"He doesn't get enough credit" - Patrice Evra reveals why France have not missed Karim Benzema at the FIFA World Cup
Patrice Evra believes Olivier Giroud's presence has allowed France to cope without Karim Benzema at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
France have booked their place in the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup as Group D winners. They finished the group stage with six points to their name, having won two and lost one of their three games.
Les Bleus will now look to progress into the quarter-finals of the tournament when they face Poland in the Round of 16 on Sunday (4 December). As things stand, they are well-placed to defend their status as world champions.
Didier Deschamps and company have done well despite suffering three injury setbacks in the early stages of the FIFA World Cup. Christopher Nkunku was the first to be sidelined, while Lucas Hernandez was ruled out after the team's win over Australia in their opener.
The biggest miss for the team, though, is perhaps Benzema, who was forced to pull out of the tournament days before the match against Australia. The defending champions have nevertheless coped without the Real Madrid talisman.
Much of the credit for that goes to Giroud, according to former left-back Evra. The Manchester United great feels the veteran striker does not get recognition for his efforts. He told Betfair:
"Let's not forget about Olivier Giroud. He doesn't get enough credit. I don't know why. He's matched Thierry Henry's scoring record for France, but people aren't mentioning it that much. What a player. He's an important player for France."
Evra explains why Giroud is important for France at the FIFA World Cup
Evra went on to explain that Giroud's ability to hold up the ball makes him a valuable asset to Deschamps. The former left-back thinks the AC Milan frontman is important for Les Bleus at the FIFA World Cup. He said:
"I remember at the 2018 World Cup, before the tournament, France played in friendlies and all the French fans wanted to see Griezmann and Mbappe and Dembele. Deschamps did that and defensively we were really bad, we won games but conceded goals."
"He put Giroud back in and people criticized Giroud because he didn't score at the 2018 World Cup, but he did so much for the team. He's so important for the team. With Deschamps' system, he needs a big striker like Giroud to hold the ball up."
Evra, though, suggested that Deschamps and Co. might miss Benzema during the knockout stages of the tournament:
"I played with Giroud and I know exactly what to expect from him. So he's doing a good job. But don't get me wrong, in the quarter and semi-finals, France will have a lack of experience."
It now remains to be seen if Giroud can help his team to glory in Qatar.