Why is the 4-2-3-1 the most popular option in the French national team?

We know that systems become distorted during matches as players move around. We also know that Didier Deschamps' 4-2-3-1, at the moment, is roughly the same distance from a 4-4-2 with two strikers as it is from the 2018 world champions' somewhat asymmetrical setup, with Kylian Mbappé on the right wing and Blaise Matuidi to play as often as possible on the left.

But this 4-2-3-1, which was the organization chosen during Euro 2016 at the end of the competition, and which systematically maintains four attacking players (compared to 3 in 2018 in a similar pattern) is clearly the option of the moment, in the French team. A spectacular and winning option against Croatia (2-0, 5-4 on penalties), in March, in the quarter-finals of the Nations League, very spectacular and losing against Spain (4-5), in the semi-finals, three months later. That day, Didier Deschamps clung to this idea, qualifying: "We will have to find the right balance, because we are driven forward. But I do not want to give up that, because we have that quality."

"I like this system, it brings stability with two players in front of the defense, a number 10 and a significant offensive threat."

This week, he reiterated his belief in this option, and as for the imbalance observed against Spain, he has a reasonable chance of avoiding it, since it can clearly be attributed to the change in personnel: Pierre Kalulu, Clément Lenglet and Ibrahima Konaté had suffered at the back in Stuttgart, and Aurélien Tchouaméni had been missing in midfield. This Wednesday, at Clairefontaine, Jules Koundé underlined his taste for this organization: "I'm used to playing in this system. The coach doesn't restrict me during possible promotions. I like this system, it brings stability with two players in front of the defense, a number 10 and a significant offensive threat."

To face Ukraine in Wroclaw on Friday evening, in the opening round of World Cup qualifying, the coach should therefore stick to this 4-2-3-1 formation, but adapt it to the resources of the moment. In an ideal world, and in a typical team, Ousmane Dembélé would have started the match on the right, William Saliba on the left side of the defense, alongside Dayot Upamecano, and Adrien Rabiot in midfield. In the reality of this return and in the best-case scenario, Dembélé, who has a thigh injury, has undoubtedly remained with the squad in view of France-Iceland on Tuesday at the Parc des Princes, rather than the upcoming Ukraine-France match.

On the right, beyond the candidacy of Maghnes Akliouche, Désiré Doué seems the favorite, as does Bradley Barcola on the left. The balance of the 4-2-3-1 will also come, inevitably, from the midfield, where Deschamps will have the choice between Manu Koné and Rabiot to play alongside Tchouaméni. The coach spoke highly of Koné when announcing his list ( "an underrated, undervalued player" ), but Rabiot, a regular starter, will have barely two weeks without competition, after his chaotic last days in Marseille.