France used a 1-4-2-3-1 formation initially, but changed to a 1-4-4-2 in defense to better occupy the center against Germany's offensive style. Matuidi and Pogba worked hard in midfield to cover spaces and balance the defense. While France defended well in midfield, they sometimes left space behind the fullbacks when wingers did not track back, allowing Germany late crosses and shots. France remained aggressive throughout the match to maintain intensity and prevent Germany from equalizing.

1. UEFA Euro 2016 France
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FRANCE
DEFENSIVE ORGANIZATION REPORT
UEFA EURO 2016 - FRANCE
SEMI-FINALS

2. UEFA Euro 2016 France
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vs Italy
INITIAL SYSTEM 1-4-2-3-1
08
09
05
10
07
Antoine Griezmann
Forward
Man of the Match
22
14
21
19
18
03
09
15
07
08
1
Tactical System
07 06

3. UEFA Euro 2016 France
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Dynamics
France chose to change the system in the defensive
process, revealing a 1-4-4-2 in order to get a better
occupation of the center corridor. This is due to the fact
that the german offensive model includes a lot of players
between the lines.
France tried to keep this model but sometimes played
with their usual 1-4-2-3-1, specially when Germany got
closer to the area.
Tactical System

4. UEFA Euro 2016 France
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Midfield Sector
Dynamics
The midfield was outstanding controlling the german
offensive, with Matuidi and Pogba working a lot to cover
the spaces and create numeric advantage for the
defense, in order to keep it balanced.
Payet and Sissoko also had a key role in this domain,
specially when the ball was in the crossing area, freeing
up the full backs to create advantage in the middle.

5. UEFA Euro 2016 France
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Midfield Sector
Dynamics
Despite their effort, most of the time they left space in the
back. France closes the wing with a lot of players and the
winger on the opposite side stays in the center.
If Germany had opted to give maximum width, France
could have struggled a bit.
The space in the back of the full back (when the winger
wasn’t supporting as it should) also revealed France´s
concern on closing the space in the middle.

6. UEFA Euro 2016 France
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Defensive Sector
Dynamics
The defensive structure kept the first 2 lines, giving
freedom to the players in the front to explore the counter
attack.
Pogba and Matuidi were almost in the same line that the
defenders were, in order to create numeric advantage.
This left space for the late cross, and Germany tried to
take advantage of this situation with some highlights for
Kimmich and Héctor who shot dangerously multiple times.

7. UEFA Euro 2016 France
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Stats
Dynamics
The stats confirm the urge of France to close the space
in the middle with the 2 defensive midfielders supporting
the defense.
Most of the shots for Germany were taken outside the
box (10/17) and a precision of 6/17.
France was really agressive the entire match, even when
they were winning they didn’t soften the intensity and the
agressiveness that characterises them. This created
some Free Kicks that could lead to dangerous plays for
Germany.

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