France need to find a way tomorrow of stopping Italy from gaining midfield superiority and getting Gianluca Zambrotta and Fabio Grosso on rampaging forward runs. Those full-backs can cause big problems when they break into the final third and I think the key for France will be for Franck Ribéry and Florent Malouda to drop infield when the ball is lost.
Zambrotta and Grosso will have the time and confidence to spring forward only if Italy retain good possession, as they did against Germany, so France must overload in central midfield to break up their opponents' play and stop the supply. If Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, Simone Perrotta and Francesco Totti have space on the ball they will create trouble.
Ribéry and Malouda need to come inside and get tight to make sure Italy cannot build any rhythm. Claude Makelele will have the task of being close enough to Totti to look after him but he must also help Patrick Vieira and Zinédine Zidane contain Italy's younger midfield and stop the passing. I wonder whether Vieira and Zidane have the legs to carry them, so Ribéry and Malouda need to give their assistance.
As the two youngest players in the team they have great energy. They have done well from wide when attacking, particularly in Ribéry's case, and have done their share of defending too. It is not a problem for France to get them to run hard, especially as Sylvain Wiltord and Sidney Govou will be ready as replacements when their energy wanes.
France do not want to end up with Ribéry and Malouda constantly chasing back towards their own penalty area to track Zambrotta and Grosso. Germany had a similar problem against Italy, with Bernd Schneider and Tim Borowski forced to work far harder defensively than they would have liked, and as a result the German supply lines from wide to their strikers were weakened. It will be easier for Ribéry and Malouda to spring into dangerous attacking areas if they are higher up the pitch.
When Fabio Cannavaro or Marco Materazzi (a potential weakness) play passes into midfield, France must try to effect possession early. If Italy monopolise the ball, Zambrotta or Grosso will begin to move forward, putting extra pressure on the France full-backs Willy Sagnol and Eric Abidal.
With Ribéry and Malouda dropping in, France will have a ring of five completed by Makelele, Vieira and Zidane to regain the ball. They particularly want to make sure Zambrotta does not raid down the right. With Mauro Camoranesi lively on that side, it already promises to be a night of defending for young Abidal, who shows occasional nerves.
I am sure the most important issue will be how France cope with Italy, assuming Marcello Lippi continues the attacking philosophy of the semi-final, in which Pirlo was an exquisite provider. I hope the final does show the world there is still a beautiful game when defending in depth, deception and fear are outweighed by vibrant attacking play and decency. A Zidane-inspired France rocked Brazil and the question is whether the sorcerer can finish with his greatest trick - another World Cup win. He will need Ribéry and Malouda to be switched on to stand a chance.
