EURO 2020: how France got it wrong by playing Griezmann as a winger against Hungary – tactical analysis

The group of death from Euro 2020 saw another interesting clash between world champions France travel to Budapest to take on underdogs Hungary which on paper looks to be the most one-sided clash of the group. 

While France came into the match on the back of an impressive win against Germany, Hungary were handed a 3-0 defeat by Portugal which looked to be very harsh on them as they competed extremely well against the defending champions. Contrary to the expectations, the game turned out to be an evenly contested fixture as Hungary put in a spirited performance to earn a draw. 

This tactical analysis will discuss the tactics deployed by both teams and look into how Hungary managed to clinch a vital point. Lets get into the analysis.

Lineups

Marco Rossi made one change to the lineup that played against Portugal as he brought in Loic Nego in place of Gergo Lovrencsics in the left wing-back position. France on the other hand went with the same team that beat Germany 1-0 a few days back as Deschamps was keen on playing his best team to be in pole position to win the group and secure an easier knockout fixture.

Hungary’s efficient system disrupt France

Hungary’s 3-5-2 system caused a lot of issues for Portugal in their first game as their intensity and efficiency in transitioning their system from a 5-3-2 into a 3-2-5 and vice versa proved to be very tough to handle until a late collapse. They went with the same tactics and looked to trouble France the same way. Their 3-5-2 system predominantly settled into a 5-3-2 mid-block as the two forwards and three midfielders formed a box at the centre of the pitch to stop them from progressing centrally. We can see an example of that in the image below where Rabiot receives the ball inside that box but is not able to turn and pass as he would be quickly closed down by the Hungary players from all angles.