MY ACCOUNT
France are one win away from making World Cup history — and Hugo Lloris will be key to his side’s hopes.
If Les Bleus can defeat Argentina, he will join an exclusive list of players to have won the tournament back to back.
Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962) are the only two other nations to have achieved the feat.
Ahead of the mouth-watering final against Argentina, we look at how Lloris can help France retain the trophy.
Mr Reliable
A reliable goalkeeper is a key component of any world-class side — and France have been set in this department since Lloris made his debut in 2008.
He was excellent at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, keeping three clean sheets and only conceding six goals in 540 minutes.
The 35-year-old has kept up those standards in Qatar, conceding only four times — though he may be disappointed to only have only kept one clean sheet.
Lloris’ experience — particularly of winning a World Cup final — will be invaluable for France as they seek to repeat the trick.
High praise
Before Lloris earned his record-equalling 142nd cap for Les Bleus in the World Cup last-16 clash against Poland, France manager Didier Deschamps heaped praise on his captain and compared him to the man whose record he was matching — Lilian Thuram.
He said: “Records are made to be broken.
“It’s the longevity of two exemplary players, two great professionals who have both kept themselves at a very, very high level.
“These records mean something. Some are more anecdotal than others, but this one speaks for itself.”
Stepping up
France had to dig deep in both their quarter-final against England and their semi-final against Morocco — but managed to emerge victorious on both occasions.
They endured spells where they were forced to defend deep and Lloris was required to make some important saves to keep his side in the game.
Against England, the captain made an impressive six saves overall — a real sign that he can step up when required for his nation.
In the final, the stopper will almost certainly be called upon again as Lionel Messi looks to fire Argentina to victory.
Error free
Lloris has been a reliable figure for most of his career but in recent seasons the veteran has earned a reputation for making unforced errors.
Despite an excellent tournament overall four years ago he made an unforgettable blunder in the final which cost his side a goal — thankfully for the Tottenham skipper, it did not impact the result.
In Qatar, however, the 35-year-old has not made a single error leading to a goal.
If Lloris can maintain his aura of steady calm for one more game, he could write himself into history as France’s greatest goalkeeper.
Demands in possession
The biggest criticism of Lloris’ game is his ability on the ball and his lack of fluidity in possession.
The France captain has only completed 70 passes at the tournament so far, which works out at just 14 per 90 — low even for a goalkeeper.
His passing accuracy is also just 56.91%, which can likely be explained by the fact that he primarily sends his kicks long.
However, Dechamps’ style masks that weakness with France ranking 11th at the World Cup for passes attempted per match (521.17) — Les Bleus’ boss will hope Lloris is not found out on the ball in the final.
