France are frightening. Two of the 2026 World Cup\u2019s top five goalscorers play in Didier Deschamps with Ousmane Dembele and Kylian Mbappe both hitting the ground running at this summer\u2019s tournament, netting four goals apiece after three games. Michael Olise, however, is the creative force pushing Les Bleus forward.<\/p>\n
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Olise has flourished into one of the best wingers at Bayern Munich over the last two seasons, becoming a key component of Vincent Kompany\u2019s team with his driving runs off the flanks and natural eye for goal. The 24-year-old found the back of the net 20 times in all competitions for the Bavarians last season.<\/p>\n
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For France, though, Olise has been most commonly deployed as a number 10. Didier Deschamps has emboldened the former Crystal Palace player to indulge his creative side, getting the best out of Olise\u2019s natural invention with the ball at his feet. For club, he is the new Arjen Robben. For country, though, he\u2019s the new Antoine Griezmann.<\/p>\n
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Only Bruno Guimaraes has registered more assists at the 2026 World Cup than Olise and the Brazilian midfielder has played one more game. With France up against Sweden in the round of 32, the 24-year-old is expected to be the one pulling the strings around the edge of the opposition penalty area.<\/p>\n
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Olise has created more Big Chances (three) than any other French player at the 2026 World Cup, also accruing the highest Expected Assists (xA) from three games. As a dribbler and a pass-master, the former Crystal Palace midfielder is unmatched in his contribution to Deschamps\u2019 team.<\/p>\n
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The balance of France\u2019s forward line has been perfect in the three matches they have played at this summer\u2019s tournament so far. Mbappe is the forward who wants to use his speed to get in behind and find goal-scoring opportunities inside the box. The Real Madrid striker has four goals to his name.<\/p>\n
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On the right side, Dembele has also found four goals, three of them in the win over Norway to finish the group stage. The Paris Saint-Germain forward fills in the space around Mbappe with his movement and his ability to go either way. Indeed, Dembele might be the most two-footed player in world football.<\/p>\n
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Then there\u2019s Bradley Barcola whose speed gives France some verticality. This prevents their attacking play from becoming predictable and stops opponents from clogging up the central areas. France always have an out-ball and this is true when Desire Doue plays over Barcola on the left side.<\/p>\n
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With Olise as the number 10 behind a forward line of Dembele, Mbappe and Barcola, there\u2019s a risk France could be too top-heavy against the best opponents. Having four attacking players on the pitch at the same time puts a lot of pressure on Manu Kone and Aurelien Tchouameni as the midfield double pivot. They have to cover a lot of ground.<\/p>\n
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Olise, however, has developed his pressing game a lot over the last two seasons at Bayern Munich and offers France something valuable against the ball. The 24-year-old\u2019s work ethic makes it harder for opponents to play through Les Bleus, providing some sort of protection from the front. This helps their balance.<\/p>\n
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On attacking talent, France deserve their status as favourites to win the World Cup for a third time in their history. Mbappe has already established himself as a difference-maker at this level of the international game with Dembele also known for his match-winning ability as the current Ballon d\u2019Or holder.<\/p>\n
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Anyone who has watched Olise over the last two seasons at Bayern Munich is well aware of his capacity to determine matches at the highest level, but this World Cup has been a breakout tournament for him in the international arena. As a natural creator, there might be nobody better at this moment in time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
France are frightening. Two of the 2026 World Cup\u2019s top five goalscorers play in Didier Deschamps with Ousmane Dembele and Kylian Mbappe both hitting the ground running at this summer\u2019s tournament, netting four goals apiece after three games.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":54847,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[643],"tags":[1269],"class_list":["post-58551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport","tag-feature-home"],"yoast_head":"\n