France were held to a poor 0-0 draw against Switzerland on Sunday night but still finished top of Group A, which was the main target. Laurent Koscielny started the game and played 90 minutes.
In a game where squad rotation was used by Didier Deschamps, the defence and goalkeeper did not see any change and therefore Laurent Koscielny got another 90 minutes to work on his partnership with Adil Rami.
The main problem is the booking picked up in the 83rd minute, which means he will be under threat of a match ban if booked again as per the UEFA rules until after the quarter-finals:
In the final tournament, a player is suspended for the next competition match
after two cautions in two different matches, as well as after the fourth caution.
Single cautions from matches in the final tournament expire on completion of the
quarter-finals. They are not carried forward to the semi-finals.
Basically, he has to make sure he does not get booked in the next two games.
It was an ok performance on the night, with France having less possession that Switzerland, something that is quite unusual for the French team and therefore put them under much more pressure.
One of the disappointments so far is, Kos does not do enough in terms of attacking play besides going up on set pieces. He should bring sharp attacking passes and run to help the midfield but he just stays on the defensive side when the team needs help.
Laurent Blanc was excellent at bringing play from the back, offering solutions and support to the midfielders and forwards. In a tight game, this is what should happen to unlock a defensive team.
At the moment, France are malfunctioning as a team but have not met dangerous opposition yet and therefore are still a work in progress. Laurent Koscielny has been steady in the group stage but like the rest of the team needs to improve in the knock-out stage.