World Cup 2022: France asking Hugo Lloris for Harry Kane tips, says Olivier Giroud
France captain Hugo Lloris will be up against his Tottenham team-mate Harry Kane when Les Bleus face England in the World Cup quarter-finals
France captain Hugo Lloris has been at the centre of conversations about how to stop England skipper Harry Kane, according to Olivier Giroud.
Lloris and Kane are long-time Tottenham team-mates, but will be up against one another when their countries collide in the World Cup 2022 quarter-finals on Saturday.
"We have spoken with Hugo about him," France striker Giroud said when asked about Kane.
"He's a player with a similar profile to mine. He is big, powerful and he has done well in front of goal.
"I think in these last months and years, he's gone a bit deeper to get involved in the game. I don't know if that's due to his coach, but he makes a lot of passes.
"He's still a goalscorer, yet he can find those key passes for his team-mates. There are similarities [to me] but there are some key differences."
Giroud is very familiar with English football and the Three Lions squad, having spent nine years in the Premier League with Arsenal and Chelsea.
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"For England, they have had a good tournament. I hope they will have a tough game on Saturday,” said Giroud.
"I know this team very well, we were talking with Hugo regarding this game and we said we don't want to lose against England.
"It's a special game for us. They have so many young players in this generation, I think they have quality but quantity also in the squad. They have different options and it will be a nice game to watch. I hope it's going to go well for us."
Giroud leapfrogged Thierry Henry to become France’s all-time top scorer by scoring in Les Bleus’ 3-1 win over Poland in the last 16.
But his feat was overshadowed by another spectacular display from Kylian Mbappe, who continues to tear up trees and scored twice in that match to become the leading scorer at the tournament with five goals
“Kylian is basically one of the best players I've played with," Giroud said.
“He is amazing and is still young which is scary as he can still improve.
"He is very efficient and, from the beginning of the competition, he's been crucial for us - very decisive, very competitive. He's obviously the best striker I've played with in all of the teams I've played in.
"We've not seen the best of him, I hope it's going to come soon and he will beat all the records. I know that and you know it as well."
Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.
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