Official FRANCE thread

[Michel Kane]

For all of Domenech's failings as a coach, I don't agree with a squad member dictating what the tactics should be.

[BATTY BOY BUM BANDIT]

Has evra done his press conference yet?

[big_barz]

IF it is gonna come out, doubt its gonna be any more than his personal bullshit instead of the promised 'story all french deserve to know'. another nigga runnin mouth careless.

[TF S4DK]

Think Evra has been warned off doing it by club and national reaction, might have been able to rain freely had he not been the leader of the public strike, smh.

[TF S4DK]

Nicolas Anelka has said France's World Cup meltdown was inevitable, and the squad was squad was united in its decision to boycott training.

Anelka was expelled from the squad following a row with coach Raymond Domenech, sparking a players' mutiny in protest.

"If it was not from me that everything was precipitated, this would have happened with someone else. It had to explode."

France has been abuzz with public recrimination since the country's humiliating first-round exit, with claims that the squad was split into factions, with some players reluctant to strike.

However, Anelka has insisted the team was unanimous.

"Everyone and I mean everyone was united," the 31-year-old told France Soir newspaper.

"In the case of mutiny, everything and its opposite was said. If there were players who wanted to train, they should speak now. But I am 100 per cent certain that nobody will.

Jeremy Toulalan on Sunday accepted the whole squad should be punished for boycotting training, telling Journal du Dimanche: "I'm not proud of what I did but I accept responsibility.

"There were no ringleaders and no slaves, no good guys and no bad guys. We were all involved and we are all responsible because nobody said a word (against the boycott). Whoever says otherwise is a liar."

Anelka praised the Lyon midfielder's stance, saying: "It takes a form of courage and a strong mentality from Jeremy to take it. I am proud to have played with him and the team of France. Jeremy is a players' player."

The former Arsenal and Real Madrid forward was less complimentary about former France full-back Lizarazu.

Lizarazu, a World Cup winner with Les Bleus in 1998, has criticised Anelka's casual attitude in South Africa, accusing the forward of "strolling" and playing "in a selfish manner".

Anelka responded by sarcastically asking: "Lizarazu - who is he?

"When he speaks and we listen, we seem to hear a living legend. He's just a former player in lack of recognition, frustrated by the success of his mates Zidane and Dugarry.

"Has he forgotten that he was at the 2002 World Cup? I was not included in the squad but I refrained from comment. He should stop talking about respect."

[Michel Kane]

LOL @ the Lizarazu shots...

[Mr. Gayle]

TH12 Retires

[Michel Kane]

The French Football Federation have suspended the entire 23-man squad for the next friendly against Norway.

Laurent Blanc >>> ___________________________

[Gunner]

France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has branded the squad's decision to go on strike during a World Cup training session as 'totally stupid'.

Les Bleus walked out of training at the tournament in South Africa this summer in protest to the treatment of team-mate Nicolas Anelka, who was sent home after a bust-up with former coach Raymond Domenech during the second group match.

The squad, who were eliminated from the competition at the group stage after failing to win a game, have since come under fire from French fans and politicians for their conduct.

And Lyon shot-stopper Lloris, the France No.1, has revealed his shame at the squad's behaviour, admitting they went 'way too far'.

"Going on strike was the decision of a group that felt isolated, that felt no one had protected it, and that wanted to get a message across," Lloris told L'Equipe.

"We went way too far. It was a clumsy decision, a big mistake. It was totally stupid."

Criticism

The incident has prompted much criticism in France, with former defender Lilian Thuram, now a French Football Federation council member, calling for some players, including captain Patrice Evra, never to play for the national team again.

And 23-year-old Lloris admits Les Bleus will have to work hard to rebuild their tarnished reputation.

"We acted more like a team in the bus than on the pitch," added Lloris.

"We all want to restore the image of Les Bleus. I'm not asking for us to win everything, just that we all make an effort, that we give everything.

"We need to get back to basics, respect for the jersey, for ourselves, our teammates and the institution that is the France team."

Lloris, who has 14 international caps to his name, stopped short of blaming Domenech for France's World Cup failure, but accepted the team continually fell short under his reign.

Laurent Blanc has succeeded Domenech as coach as the squad look to move on from the incident, and Lloris has acknowledged the players have an obligation "to make sure what happened in South Africa never happens again, that we don't self-destruct in that way ever again."

[Heero Yuy]

The French Football Federation have suspended the entire 23-man squad for the next friendly against Norway.

Laurent Blanc >>> ___________________________

[Michel Kane]

Laurent Blanc basically started his reign off nicely.

Asked the FFF to suspend them.

SICK guy.

[TF S4DK]

France have another 23 players? Wenger will be very happy!

[Michel Kane]

I'm sure Blanc was at the u19's European Championships to look at who he could bring up.

[Mr. Gayle]

The FFA wanted to ban just the "ring leaders" but Blanc said to ban all.

[TF S4DK]

As if he calling up under 19s.

Bare Algerians, Affs & other miscellaneous French players.

Nasri, Benzema, Ben Arfa, Gomis, Remy, Briand, Flamini, Diarra, Sissoko, Cissokho, Koscielny, Frey all getting a phonecall. He gonna struggle to find the defensive replacements IMO.

[Michel Kane]

I'm sure he's plucking at least 5 of those boys.

Kakuta for sure.

[MrJibbles]

Good move, I like it.

[TF S4DK]

No way is Kakuta getting a full national call-up, this is France, not England.

[Mr Q]

Is this indefinite? So, then you just expect them all to return when they are called upon?

Swear not all of them were even involved in it, sounds like the punishment is overboard and could back fire in the long run.

Romania

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Belarus

Albania

Luxembourg

That is not a kind qualifying group either, its going to be interesting

[Michel Kane]

It's not indefinite.

Blanc is making a statement/showing his authority from jump.

Setting a mood.

I love it personally. Those who do return should know what time it is.

[Mame Biram Diouf]

Given the parameters Blanc has set himself, just what might be the composition of the France squad that travels to face Norway on August 11?

Goalkeepers

An outcast from les Bleus under Raymond Domenech, it would seem likely that Sebastien Frey will be one of the first players convened by Blanc, while Lille’s Mickael Landreau, who made the 30-man provisional squad for South Africa, should be another name called forth.

The third shot-stopper might be in-form Monaco man Sebastien Ruffier — though he was present when the players went on strike at the World Cup and may be tarred as the ‘24th player’, despite playing no apparent role in proceedings that day. Otherwise, Auxerre’s Olivier Sorin had a formidable record last season.

Defence

There is an abundance of exciting full-backs in France, so the loss of Bacary Sagna and Patrice Evra will be surprisingly brushed off. Girondins de Bordeaux pair Matthieu Chalme and Benoit Tremoulinas will surely both be called, with the latter battling Aly Cissoko for the left-back berth. Additionally, Atletico Madrid target Rod Fanni could challenge for a spot on the right of the defence.

In the centre of defence there is depth, but it is not of the same quality. Philippe Mexes would surely be the first name on the teamsheet, and he could be joined by the likes of Julien Escude, Jean-Alain Boumsong, Michael Ciani and Adil Rami. Even youngster Mamadou Sakho is pushing towards this level.

Midfield

Equally, the midfield provides a competitive battleground, emphasising that no one in the squad should take their position for granted. In the anchoring roles, Lassana Diarra, who only missed out on the South Africa squad due to injury, should form the energetic presence in front of the defence. There are a number of players who could legitimately partner him.

Arguably the best from a defensive viewpoint would be Toulouse’s Etienne Capoue, though teenager Yann M’Vila was preferred by Domenech to be named in the 30-man provisional unit.

For a more energetic box-to-box presence, look no further than Moussa Sissoko, who, at 20 years old, already has international experience and continues to attract covetous glances from some of Europe’s largest sides. Or, if a more refined player is what’s desired, Benoit Cheyrou would be a fine selection.

Further up the field, Benoit Pedretti, who was outstanding for Auxerre last season but who has been in the international wilderness for five years, could be a candidate for the No.10 role, though Samir Nasri is the obvious player for that spot.

Wide on the right, Loic Remy deserves recognition for his exploits with Nice over the last couple of years, though he could be hampered by the drawn-out process of his move from les Aiglons to the Premier League. Jimmy Briand, who moved to Lyon from Rennes earlier this season, should be considered sufficient back-up.

Replacing Franck Ribery on the left is perhaps a little more problematic. Hatem Ben Arfa should certainly be considered a candidate, while France’s other outstanding left-sided players are a little on the young side. Saint-Etienne’s Dimitri Payet was one of the few Verts to impress regularly last season but is perhaps not quite at international level, while Franck Tabanou and Karim Ait-Fana would have to take a big step up from the Under-21 side.

Attack

The sole attacking position would logically go to Karim Benzema, but events off the field in recent days may render him unavailable for the national side in early August, posing Blanc some questions.

The top-scoring Frenchman in Ligue 1 last season, Kevin Gameiro, certainly deserves a crack at the very top level as he has been superb over the last two campaigns.

Louis Saha, when fit, remains a potent force and would be an excellent selection, while Bafetimbi Gomis would likely become third choice almost by default.

So despite the self-imposed cull, France should still be able to field an impressive unit — and at the same time allow Blanc to cast his eye over several of his fringe players, buying him valuable time as he makes the tricky decision about how to cope with the rebellious and disunited squad.

[Drift]

f*ck*ng hell, abundance of talent.

imagine if this happened to england...

[big_barz]

abundance of ligue1 talent definitely yes, abundance of international level pushing for the titles im not too sure.

some of the names mentioned though

[Seth Rollins]

Mate.

They had QUALITY left at home, especially in comparison to other countries.

[Mame Biram Diouf]

england 23

gk - Robinson , Foster , Carson

dr - Neville, Brown

cb - Jagielka, Lescott, Richards, Cahill

dl - Bridge, Warnock

MC - Huddlestone, Hargeaves, Osman, Beckham

Wingers - A.Johnson, Walcott, Downing, A. Young

Strikers - Cole, Zamora, Bent, Agbonlahor

Best 23 I could think of that didnt go world cup due to non-selection or injuries