The first game of a tournament you host is extremely important. This sets the tone for the rest of the competition and can either boost confidence or make the team have a continuous upward struggle. Also, I have to stress that under no circumstance must France UNDERESTIMATE ROMANIA.
That's the danger with matches like these. You are the favorites, at home playing against a team who don't have a shred of hope of sniffing anywhere near a semi or even a quarter-final, it's too easy to be overconfident and assume you will be victorious. You're expected to win, you ought to win...and that's where mistakes can happen.
Brazil conceded the first G against Croatia, and even if they ended up winning the game, you felt the nerves once they went behind because of the intense expectation from the crowd and the country. That can work for or against you. France have to use the crowd as an advantage rather than a hindrance, and always be focused on the football and not on the noise that surrounds them.
What is crucial for France is a great performance. That is just as important as the result. If they eek out a victory, being shaky at the back, scoring through an own goal, and having no flow in their passing then that won't breed confidence. It's good they get the three points, but that performance could be the mandate for the tournament and luck can only take you so far if you don't have the skill to back it up.
France have to come out and really perform, and give the crowd a show. Winning is paramount, but they have to do it with a bit of style as that will help them moving forward. If they can really play some sexy football and overwhelm Romania, it sends out that message and gets them in the right mood for every match to come. HH
Comment below using your Facebook or Twitter Account to Log Into Disqus.
