World Cup preview: France
Coach: Raymond Domenech
Key player: Franck Ribéry
Previous best: Winners 1998
They’ve made it then, but not without a few dramas.
Raymond Domenech chose to propose to his girlfriend in the immediate aftermath of France’s exit from Euro 2008, but his country has long since fallen out of love with the 58-year-old coach and his frequently bizarre decisions, which have included picking players by their star signs.
Speaking of bizarre decisions, France might not even be in South Africa if it wasn’t for Martin Hansson, the Swedish referee who somehow failed to spot Thierry Henry’s extra-time handball in their play-off victory over the Republic of Ireland. While the Irish still fume over that, the French are plotting revenge for their penalty shootout defeat to Italy in the final four years ago.
Whether they’ll get that far this time around looks doubtful though.
After stuttering in qualifying – where they finished second to Serbia – that narrow play-off victory over Ireland showcased many of this French team’s flaws, and there is no bigger one of those than their coach.
Domenech appears to have lost the confidence of his players, and while many were astonished that they even reached the final in 2006, they won’t have the mercurial talents of Zinedine Zidane to call upon this time, while some of their key men have been off form of late.
Henry is these days just a bit-part player at Barcelona, William Gallas has struggled with injury in recent months, Nicolas Anelka’s 2009/10 wasn’t as prolific as his 2008/09 was, and the likes of Sidney Govou and André-Pierre Gignac haven’t hit the heights in Ligue 1 this season.
It is with that in mind that Domenech has recalled a familiar face.
The former Liverpool forward Djibril Cissé has been in stunning form for Panathinaikos in the Greek League, and while his call up to the squad has surprised many, these days the 28-year-old – who missed out on the last World Cup due to his second broken leg inside two years – is an older, wiser and better striker.
His inclusion hints at a previously absent willingness to experiment from Domenech, but the coach’s line-up for France’s tricky opener with Uruguay is likely to be largely predictable.
The obvious talents of the likes of Yoann Gourcuff, Franck Ribéry and Florent Malouda will be vital, while in Lyon’s 23-year-old goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, France present a gifted young shot-stopper who is prized by several big clubs across Europe.
There was widespread surprise that Domenech chose to omit Karim Benzema, Patrick Vieira and Samir Nasri from even his 30-man provisional squad, but their exclusion gives an insight into the quality available for the coach to choose from, even if the likes of Yann M’Vila, Adil Rami and Rod Fanni – all of whom were in the 30-man party but not the final squad – might not be familiar names to many outside of France.
Ageing players of the past have been replaced by younger, hungrier performers, but the compromise on quality hints at a tournament that could be disappointing as their group stage exit at Euro 2008, where they were well beaten by Holland and Italy and played out a dismal goalless draw with Romania in the tournament’s poorest game.
This time they are in a tough group with the hosts, Uruguay and Mexico, and the French will have to find form straight away if they are to progress into the second round. As you might have guessed, that progression isn’t as straightforward as many would have assumed.
They should get through, but a second consecutive final appearance – and third in four tournaments – looks beyond them.
This is Domenech’s last tournament at the helm, with former Manchester United defender and World Cup winner Laurent Blanc lined up as his replacement, and Domenech’s reign surely won’t end up in glorious, golden evening in Johannesburg on July 11th.
It looks written in the stars.
France squad
1 Hugo LLORIS (Olympique Lyon)
2 Bacary SAGNA (Arsenal)
3 Éric ABIDAL (Barcelona)
4 Anthony RÉVEILLÈRE (Olympique Lyon)
5 William GALLAS (Arsenal)
6 Marc PLANUS (Girondins Bordeaux)
7 Franck RIBÉRY (Bayern Munich)
8 Yoann GOURCUFF (Girondins Bordeaux)
9 Djibril CISSÉ (Panathinaikos)
10 Sidney GOVOU (Olympique Lyon)
11 André-Pierre GIGNAC (Toulouse)
12 Thierry HENRY (Barcelona)
13 Patrice EVRA (Manchester United)
14 Jérémy TOULALAN (Olympique Lyon)
15 Florent MALOUDA (Chelsea)
16 Steve MANDANDA (Olympique Marseille)
17 Sébastien SQUILLACI (Sevilla)
18 Alou DIARRA (Girondins Bordeaux)
19 Abou DIABY (Arsenal)
20 Mathieu VALBUENA (Olympique Marseille)
21 Nicolas ANELKA (Chelsea)
22 Gaël CLICHY (Arsenal)
23 Cédric CARRASSO (Girondins Bordeaux)
Click here for previews of France's Group A opponents:
http://www.senore.com/World-Cup-2010-preview-South-Africa-a12290
http://www.senore.com/World-Cup-2010-preview-Mexico-a12301
http://www.senore.com/World-Cup-2010-preview-Uruguay-a12307
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