Chapter 733 - 733: Chapter-731 The Reports

That night as the final whistle blew on Germany's match, the news exploded in a wave of coverage.

Beyond the discussion of Germany's performance, most of the attention turned to the fact that Germany and France, these two old rivals would be facing off once again.

At the last European Championship, it was Germany who had knocked France out in the knockout rounds, and Julien had missed that match through injury.

It was a source of lasting regret for many French fans. Now was the time for revenge!

England's Skies Sportz wrote:

"France demolished Nigeria 3-0 in the first round of the knockout stage, unveiling an attack ferocious enough to strike fear into any opponent and none of it would have been possible without Julien De Rocca's sublime form.

As the attacking soul of Les Bleus, De Rocca has already scored ten goals at this World Cup. And that's with one group-stage match spent on the bench—putting him just three goals shy of the all-time record for most goals in a single World Cup.

In the midst of this attacking feast, a hot in form De Rocca looks fully capable of chasing that record down, and France's entire attacking system has long since been built around him. He renders opposing back lines almost meaningless.

With Julien leading the line, backed by the chemistry of Giroud and Griezmann up at the front and Pogba's pinpoint service from midfield, France have assembled an attack that is both defensively sound and lethal on the break—making them one of the favourites to lift this World Cup.

Every French fan is hoping he can keep this hot form going, and lead the team to avenge their elimination by Germany at Euro 2012."

At the same time, Skies Sportz also had something to say about Germany—and their angle was rather different from everyone else's.

Most other outlets were saying Germany hadn't looked as strong as expected coming into the tournament.

But Skies Sportz offered an entirely different take.

The article began with:

"Germany's hard-fought 2-1 win over Algeria to reach the quarterfinals looked, on the surface, like a struggle but in reality, it was Löw carefully rehearsing his tactics for the coming clash with France.

Unlike the smooth sailing of the group stage, this match showed us something beyond mere technique and tactics—it showed strategy. Deep strategy. If someone was pulling the strings of this match, it was Löw, and the man plays a very deep game.

From kick off, Germany threw the weight of their attack down the left—not their strongest side. It was a bit like a tennis champion picking up his weaker hand to play with you: holding something back, hiding his real tactics, that kind of thing.

Reus had played on the right wing in previous matches, but this time he was moved to the left. Germany seemed to be intentionally making things awkward for themselves—a way of thinking we rarely get to see.

In the second half, Germany shifted the weight of their attack to the right—their most dangerous route forward. Once the right side opened up, the left began to activate too, and suddenly Germany looked like a team attacking on both wings at once.

Schürrle was outstanding in this match, and by the closing stages Germany had all three lanes—left, centre, right, wide open, putting enormous strain on Algeria's goal.

Before extra time, Algeria's manager kept talking to his right-back, telling him how to defend, because he expected Germany to keep pressing the attack down the right. He never anticipated that the cunning Germans would switch the attack back to the left, throwing their entire force down that flank.

Löw's man-management here was masterful—a move that completely caught off-guard the Algerian coaching staff.

This is what makes Germany so frightening: their command of the game is immense. They can play at a controlled pace and still keep pushing forward—dictating the rhythm the whole way, perhaps not unleashing their full strength until the final itself. Whether they'll actually be able to summon that full strength when the time comes, no one can say for certain. But judging by their pacing so far, that appears to be the plan.

Germany didn't even use Klose in this match—another heavy weapon of theirs was left in reserve."

With this reasoning in mind, Skies Sportz made a bold claim:

"The core purpose behind this entire Löw setup is to prepare specifically for the next round against France—and above all, against Julien De Rocca, who leads France's attack.

De Rocca's nimble movement, his dribbling breakthroughs, his ruthless finishing—these have long been France's sharpest weapon.

Löw is clearly well aware of that threat.

What's more, German goalkeeper Neuer's frequent sweeper-keeper dashes out of the box, which might look like a back line under too much pressure, are in fact rehearsals for a specialized defensive tactic—preparation for handling the speed of Julien's counterattacks.

As German football analysts have pointed out, Löw's tactical setup is highly targeted: he is deliberately concealing the team's true attacking patterns while running specialized drills against France's counterattacking style. The France match is Germany's real battlefield."

That was just one take from Skies Sportz.

Some outlets thought Germany would beat France with ease; others thought France would simply steamroll Germany.

Every kind of opinion was out there.

And online, fans were arguing the match to death.

"Finally, the day has come! We have to avenge Euro 2012 this time!" one French fan posted on social media, and within moments there were hundreds of replies piling on in agreement.

"Exactly! Back then Julien got hurt and missed the game, and that's the only reason we lost to Germany. Now we've got a full squad and Julien's in god-tier form—three matches, ten goals, who's going to stop that? We're going to win this."

"Julien's already got ten goals in three matches—that efficiency is insane. The all-time record for most goals in a single World Cup is Fontaine's thirteen, and he's only three away now. If he explodes in the France-Germany match the way he has been, there's a real chance he rewrites the record. Getting revenge and making history in the same match—I can't wait."

Some French fans stayed clear-headed and voiced their worries instead, "Let's not get too confident. Germany will definitely have studied Julien specifically. We need to be careful with our attack and not underestimate them."

German fans, for the most part, were brimming with confidence—though plenty of them still respected the opponent.

"The Germanic war machine has the pedigree to back it up—our raw strength is above France's."

"Don't underestimate France. Julien's individual ability is terrifying—ten goals in three games, that's historic scoring efficiency. He can tear a defence apart all by himself. Our back line needs to mark him tight and not give him an inch."

"France is basically running on De Rocca alone. Ten goals in three matches is absurd, sure, but if we shut him down—cut his supply line from his teammates, we can win comfortably. We are the reigning third-place team, after all!"

Plenty of French fans also found themselves looking back on the heartbreak of 2012, full of emotions.

"I still remember 2012—Julien got hurt and missed the game, and France's attack lost its soul in an instant. We ended up losing narrowly to Germany. That regret still stings to this day. If it weren't for that, I think France's rise would have come at least two years earlier."

"Julien's injury that year gave this rivalry so much more story to it. This time, I hope he can lead France to take it back, with no regrets left behind."

"What's past is past. Both teams are at their peak now. Whoever wins, it'll be a match worth watching—as long as we get to see top-level football, that's enough."

Among all the discussion, there were plenty of lighter takes too.

One fan wrote: "Win or lose, I just hope Julien keeps scoring and breaks Fontaine's record of thirteen in a single World Cup—writes himself into a new legend. With the kind of form, he's shown, three matches, ten goals, it would be such a shame to miss the chance."

From trending topics dominating social media to fan forums buzzing all through the night, the France-Germany showdown had ignited the fans' passion before a ball was even kicked.

That's the magic of the World Cup.

The whole world was waiting.

And inside the French camp, preparations were in full swing.

To keep outside distractions at bay, Deschamps made the call to shift to closed-door training. The training base was locked down tight, off-limits to any media visits—only team staff and players were allowed in or out.

During training, Deschamps stood in the middle of the pitch, stopping the session again and again to correct the players' positioning and the finer points of their passing.

He shouted, "The details will decide this match!"

In the defensive drills, midfielders Pogba and Cabaye ran interception and cover-shadow patterns over and over, while Debuchy and Evra focused on flank defence and coordination, simulating the wing-play Germany was expected to bring—working to leave no gap unguarded.

In the counterattack drills, the players picked up the pace, drilling quick one-touch passes and forward runs, with special focus on sharpening the link-up between Julien, Giroud, and Griezmann.

The goal was to make sure that, on the break, they could tear open the opposing defence in a moment.

This was the game plan Deschamps had built for this match: the do-it-all tactic—defend deep, then counter.

After training wrapped up, Julien stayed behind on his own, running through long-range shots from different angles again and again. He knew that against Germany's targeted defence; the long shot would be a crucial way to break any deadlock.

That night, France held a dedicated tactical meeting. The meeting room was lit bright, and the tactics board was clearly marked with the lineups and positioning of both Germany and France.

Deschamps stood in front of the board, pointing at the formation diagram.

"Germany, under Löw, has extremely strong passing and possession play. In their match against Algeria, Löw deliberately concealed their tactics—yes, I believe he was hiding their real strength.

Even if he wasn't, we treat it as if he was!

So, we have to assume they'll likely reveal their possession-based tactics against us, trying to control the tempo of the match by dominating the midfield."

Deschamps pointed to Germany's midfield on the tactics board and said slowly,

"Their core strengths lie in midfield linkup and wing play. Kroos's passing, Özil's incisive runs, Schürrle's breakthroughs—these are all strong threats. And Neuer's ability to sweep well outside his box could cause real trouble for our counterattacks."

So, Deschamps laid out the core game plan:

"Given their strengths, we'll most likely go with a defend-and-counter approach for this match—meeting all their variations with our own fixed strategy.

On defence, we will pull the lines together tight. Pogba and Cabaye anchor the midfield, with the priority being to cut off Kroos's passing lanes and sever their midfield linkup; the back line needs to stay solid, not give Özil or Schürrle too much room to run into, and stay alert to their off-the-ball movement so we don't get caught out by a run in behind."

He went further into the tactical details: "On the break, we will play for efficiency. The moment we win the ball; midfield gets it to Julien as fast as possible—he's free to roam and use his pace and dribbling to break through their defence. Olivier holds up front as our target man, Antoine makes runs to drag their defence out of shape, and everyone else pushes forward quickly to create numbers in attack.

We don't need to chase possession for its own sake—we need to learn to let go of pointless possession, seize every counterattacking chance, and finish it off in one blow.

When Germany push up in attack, gaps will inevitably open in their back line and that's our opportunity."

Deschamps paused for a moment, then drove the point home again. "Everyone needs to remember: the key to defend-and-counter football is 'steady' and 'fast.' Defence has to be steady— there can be no mistakes. The counter has to be fast—we can't drag too much.

We need to be ready for a grinding, long battle. Hold our defensive line, wait patiently for our chance to break, and don't push forward recklessly and leave gaps in defence."

The players nodded one by one.

Everyone understood just how difficult this match was going to be.

Once the tactical meeting ended, the players went out of the room one by one.

Deschamps deliberately held Julien back. The two of them walked over to the window of the meeting room, away from the other players.

Deschamps looked at Julien, his tone softening considerably. "Julien, I don't need to say much—you already know what this match means. Revenge, the record, the team's path forward. On the attacking end, we're counting entirely on you."

Julien gave a small nod. "Didier, don't worry. At Euro 2012, I missed the match against Germany because of injury, and I had to watch the team lose. That kind of regret—I don't want to go through it a second time. This time, I won't miss it."

Deschamps patted Julien on the shoulder and smiled. "I believe in you. Your ability is more than enough to carry this team further. But remember—you're not fighting alone. Sometimes it's okay to trust your teammates too."

Julien nodded.

Of course, he trusted his teammates. After all, wasn't trust the whole foundation of brotherhood in football?

Deschamps went on, "Play with a free mind—don't put any pressure on yourself. Whatever happens, we'll face it together."

Julien gave a firm nod, a fire of fighting spirit was lighting in his eyes. "Got it!"

Time flew by. Closed-door training always seems to pass in the blink of an eye.

July 3rd. The day before the match.

When France held their pre-match press conference, they also learned through the media—what had been said at Germany's own press conference.

Among the things said, this tournament's standout midfielder, Toni Kroos, said at the press conference:

"Germany carries pressure, of course, because we have so many outstanding players, and we have everything a great team should have. The fans expect a great deal from us—they want us to win the World Cup, and anything short of that would be seen as failure.

France is one of the world's top sides, and I know exactly what kind of battle we're facing. I know they have plenty of world-class players, and they've shown a strong team spirit—something that hasn't always been common for them in the past.

For us, keeping possession and winning our individual battles will be crucial. If we bring our best form, I believe we're the better team, and we'll prove it on the pitch."

Kroos had every right to say this with confidence.

At this World Cup, alongside Müller who has scored four goals and added two assists—Germany's other big discovery has been midfielder Kroos.

Playing for Bayern, Kroos was once criticized for weak physical duels and a soft, slow-paced style of play, but ever since Guardiola took charge last season, Kroos has made enormous strides.

He's only registered two assists for the team this World Cup.

But one particular stat sets Kroos apart from everyone else on the squad: across his four appearances, he has completed a staggering 394 passes—more than 170 passes ahead of Özil, Germany's other key attacking midfielder!

It's little wonder, then, that manager Löw has been so resolute about installing Kroos as his first choice, even at the cost of shifting Özil out to the wing.

Kroos's standout performances have also brought him a great deal more attention.

After his contract-extension talks with Bayern stalled back in January, transfer rumours linking him elsewhere have never really stopped—first Manchester United, then Real Madrid.

Just recently, Spain's Marca even reported that Bayern and Real Madrid had already reached an agreement over Kroos: he would join the Galácticos for a transfer fee of 25 million euros.

At Real Madrid, Kroos would earn a salary of 5 million euros, and the two clubs would sign him to a five-year contract.

Once Germany's World Cup run was over, the two clubs would announce the deal.

When Julien saw this news, he found himself thinking:

Might as well let Real Madrid's fans find out a little early! No need to wait until the end of the month—it'll happen tomorrow!

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