Ian Wright names one team who can stop France winning World Cup

Ex-England and Arsenal star Ian Wright has picked out Argentina as the biggest threat to France at this summer’s World Cup.

Four years after falling to Lionel Messi and Co at the final hurdle in Qatar, France have established themselves as the red-hot favourites to lift the prestigious trophy.

Didier Deschamps’ have blown all opposition away playing an ultra-attacking brand of football, with Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola in frightening form and firing on all cylinders.

An inspired Mbappe scored twice as Les Bleus swept Sweden aside to reach the 32, where they will do battle with Paraguay for a place in the quarter-finals.

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The Real Madrid superstar has been in stupendous form throughout and now sits just one goal of Messi’s all-time scoring record at World Cups having netted 18 times in his 18 appearances dating back to 2018.

Speaking on ITV, former England right-back Gary Neville named Argentina as the side with the most realistic chance of bringing France’s quest for glory to a halt this summer.

Two days on and Neville featured alongside Roy Keane and former England internationals Jill Scott and Wright on The Overlap, where the topic of how France could be possibly beaten was inevitably raised once again.

‘It’s going to take something [to beat France],’ Wright said.

‘It’s going to take an Argentina because of the warrior nature of Argentina.’

According to Wright, Argentina could realistically get the better of France if they made it ‘horrible’ for the likes of Mbappe and Dembele.

Asked again who he thinks could stop France, Wright repeated: ‘Argentina.

‘Make it horrible for them.’

While France lifted the coveted trophy in both 1998 and 2018, Les Blues also have a history of a history of self-destruction at World Cups – perhaps most notably in 2010 when squad division led to a humiliating group-stage exit.

But Wright sees no evidence of big egos potentially derailing France’s campaign, only a ‘tightness’ and ‘togetherness’ between Deschamps’ star men.

‘They look together because you can see if there was going to be [an internal implosion], it would be Mbappe and Dembele, but they look so tight,’ he added.

‘And Olise, you know when you see a player where the manager has obviously said, “Whenever he wants it, give it to him”, and wherever he goes you just see them going, “Give it to him, give it to him”, Mbappe just gives it to him.

‘It’s together, they know exactly what they want to do.’

The ex-Arsenal striker went on: ‘Did you hear the players? I think it was [Aurelien] Tchouameni talking about the manager and what he’s been through and how they know it’s his last tournament and want to make sure they do it for him.

‘They’re focused, they’ve got everything.

‘It’s individual brilliance. Afterwards you’re saying, “Well, how are you going to stop them?”… what are you going to do?

‘Are you going to put a man-marker on Olise? Are you going to double up on Dembele or Doue? Come on!’

Former England forward Gary Lineker echoed Wright’s remarks while assessing the leading contenders, telling The Rest Is Football: ‘Most of us thought France could implode because that’s happened at times historically, but they seem to be really together.

‘I honestly think it’s going to be incredibly difficult for any team to compete with them never mind beat them.

‘Kylian Mbappe is obviously France’s superstar but you can’t just crowd around him because then they’ve got [Michael] Olise, [Ousmane] Dembele, [Bradley] Barcola, [Desire] Doue, [Rayan] Cherki…

‘You just think it’s hard to look beyond them unless they pick up a couple of injuries to the superstars because they’re just breathtaking.

Lineker also named Argentina as a possible threat to France, as well as Spain, despite La Roja’s somewhat unconvincing start to the tournament.

‘I mean, who can stop them? I don’t think there’s any conceivable way they won’t get to the semi-finals,’ he added.

‘At that point they will likely face Spain, who haven’t looked great so far. Maybe they can grow into the tournament.

‘Possibly Spain would have some kind of chance if they find the form of two years ago. But I would say Argentina are the ones.

‘It will be very difficult for England, I have to say. I’m feeling like there will be a replay of the final in Qatar from four years ago.’

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