FIFA World Cup 2018: 5 keys to success for France

#1 Striking the right attacking balance

France players celebrate after Griezmann's (no.7) well-taken penalty finish

In terms of attacking quality, France have the best players going into the tournament. You could make a case that Brazil come close with the trident of Neymar, Roberto Firmino and Gabriel Jesus - but Les Bleus simply have more and depth within their squad too. Despite their individual brilliance though, they must remain balanced as a collective unit.

When fit and available, both Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kanté and Juventus' Blaise Matuidi should be starting. Kanté is one of the world's best when it comes to breaking up play with tackles and interceptions in the centre, while Matuidi excels when it comes to starting attacks from deep with penetrating runs forward.

Kanté (left) and Matuidi (far right), pictured here during Euro 2016, are excellent in midfield as a pairing

They work well in a midfield two, but can also function just as well with extra cover - in the form of Bayern's club-record signing Corentin Tolisso, who defends and attacks well himself.

This could be seen as excessive against less-fancied sides, but wait, where's Pogba and his creator-in-chief role?

Precisely. One must be sacrificed for Deschamps to continue playing his preferred 4-3-3 formation with Mbappé and Dembélé either side of Griezmann or Olivier Giroud for example, so factors aplenty come into play when thinking about which players to field ahead of each match.

This is easier to do against weaker opposition but better sides will look to exploit weaknesses and in a knockout tournament format, it's imperative they strike the right balance and find the winning formula while doing so.