Ah French football. So mercurial, temperamental and individualistic at times.
Les Bleus can be so up and down. They can be very bad at times, frustrating to watch, e.g. the 2002 and 2010 World Cups when the side was ravaged by age and disharmony.
At the same time, Les Bleus can be so breathtaking to watch as they were in 1982 and in 1998, when they won the World Cup at home, and it appears in 2014.
Some might say it was just Switzerland but one must remember that the Swiss are currently actually a very good side, on the rise with lots of talented young players with a very good coach at the helm.
However, off the ball in defence, they were found very wanting by a French side with as much physique and talent as sides before but without the distraction of team politics and hungrier than ever under former World Cup winner and now manager, Didier Deschamps.
It was up there with the Dutch as one of the best performances by a side so far at this World Cup with the Swiss having no answer to the Gallic onslaught. Indeed, some say it might be better than the Dutch given that it was really a team effort by the French to systematically destroy the Swiss - Valbuena, Matuidi, Cabaye, Sissoko, Pogba off the bench were all brilliant in midfield, led by Benzema up front.
Incredibly, Karim Benzema, France's top scorer at this tournament, only scored one, although he could have had two had the referee not blown for full time as his shot hit the back of the net in the last minute of injury time. Will that moment cost him the Golden Boot? It remains to be seen, but it is good to see Benzema, one of Real Madrid's unsung heroes this season, amongst the company of Suarez, van Persie, Mueller, Neymar and Robben near the top of the goal scoring charts at this World Cup.
With this performance, France have one foot in the knockout stages and with Ecuador to come and in this current form, they should finish top and could probably face arch-rivals, Germany in the quarterfinals - and if they can finally beat their German hoodoo, Brazil in the semifinals.
It has definitely been a much better World Cup for the French and like the Dutch, there is plenty of excitement with this side.
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