There are similarities between France and England’s systems, especially in how Olivier Giroud works in the same way as Harry Kane.
Giroud did not score at the 2018 World Cup, or even manage a shot on target, despite featuring in every single game.
Yet he played a key part in France’s success four years ago and he is still a vital cog in the French machine.
Giroud is like the backboard in basketball — you bounce balls off him to get it into the net. He drops deep, sometimes taking opposition defenders with him, while the rapid runners break into space.
His hold-up play makes him a good target man and he is excellent at linking up with his fellow forwards, who flood into the front areas either side of him.
All of the above is about Giroud and France, but we could easily apply it to Kane and England, too. I cannot see Gareth Southgate changing systems for the quarter-final. The 4-3-3 set-up has worked too well.
We often speculate about how opponents will try to stop Kane from doing what he does. Now England need to pay special attention to Giroud.
Antoine Griezmann’s importance for France should not be understated. Remarkably, he has featured in France’s last 71 games consecutively.
The last time he did not play a part was in a friendly against England in June 2017. France use two sitters in midfield — Adrien Rabiot and Aurelien Tchouameni. But Griezmann is the one who pulls the strings for this France team.
Kylian Mbappe gets the headlines, naturally. He is a 23-year-old sensation. But Griezmann is an unsung hero and England’s midfielders, especially the deep-sitting Declan Rice, need to limit his influence.
The first 25 minutes against Senegal were worrying. If England play like that against France, they could be punished and it could be all over.
Once Southgate’s players started to take better care of the ball, we took over the game. We did not get into an arm wrestle with Senegal.
We simply punished them with our passing. England will want to have the lion’s share of possession against France and I expect Southgate to stick with the same three-man midfield of Jude Bellingham, Rice and Jordan Henderson. Henderson does not always get the credit he deserves.
You do not win what he has won — the Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, Champions League, Super Cup, Club World Cup —without being a special player.
It has been an inspired decision from Southgate to bring him back and Bellingham and Rice have benefitted from his experience in midfield.
England have a team that is capable of winning this World Cup and so do France. This promises to be an epic game between two contenders.