‘An artist who captures hearts’: France is falling in love with Michael Olise

“G o on, feel free to find the issues,” Didier Deschamps challenged journalists after his team sliced Sweden apart to qualify for the last 16 . “Not everything should be rose-tinted, we shouldn’t get carried away,” he said. A day on from the match, though, there have been few convincing responses to the France manager’s plea for criticism. If anything, fans have been unanimous in their praise. The flaws in this France team are difficult to spot. Aside from a few defensive lapses, none of which the Sweden attack could exploit, France turned in a performance that consolidated their status as tournament favourites. Even if there had been issues at the back, the overriding sentiment is that France’s free-flowing attacking quartet more than make up for any of their teammates’ shortcomings. Didier Deschamps’ hallmark risk-averse approach remains intact in his defensive and midfield setups. Only the front four have ostensibly been granted the freedom to roam around their third of the pitch, turning any stretch of free space into an opportunity to score. At this stage, few are surprised by the ease with which Kylian Mbappé operates on the world stage. It was the captain who broke the deadlock before half-time in New York with a far-post finish – having already been denied by the post and an offside call. His goal in the second half means he has now scored 18 times in 18 games at World Cups. Michael Olise set up two of France’s goals in their 3-0 win against Sweden. …