Euro 2024: How Adrien Rabiot reaffirmed his importance for France
Every major team needs a functional player to help hold the team together. A player who isn't necessarily the most glamourous name on the teamsheet but is just as important all the same. For France, that player is Adrien Rabiot. Les Bleus is littered with talent, spearheaded by the impressive Kylian Mbappe yet a player of Rabiot's skillset is key in their pursuit of glory.
The 29-year-old was crucial on the left of the deep-lying central midfield pair alongside Aurelien Tchouemani in Qatar in 2022, and is carrying out a similar role in a partnership with N'Golo Kante in Germany. While Didier Deschamps opted to move to a 4-4-1-1 for Friday's 0-0 draw with the Netherlands, with Rabiot moving to the left as a result, the expectation is that the Juventus man will move back into the partnership in a 4-2-3-1 for Tuesday's meeting with Poland.
There may be a temptation to partner Tchouameni with Kante against Poland but the fact is; Rabiot's usefulness in midfield means he won't be dropped by Deschamps. Yes we can argue about his decision not to shoot in the first half against the Netherlands being the wrong one as the midfielder elected to try to pass to Antoine Griezmann rather than seek to beat Bart Verbruggen from close range, and yet he brings balance to this France side, an understated trait.
A core reason being that he provides the positional awareness down the France left flank that does allow Theo Hernandez to get up field. Indeed, France are a side that will look to exploit the flanks as they seek to stretch the play. Only 22% of their attacks come through the middle of the pitch, the third lowest at Euro 2024, with Deschamps tasking his full-backs with pushing forward where possible.
In this instance, Rabiot's impact is key, as is Kante on the right side of the midfield. The pair rank second (2.2) and first (2.5) for tackles per 90, respectively, of all France players after the opening two games with the former carrying out a similar duty to Blaise Matuidi at the 2018 World Cup. The former PSG man wouldn't have perhaps been the first name on the teamsheet had a number of supporters had their way but Matuidi was vital as Deschamps masterminded success in Russia.
These particular midfielders - able to carry out a couple of duties in the middle of the park - are key cogs in the France machine. Not only is Rabiot a tireless runner that'll disrupt the rhythm of opponents but he knows how to retain possession effectively when he does win the ball. A pass success rate of 94.1% is second only to William Saliba (97.3%) of France players to have started both Euro 2024 matches, while 57 passes per 90 is the fourth most using the same measure.
That's not to say he put in a perfect shift against the Netherlands on Friday night and there is no denying that he and France looked a little out of sorts when playing on the left of a midfield four in the 0-0 draw with the Oranje but in his familiar central midfield berth, Rabiot's tenacity, experience and composure are the core reasons he features so frequently for the national team under Deschamps.
