Over the years, there have been some truly great defenders to come out of France. Players such as Manuel Amoros, Laurent Blanc, Bixente Lizarazu, Marcel Desailly, Lilian Thuram, Patrice Evra, and Raphaël Varane come to mind.
Before too long, another player might soon add his name to this legendary list. This player is in the midst of a breakout season for RB Leipzig, and his latest performance might very well have been his most impressive yet.
This player is Dayot Upamecano.
The Bundesliga match between Bayern Munich and Leipzig had been much-anticipated because it was a clash between the first- and second-placed teams in the league. It ended in a 0-0 draw - a fact that reflected extremely well on Leipzig's defense. This is because from an offensive standpoint, Bayern were firmly in control throughout. The Bavarians had 70% of the possession, completed almost two-and-a-half times more passes than did Die Bullen, and had 11 corners to Leipzig's three. Bayern's offensive line containing the likes of Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry, and of course, Robert Lewandowski were active throughout; however, a gutty, gritty performance by Leipzig's defense successfully neutralized the threat Bayern's offense posed.
Of Leipzig's three defenders, Upamecano was clearly the most impressive. The Frenchman was absolutely dominant at centre-back as he completely shut down Bayern's attacks time and again. The highlights of Upamecano's performance included a perfectly-timed block to prevent what would have been a Lewandowski goal as well as another spectacular block to deny Alphonso Davies from scoring. Although Upamecano did pick up a yellow card, this was also a good play because his foul on Thomas Müller also prevented a possible Bayern goal after Lewandowski headed the ball in the German winger's direction in a dangerous area of the pitch.
Over the past two seasons, Leipzig's defense has been truly impressive, especially when one considers that in 2017-18, the club from Saxony conceded 53 goals and ranked joint-14th in the league in this statistic. Last season, however, Leipzig turned it around impressively by allowing the fewest goals of any team in the Bundesliga. This season, they have continued this trend by conceding just 25 goals thus far. A key reason for this upward trend has been the impressive performance of Upamecano. The player from Normandy has turned into the fulcrum of Leipzig's defense; the team's overall defensive performance has improved in tandem with his own emergence as one of the best young centre-backs in the Bundesliga. His rapid improvement has also been reflected in the transfer market; although a number of clubs have been considering making a bid to lure him away from the Red Bull Arena, his ever-increasing transfer price has thus far ensured that no transfer has yet taken place.
On the international front, it is borderline criminal that Upamecano has never been capped by France. However, at just 21 years old, Upamecano has plenty of time to burnish his international credentials. It will surely not be long before Upamecano makes his Les Bleus debut; he might even be selected as part of the France squad for the upcoming 2020 European Championships. Circumstances permitting, he will likely have a long and fruitful international career to accompany what will probably be an equally impressive club career.
Upamecano has clearly established himself as one of the rising stars of world football. If Leipzig are to make a deep run in this season's Champions League, win the Bundesliga title, or perhaps even both, Upamecano will have undoubtedly played a major role in the club's success. However, it remains to be seen if Upamecano's long-term future will continue to be at Leipzig or instead be somewhere else. It is certainly possible that in the coming off-season, Upamecano inks a deal with a more "glamorous" club, especially if he puts in some impressive performances for France during Euro 2020.
In any case, it appears that the potential of the player whom I believe to be the next great French defender is almost limitless. There is a reason that clubs such as Barcelona and Bayern have been in pursuit of Upamecano even as his transfer value has understandably ballooned to close to €60 million. Regardless of where Upamecano ends up, however, it seems that an impressive career is in store for this talented, exciting young defender.
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