Maturing Kurzawa emerging as left-back leader for PSG & France

It was a tournament that France were widely expected to win. We’re not talking about the European Championships this summer, but the under-21 edition of the tournament a year previous. A competition that this time, les bleus would have to earn qualification for.

It was, however, something that a hugely talented youth side was unable to achieve, in somewhat infamous fashion for one player in particular. Pierre Mankowski's team of future stars would win the first leg of their crucial qualifier with Sweden 2-0, with relative comfort back in October of 2014; Kondogbia and Thauvin the scorers in a side that included the likes of Zouma, Umtiti, Laporte and Martial, while Kingsley Coman had to make do with a place on the bench! The second leg in Halmstad was surely all but a formality as France aimed to book a trip to the Czech Republic the following summer.

Hakan Ericson’s young Swedes had other ideas though, racing into a 3-0 lead through Oscar Lewicki by the 71st minute. France were staring an unlikely upset in the face before left-back Layvin Kurzawa popped up in the centre-forward role to bundle home from close range with just three minutes to spare. Les bleus were surely through on away goals and the young full-back was in the mood to gloat.

Showing his immaturity, Kurzawa goaded a number of the hosts' players while celebrating the goal he felt would prove to be the biggest of his career at that point, saluting as if to suggest that Sweden’s had waved their chances of qualification adieu. They hadn’t. Lewicki would crop again a minute later to score a goal that would dump one of international youth footballs strongest sides for decades out before they even had the chance to book their flights for the tournament proper.

It was a moment of ultimate humiliation for Kurzawa, and poetic justice for the hosts, as well as the watching world. It would take hard work from the young defender to ensure that it wasn’t a saga that would haunt the formative years of a hugely promising career. As a teenager, after all, Kurzawa had made the left-back berth his own at Monaco the season previous, not only weighing in with 5 goals and 3 assists but averaging the most interceptions per game (3.4) in all of Ligue 1.

The unsightly blemish to an otherwise impressive progression remains, however, an important part of the youngster’s development, not only as a footballer but as a professional. In truth, it hasn’t really held him back. The left-back would receive his first senior international call-up from Didier Deschamps in the manager’s very next squad.

While his performances at club level certainly warranted consideration from the France boss, many were surprised his first cap would come so soon after such a blatant show of childishness. The fact that his first international start would come against the Sweden senior side just one month after his shameful episode against their under-21s was another interesting twist.

While continuing to impress in Ligue 1, though, Kurzawa wouldn’t earn a call-up for any of France’s matches in the build up to the Euros, and subsequently missed out on a place in Deschamps’ final squad. Nevertheless, in that time he did at least do enough to convince PSG that he was the man to eventually replace ageing left-back Maxwell, making the move to the capital last summer having earned a place in WhoScored.com’s top ten rated players of the season in 2014/15, with a score of 7.54.

Last season under Laurent Blanc - his first for the French champions - would prove to be a frustrating one. Used in rotation alongside the aforementioned Brazilian, Kurzawa would start just 14 of 16 league appearances, and never more than two games in succession despite some eye-catching displays. Indeed, in said outings the left-back showcased his undoubted ability to contribute to the attack with 3 goals and 5 assists, along with impressive averages of 2.9 tackles and 3.3 interceptions per game - both ranking second in the squad to Serge Aurier.

Where Blanc seemed unconvinced, at least to an extent, new PSG boss Unai Emery will have been hugely enthused by the full-back’s superb start to the campaign. There was a glimpse of his quality with an excellent free-kick against Inter, before Kurzawa played a starring role in PSG’s emphatic Trophees des Champions win over Lyon. The defender was again on the scoresheet having earlier assisted Javier Pastore’s opener in a 4-1 win for a rating of 8.57.

The winner and only goal of the game in the champion's league opener with Bastia spared PSG’s blushes late in the second half, again popping up in the opposition box as he so often does. In fact, it’s difficult to think of a full-back, given his side’s domestic dominance, afforded so much freedom to not only support attacks but find himself in goalscoring positions.

He did so again the following week, though this time heading home a corner in a routine 3-0 victory over promoted Metz, with such impressive attacking displays enough to finally earn a recall to Didier Deschamps’ national side. Just three days before his 24th birthday, celebrating that milestone over the weekend, Kurzawa was given the nod over Lucas Digne to start against Italy and took his chance with both hands. A WhoScored.com man of the match award (8.49 rating) came courtesy of a cute flick-on assist for Olivier Giroud’s first half volley before finishing the scoring in a 3-1 win by slotting home from the narrowest of angles late in the second.

It was a performance that will likely have convinced his manager, for the time being at least, that the PSG man is the man to replace Patrice Evra, despite the fact that the 35-year old is yet to retire from the international game. There is a need for fresh blood in the full-back positions for France after all, and while he faces competition, a maturing Kurzawa may well have made a significant stride to the front of the queue. He will, however, have learned not to count on anything too soon, with France kicking off their World Cup qualifying campaign against Belarus tonight.

Should Kurzawa be the first choice left-back for France moving forward? Let us know in the comments below