his position at first. Although he was playing on the left side of midfield, Pedri's movement had repeatedly left him unsure of whom he was supposed to track.

He did not know whether he should follow Pedri and leave the left side of midfield.

If he moved away from that area, Pavard would have far less space to attack, which would prevent Deschamps from implementing the offensive plan he wanted.

That was one of the main reasons Hierro had started Olmo. Olmo could perform Pedri's role, and Pedri could perform Olmo's.

Whenever Spain attacked, both of them pushed forward. Rabiot was left feeling helpless, almost as though he did not belong in the match.

Deschamps did not immediately tell Rabiot what to do. He needed time to make sure any adjustment would not harm France while still helping them defend Spain more effectively.

Only after discussing several possibilities with his assistant coaches did Deschamps finally give Rabiot his instructions.

"If Pedri goes forward, leave him alone. But if Olmo drops into Pedri's position to attack, you need to mark Olmo. Tell Kanté to pick up Pedri instead!"

As soon as Kanté heard that he was now responsible for Pedri, he changed targets. He had originally been marking Leo, but that responsibility now fell to Griezmann and Pogba.

Leo had never expected Griezmann to play such a tactical role for France. To keep their passing game functioning, Griezmann had sacrificed part of his own attacking influence.

In the 26th minute!

"Griezmann drops deep to receive the ball. Very deep. Kanté and Pogba barely seem involved in France's passing through midfield because Griezmann is handling everything!"

Busquets continued tracking Pogba, while Kanté also began moving forward. Ever since Conte had encouraged Kanté to push higher at Chelsea, France had started using him more often in attack as well.

At first, Griezmann was able to control the ball without any pressure.

Then Leo arrived.

Leo used his overwhelming physical strength to pin Griezmann down and force him toward an area with even less space.

Turning was out of the question. Griezmann was struggling just to keep the ball at his feet because he simply could not hold Leo off.

Deschamps grew anxious and repeatedly shouted for Rabiot and Pavard to help Griezmann.

Rabiot immediately rushed toward Leo, while Pavard moved into space on the right to give Griezmann a passing option.

Griezmann was forced to keep carrying the ball backward, drawing Olmo toward him. He finally found an opening and passed all the way back to Lloris.

Lloris received the ball and sent it to Pavard, allowing France to work it out of their defensive third with great difficulty.

Griezmann immediately ran toward Pavard again, looking to offer support, but Leo was always quicker.

Pavard had no choice but to drive forward himself. He then attempted a through ball into the space ahead.

The weight of the pass was good, but Rodri anticipated it once again. He stepped in front of Benzema, cleared the ball toward Gaya, and protected the space behind the French striker.

"If we break down what makes Rodri such a good player, I'd say he's made up of anticipation, intelligence, and precision!"

"When he gets older, he may genuinely be able to move to center back permanently."

"As for Griezmann, I'd say he's made up of attitude, link-up play, and organization. Those qualities make him indispensable to France."

"Almost anyone else can be left out, but Griezmann has to start. It's rare to find a player who can operate from front to back and remain a central figure in every phase of play."

The opening 20 minutes of this European Championship semifinal had been the most difficult stretch France had endured all tournament.

Deschamps had spent the entire period in one of two positions.

The first was seated on the bench, rubbing his chin while closely studying every movement his players made.

The second was suddenly leaping to his feet, rushing to the touchline, and shouting instructions about what they should have done moments earlier.

Deschamps had never looked so tense, but Spain were playing exceptionally well.

The first time Griezmann dropped deep, then the second and the third, France changed several other details of their approach. Yet one thing always remained the same. Every move began with Griezmann dropping back.

If Griezmann could not help France move the ball out from defense and midfield, they simply launched it long.

Whatever happened, they refused to take risks.

Leo seemed to have found the source of Deschamps' uncertainty.

Everyone described Deschamps as a confident coach, but judging by the way France were playing, he did not seem confident at all.

He only trusted Griezmann to help the team build from the back. None of the other players had earned that same trust, not even Pogba.

In previous matches, Pogba had been given enormous freedom with his passing. Deschamps would not criticize him no matter what kind of pass he attempted, even if it failed. When it worked, he would encourage him to try again.

But against Spain, Deschamps was unwilling to let Pogba take those risks.

If Pogba misplaced another pass and gave Spain an opening, the consequences would be entirely different from anything France had faced against their previous opponents.

Spain were genuinely capable of turning one bad pass from Pogba into a goal.

That reminded Leo of the way he had once exploited Busquets when facing Barcelona.

So Leo began to move, deliberately creating an opportunity for Griezmann to drop deep and receive the ball.

At that exact moment, Gullit brought him up.

"Speaking of Leo, what is he made of?"

Scholes believed one word was enough to answer.

"Talent."

...

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