France defeated Senegal 3-1 in their opening Group I World Cup match, with head coach Didier Deschamps making a significant tactical change at the end of the first half. He shifted forward Ousmane Dembélé to the right wing and repositioned attacking midfielder Michael Olicé into a central position between midfield and attack.
"The more Michael touches the ball, the better," Deschamps told L'équipe. "Michael is capable of receiving the ball between the opponent's defense and midfield. He knows how to find our forwards. I made this change because I believed it would give us more connection in our play."
The adjustment proved effective as France secured a commanding victory with Olicé's central movement providing improved support for attacking players. France continue Group I play with matches against Iraq on June 23 and Norway on June 26.
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