• Giroud to lead line with Griezmann and Mbappé in support • ‘When he is not there we realise just how useful he can he be’

Considering how many of the World Cup aristocracy did not manage to win their opening games in Russia, the France camp have raised a collective eyebrow about the negativity that swirled around the three points they collected against Australia.

Questions came thick, fast and critical. Why couldn’t they create more chances? Are the tactics flawed? Should the front three be abandoned? What about Paul Pogba? (There is always something about Paul Pogba.) Raphaël Varane took a moment when he was up in front of the media at France’s base camp in Istra, near Moscow, to ask something of the inquisitors. “If you could be a bit more positive, that would be cool,” he said.

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The thing is, being more positive is exactly what the public crave from France. For a country with ambitions to fare well in this World Cup, to try to go further than the quarter-final exit in Brazil four years ago, the pattern of the opening game was a worry. The team did not function smoothly. The thrill count was on the low side. A new three-pronged attack that was audacious in principle was subdued in practice.

Ever since, the pressure has been on Didier Deschamps to abandon it and all the signs suggest he is about to throw his exciting big idea out the window. The revolution appears to have lasted one game. With Peru on the agenda for match number two Deschamps has gone back to the drawing board. “The aim is to put everyone in their best position but you have to reach a balance,” the manager said.

Enter Olivier Giroud. France’s next trick is to bring back an old-fashioned focal point. The shake-up is partly about themselves and partly about their wariness of Peru’s qualities. It is time to up their game. Deschamps admitted France did not have enough energy last time out.

Olivier Giroud Olivier Giroud

“N’Golo Kanté told me he was struggling to breathe in the first game, struggling to move, and I understood then what was going on with the other players. If it comes from him, this is a player who likes to run a lot. So we lacked dynamism in attack but we hope to address that this time.”

To Giroud or not to Giroud? That was the question that nagged and the Chelsea forward will be back leading the line, supported by the jewels Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappé, with the more reliable Blaise Matuidi adding support. The aim is to bring a bit more attacking structure.

Giroud is a handy metaphor for the more pragmatic style associated with Deschamps. But even if Giroud’s characteristics may not be quite as glamorous as some of the pacier options, the 31-year-old’s goalscoring record for France exceeds his reputation. He is fourth in the all-time list, behind Thierry Henry, Michel Platini and David Trezeguet. He has scored the same number of goals as Zinedine Zidane (in far fewer appearances). His goals-per-game ratio is the same as Henry’s. “When he is not there we realise just how useful he can he be,” said Deschamps pointedly.

Having a natural focus for the attack is proving beneficial for some of the teams who have started this World Cup on the up. Russia’s Artem Dzyuba, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and England’s Harry Kane are in that bracket.

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If Giroud’s presence is designed to serve a purpose, even more expectation is heaped on the shoulders of Peru’s Paolo Guerrero. He is expected to come back into the starting lineup and his appearance at this World Cup owes something to the captains of the opposing teams in Group C, who signed a letter in support of him while he fought a ban after a positive drug test. “Being able to play in a World Cup is unique, it’s very special in a player’s career, and that is the case for Guerrero,” the France captain, Hugo Lloris, said. “It was only an act of solidarity with another player.”

Peru’s record scorer is ready, despite joining the squad late because of his unusual situation. “Guerrero is fully fit; he is not constrained in any way,” Ricardo Gareca said.

The Peru manager is in bullish mood. His team thrilled but started off with a defeat by Denmark, which puts their status in the group on a knife edge.

“We are going to go out to try to win the game,” Gareca said. “We are used to being the underdog, to living on the edge. And there is an element of luck to games. I think we can beat anyone, we have the tools to win and we know how to handle ourselves in this extreme situation.”