EURO 2012 Qualification – Match Preview: Bosnia-Herzegovina versus France
France are all set to bring their European Championship qualification campaign back on track in their second qualifier against Bosnia Herzegovina. France lost their first qualification match against Belarus by single goal, which was scored by the Belarusian playmaker Sergei Kislyak.
Sergei’s goal came four minutes before the ninetieth minute mark and broke French hearts, which were hoping for a win in their first competitive match after their World Cup debacle. France recently appointed their new manager, Laurent Blanc. Blanc has been tasked with cleaning up the mess that the French team has turned into after their disappointing performances at the FIFA 2010 World Cup.
France were paired with Uruguay, hosts South Africa and Mexico in their group at the World Cup but the ex-World Champions failed to produce any sort of magic, as they failed to win any of their matches. After losing two and drawing one, France went out of the tournament at the group stage level, something that was not expected before the competition kicked off.
If this wasn’t enough, France were also in turmoil as far as off-the-field matters were concerned. There was a lot of indiscipline, as several players refused to train amidst reports of an in-house mutiny against the French coach Raymond Domenech. Domenech, who was dismissed from his post after France’s failure to qualify for the round of sixteen, came under heavy criticism from senior players in the French squad like Florent Malouda, Anelka and Patrice Evra. Anelka and Evra have already been given lengthy bans due to their refusal to train.
All of this disorderliness came to the forefront after Raymond had demoted the former French captain, Thierry Henry to the bench and promoted Evra as captain. However, the French team thought otherwise and exhibited their thoughts through their actions in South Africa. A lot of players came out after the tournament and said that Raymond Domenech created an unfavourable environment in the French camp in South Africa; they also blamed him for being non-communicative when it came to vital issues in the team.
The new French coach, Laurent Blanc is already under pressure after his team lost to Belarus. Many French fans had great expectations of the former Manchester United player, who was Bordeaux’s manager in the 2009-2010 season. Blanc’s job has gotten harder now, as the French are expected to win against European minnows Bosnia-Herzegovina.
It is a real possibility that French might win at the Koševo Stadium in Bosnia due to the Bosnia Herzegovinian team’s terrible international record. Bosnia have only won one of their last four international matches. French last took on the Bosnian Herzegovinian team in August of 2006; the match resulted in a two goals to one victory for the Les Blues. Bosnia won their last competitive international match against Luxembourg by three goals to nil and, therefore, will be heading to this match with a positive frame of mind.
On the other hand, French have failed to win any of their last five international matches. Four have resulted in a loss for the Les Blues, while only one match has ended in a draw. Blanc has already played down the expectations associated with his team. He said after his team’s loss to Belarus that France cannot say that they are going to Bosnia to win under the current conditions.
French defender, Philippe Mexes is more hopeful as he said that France have to get their first defeat out of their system and start over again. In light of the chaos that currently ensues in the French camp, Bosnian players have been quite bullish. Their star midfielder said that this is the best time to take on the French, as they are without several of their key players. Miralem Pjanic emphasized the point that this is perhaps the best team that Bosnia Herzegovina ever had due to the fact that these players have been playing alongside each other from a long time.
If there was ever an upset on the cards it has to be this one. However, the French do have enough quality to play badly and get a draw in Bosnia but with all evidence to the contrary, Blanc really does have a tough task at hand.
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