Who Could Fill the Next France Squad?
With the news that the France Football Federation (FFF) has suspended all 23 members of the France World Cup squad, speculation has turned to who new national team coach Laurent Blanc could call up for the friendly match against Norway on Aug. 11th.
France failed to win any of their three games in a woeful South Africa campaign, which saw players refuse to train in support of striker Nicolas Anelka, who was sent back home from the camp after insulting coach Raymond Domenech. The move means the first opportunity for any of the suspended World Cup squad to feature under Blanc will be on Sept. 3rd when Les Bleus face Belarus in Paris in a Euro 2012 qualifier.
But for the Norway match, Blanc may face some selection problems in certain areas of the pitch. Here are some of the options he has to fill on his squad before his first match in charge.
Taking care of the goal
It is probable that Sebastien Frey, frozen out under Domenech, will receive a call-up. The Fiorentina goalkeeper has played for his country twice before, and despite announcing his retirement from international football, could be tempted by a return under Blanc. Also likely to be in the frame is Mickael Landreau of Lille, who has more international experience than Frey, having been capped 11 times for France. The third spot would appear to be a toss-up between Auxerre’s Olivier Sorin, who kept a strong record last season, and Monaco’s Sebastian Ruffier.
Case for the defence
Despite missing out on the experience and skill of Patrice Evra and Bacary Sagna, Blanc will likely have no trouble filling the full-back berths. Bordeaux duo Matthieu Chalme and Benoit Tremoulinas will surely be among the new faces, with Lyon left-back Aly Cissokho and right-back Rod Fanni of Rennes providing competition to that pair. In the centre, Philippe Mexes of Roma will likely take one of the two spots, with 13 caps already to his name. He could be joined there by one of Adil Rami, Michael Ciani, Julien Escude or Jean-Alain Boumsong.
Middle of the pitch
Real Madrid’s anchor Lassana Diarra, who missed out on the failed South Africa campaign due to injury, will undoubtedly be the man sitting in front of the defence, while Arsenal’s 23 year-old creative midfielder Samir Nasri will surely be on Blanc’s list. Young Rennes player Yann M’Vila made Domenech’s provisional 30-man World Cup squad and will most certainly be one of those among Blanc’s thoughts for a central midfield spot. Fellow 20 year-old Moussa Sissoko already has a wealth of experience, having played 102 games for Toulouse. He has also received two caps playing for France. On the flanks, Loic Remy and Jimmy Briand, of Nice and Lyon respectively, will be among those battling it out for the right-sided berth, while Hatem Ben Arfa seems the most obvious candidate to play on the left.
Attacking options
Despite legal accusations Karim Benzema is facing, he may still have a part to play in Blanc’s first game. The Real Madrid attacker was left out of the final 23-man World Cup squad, so would not be one of those suspended for the Norway match. If he is not selected, injury-prone Everton striker Louis Saha would be a strong candidate for a starting berth. Meanwhile, Kevin Gameiro was last season’s top-scoring Frenchman in Ligue 1 and will be looking to stake a claim for a place on the national side.
Though events in South Africa have cast a shadow over Domenech’s first-team selections, these names alone show that France would still be able to put out a strong team capable of providing a tough challenge to Norway.
Loic Remy
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