After a contrasted group stage, where they showed many different faces, France can look forward to a FIBA Round of 16 match against Croatia, a team full of quality, but a team they have beaten in their last five encounters nonetheless. From the thrashing conceded to Spain to the solid performance against Egypt, what can France take from this group stage into the knockout stages?
Confidence, first of all. It may not have been quite as good as they would have hoped, but France reassured themselves in this group stage, with three wins and two defeats, one of which being a logical loss to the hosts Spain. Yes, at times France looked uninspired, lacking any rhythm or spark to their game, for example the dull victory over Iran where they only came through with a five point differential (81-76).
On the whole, however, France proved to themselves that they could perform despite the absence of Tony Parker and Joakim Noah. Prime example being their one point victory against Serbia, where captain Boris Diaw come up clutch in the last minute of the game. Games like that only be reassuring for France, who haven’t quite got into the rhythm in this World Cup. Against Croatia, therefore, it is a question of make or break for Vincent Collet’s men. A win would see them advance to the quarters where they are more than likely to face Spain. A elimination in the round of 16, however, would be a huge disappointment for the European champions, who’s target in this tournament is a place on the podium. Their victory against Serbia, a very similar team to Croatia, should be the template they will try to follow.
On the other hand, Croatia are no doubt stronger than Serbia; led by talents such as Ante Tomic, Bojan Bogdanovic and 20 year old Dario Saric, this team will be a real contest for France. In a way, though, that could be exactly what Batum’s side need. After the narrow to defeat to Brazil suffered in their tournament opener, France haven’t had the chance to prove themselves against a top quality side (apart from against Spain, where they were outclassed). If France can come through their tough game against Croatia, that will certainly give them a boost in confidence and provide some answers ahead of their quarter final against Spain (or Senegal…).
For that, France must improve certain areas of their game. Rebounding, first of all, the sector that was their main downfall against Brazil and Spain. In order to beat Croatia, and then maybe others, France need Rudy Gobert and other big men to limit the number of second chance baskets conceded. But most of all, France need to stay focused of offense throughout the whole 40 minutes of the game. The bench needs to continue their solid contributions, providing some players who have given a spark to some dull streaks. In the game against Iran, where they were down by 10 at the close of the first quarter (13-23), France seemed out of breath already, until out of the nowhere came Evan Fournier (who hasn’t played his basketball so far this World Cup) provided 10 straight points to come back to one possession (26-29). Contributions like that will be key for France, but also continuous scoring from key players like Batum and Diaw are essential. Now that we are in the knockout stages, France will no longer be able to afford their worrying offensive blanks they have shown us so far.
The knockout stages are always different to the groups, and very often we see teams come into their own. For France, this game against Croatia is a pivotal one. One that could see them go home, or one that could give them a huge breath of fresh air before the quarters. With no real favorite in this match up, it’s time for all 12 players to their job, at the same time. Believe me, if this French side can do that, they could go really far in this tournament…
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