Playing for 90
Fansided

Five early favorites for the 2018 FIFA World Cup

By Tushar Bahl

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - JULY 13: Philipp Lahm of Germany lifts the World Cup trophy with teammates after defeating Argentina 1-0 in extra time during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Final match between Germany and Argentina at Maracana on July 13, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - JULY 13: Philipp Lahm of Germany lifts the World Cup trophy with teammates after defeating Argentina 1-0 in extra time during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Final match between Germany and Argentina at Maracana on July 13, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – OCTOBER 10: Paul Pogba of France celebrates scoring his teams first goal of the game with team mates during the FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifier between Netherlands and France held at Amsterdam Arena on October 10, 2016 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – OCTOBER 10: Paul Pogba of France celebrates scoring his teams first goal of the game with team mates during the FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifier between Netherlands and France held at Amsterdam Arena on October 10, 2016 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images) /

3. France

If Germany and Brazil have talented squads, France have a vastly talented pool of players to choose from. They arguably have the best squad on paper among the favorites. The question is whether head coach Didier Deschamps can get them to gel together on the pitch.

More from Playing for 90

But the Les Bleus are set to have a squad filled with gifted players all over the pitch. From Paul Pogba to Antoinne Griezmann, from Samuel Umtiti to Kylian Mbappe, the French have what it takes to go all the way in Russia next year.

If you want a measure of how deep their talent pool is, just take a look at Anthony Martial and Nabil Fekir, who are in danger of missing out despite being on top of their form.

However, Deschamps has often been criticized for using the 4-4-2 formation, which has seen some of his players struggle in the past. While they eased their way into the Euro 2016 final, their poor tactics helped Portugal clinch the crown.

They struggled at times during World Cup qualifying as well, but ended up finishing top of their group, beating out Sweden and the Netherlands.

Home/World Cup