Official FRANCE thread

[MrJibbles]

It's the '06 squad vs. the new age niggaz...

f*ck*ng pisses me off.

Henry really has turned into a lil' bitch hasn't he?

Stat, where you get your sources from? Drop links, wanna read some more into it.

Now days he has.

You know Xavier Revoir? The French journo who writes for France Football and is "in the know with Arsenal stories?" Yeah he was on Talksport earlier today and said a few things

Even Florent Malouda come out saying there's serious problems.

I'm with you on the 06 vs new age, thing is the 06 boys should know better esp after an 08 flop, the older heads should be guiding new boys through not bickering.

[Captain Planet]

The way France can leave out like 6 veterans and just replace them with hardbody youngers is ridiculous

New direction is definitely needed.

[Heero Yuy]

Domench don't give a f*ck, i can almost gaurantee he has a running bet with someone about how much mockage he could run on the French national team

[Flojo]

Domench don't give a f*ck, i can almost gaurantee he has a running bet with someone about how much mockage he could run on the French national team

lmao

He cares not.

He took a squad with pure black guys mountain climbing I would've loved to have seen the reaction from the players when he announced it, must have been comedy gold.

[Drift]

France took their place in these finals only after Thierry Henry’s handball allowed William Gallas to knock out the Republic of Ireland in a play-off game that will long be remembered. Now the 1998 world champions are again grabbing the attention for all the wrong reasons.

Rather than count their blessings that they are in this tournament at all and cherish an opportunity to make good the wrongs of a wretched qualification campaign, Raymond Domenech’s players approach Friday night’s opener against Uruguay bickering as only they can.

And Henry is again at the heart of it, for Domenech doesn’t intend to pick him. At least, he doesn’t want to. But player power has come to the fore with influential members of the squad making it clear that their one-time talisman should take his place in the starting XI.

Pulling in opposite directions: Members of the France squad are refusing to pass to certain other players

The French have never trusted Domenech. His players have long felt they know better than a coach who always looks too downtrodden and travel-weary for a man with one of international football’s plum jobs.

And here in South Africa, the 58-year-old coach appears not to have the support of his squad.

Sources close to the French team suggested on Wednesday night that the majority of Domenech’s players would like to see Henry and Abou Diaby in Friday’s team at the expense of Yoann Gourcuff and Sidney Govou.

Divisive: France boss Raymond Domenech is a hugely controversial character

During their recent friendly against Costa Rica, it was suggested that Nicolas Anelka refused to pass to Gourcuff while Franck Ribery is also said to have been selective in his passing during the embarrassing recent defeat by China.

Domenech has not publicly acknowledged that these problems exist. It is, however, a familiar tale. He put up with similar waves of mutiny while guiding France to the final against Italy in Germany four years ago.

Arsenal’s Bacary Sagna said: ‘We can maybe give him some advice or help but even if we were to offer it I don’t think he would listen. The most important thing is the team.’

But Chelsea’s French striker Florent Malouda urged unity, saying: ‘We have to create links between players, we can’t just think, “I’m not interested in what others do”.

'We are going to look ridiculous if, as we did at Euro 2008, each player stays in his comfort zone aiming only for good marks from the media to the detriment of the team.’

With Domenech having left players such as Karim Benzema at home and missing the influential Lassana Diarra through injury, he faces a match of mighty importance here on Friday.

The World Cup will begin four-and-a-half hours earlier amid fanfare and jubilation as the host nation take on Mexico in Johannesburg but by the time France kick off in Cape Town it will all have got very serious.

If France don’t win against a capable Uruguay side at Green Point then their extended participation in the competition could be in doubt. Their final group game is, after all, against South Africa and France would very much like to have wrapped up their progress to the last 16 before then.

Handy: France were fortunate to secure their place in South Africa after Thierry Henry's infamous handball

Group A should not scare the French but previous finals have begun poorly for them and it is in danger of becoming a trend. They lost to Senegal in Seoul in 2002 and four years ago a 0-0 draw with Switzerland set the tone for a fretful passage through the group stages.

Certainly few neutrals will be in their corner over the next two weeks.

On Wednesday in Cape Town the media were looking back to the dramatic events that saw the Republic disposed of in Paris last November.

One columnist in the Cape Times wrote: ‘Law 12, Mr Henry, you damnable cheat. On behalf of the fighting Irish, I wish you a miserable tournament.’

Temperatures in Cape Town will certainly not trouble France. These are not rising above 60F during the day and are expected to fall sharply during the evenings. It may be one of the few things the French find in their favour.

[Michel Kane]

This is embarassing.

I'm actually appalled.

Was saying it from '07-'08, we had to get rid of all the old guys, I saw this coming.

/

If England thought they had problems in the build-up to the start of the World Cup, they should spare a thought for the French.

Raymond Domenech defied stiff opposition to his leadership to take France to the World Cup final in Germany four years ago, but given the extent of the problems facing him this time, the coach will have his work cut out repeating the feat in South Africa.

As if allegations involving Franck Ribéry, Karim Benzema, Sidney Govou and an underage prostitute were not distraction enough, France’s preparations for their opening group A match against Uruguay at the magnificent 70,000-seat Green Point Stadium tomorrow evening have been overshadowed by reports of internal divisions.

That is before poor form, the absence through injury of Lassana Diarra, their influential midfield anchorman, and Domenech’s contentious decision to omit Benzema, Samir Nasri and Patrick Vieira from his 23-man squad are factored in. Even France’s presence in the tournament is controversial given the injustice they inflicted on Ireland to secure their place.

William Gallas was the first to spit out his dummy. The Arsenal defender has refused to speak to the French media for the duration of the tournament after apparently taking exception to Domenech’s decision to overlook him for the captaincy in favour of Patrice Evra, of Manchester United.

But Gallas is not the only one who appears to be unhappy. Several senior players are understood to have been lobbying Domenech in the hope of influencing his team selection. There is pressure for Thierry Henry, the Barcelona forward, and Abou Diaby, the Arsenal midfield player, to be promoted to the first team at the expense of Govou and Yoann Gourcuff, but the coach seems to be sticking to his guns.

Éric Abidal, the Barcelona defender, said: “We can try and put our ideas together and try and find a middle ground, but the manager decides.”

Gourcuff’s inclusion seems to be a particular source of conflict. Although gifted, the 23-year-old Bordeaux midfield player has struggled to translate his goalscoring for his club to the international stage and has been harshly characterised as the teacher’s pet.

Ribéry stole the ball from Gourcuff as the player was about to take a free kick during the 1-0 defeat by China in their final warm-up match last week, and Nicolas Anelka, the Chelsea striker, was accused of deliberately not passing to him during an underwhelming win in a friendly against Costa Rica 15 days ago. Henry’s experience and eye for goal, meanwhile, are considered by some of his team-mates preferable to the more prosaic qualities of Govou, the Lyons forward.

Bacary Sagna believes that any pleas to Domenech for changes in personnel will fall on deaf ears. “There is no debate — the coach has to make his decision

SMH

[TF S4DK]

Thing is if Gourcuff is the teachers pet now under Domenech, what makes these players think this is changing under Blanc?!

[Michel Kane]

tbh f*ck henry, govou and diaby none of them are good enough to be starting f*ck france for boying off all them arab players

POS'D.

Nasri

Ben Arfa

Benzema

Not at the WC?

[darkman]

It's the '06 squad vs. the new age niggaz...

f*ck*ng pisses me off.

Henry really has turned into a lil' bitch hasn't he?

Turned? He's always been one

[Natty]

f*ck france

hope diaby does start so he can step his box to box game up

[thinkingthuglife]

Gourcuff arab and Ribery turned to muslim Diaby and Henry should play not just coz they black because they are better than GovWho and GourMuff

[TF S4DK]

Certain guys do annoy me... I'mma keep it moving tho.

[The King]

lol @ the frogs

[Guest TimeBomb]

Gourcuff arab and Ribery turned to muslim Diaby and Henry should play not just coz they black because they are better than GovWho and GourMuff

gourcuff an arab? u sure bout that mate?

[thinkingthuglife]

Gourcuff arab and Ribery turned to muslim Diaby and Henry should play not just coz they black because they are better than GovWho and GourMuff

gourcuff an arab? u sure bout that mate?

is he white? nah thought he woz morrocan or summat.

[Michel Kane]

No, straight French.

/

Name names, TF.

[thinkingthuglife]

ah they keep callin him the new zidane innit so thought he was arab.

[Drift]

if youre a french creative midfielder and you havent been called the new zidane at one point in your career, you must be beyond pie.

[Michel Kane]

Trust...

Gourcuff is genuinely the only player to be somewhat reminiscent of Zidane's style though...

[anelka]

The French been having problems for years, Zidane saved them 4 years ago

The main problem is a lack of a playmaker, I told everyone about these imposters (Ribery & Nasri), they are not no.10 playmakers, but wingers and AM.

Henry is finished & should be on holiday in America watching the NBA, Gallas is refusing to talk to the media, Ribery banged an underage prossie and Nicolas Anelka thinks hes a no.10 playmaker and refuses to play on the shoulder and try and score...

If they pull 2geva, play to their strengths and leave Henry on the bench theres enough to cause problems

[Michel Kane]

I remember echoing what you're saying.

Zidane taking France to the final at the last WC papered over the cracks.

France have had this squad issue for literally 8 years & it's the same thing. Th senior players think they run tings & go into competitive matches too casual & the French backroom & FA are lethargic in their decisions.

From an on-field perspective, Gourcuff is that new #10. You can say, ''Oh, what has he done...'' but it isn't his fault the team are moving on some snakey/bitch flex. The younger players i.e. Benzema, Nasri, Gourcuff, Mexes, Toulalan, Diarra etc need to actually take over. I hope they confirm Blanc as the next coach because this team needs to actually start from scratch. On paper, France's strongest starting XI + 7 subs is disgusting.

Co-sign the Anelka ting too. Remember telling my bredrin I'd rather have Gignac start. He actually plays like a #9.

[Badman]

sounds like a shambles too me

[RaiKkoNen]

French team as a whole is a joke. How can you be playing Govou ffs. They need a revamp.

Lol at not taking Nasri to the WC. His goal against Porto is the kinda sh*t that will win you a tight WC match.

Said before, got negged. Build that squad around 2 CM's, in Nasri and Gourcuff.

None of this, 'experienced heads' rubbish.

----------Toulalan/Gourcuff----------

-Ribery-----Nasri---Gourcuff/Malouda-

Will win you games. Play Diaby against teams like NK.

Edit: Front line of Henry/Anelka, is an actual joke. Not even funny

Gourcuff can play deep, which is a bonus, Nasri can play deep. They could be so lethal if they interchanged as well as Spain.

Domenech needs shooting.

[Michel Kane]

The formation is right. France's best formation has always been 4-2-3-1

Playing style & personnel is sh*t.

Toulalan & Diarra as 2 DM's.

Gourcuff as the AMC

Ribery & Malouda/Ben Arfa/Nasri on the flanks

Benzema/Gignac up top...

/

Who remembers Domenech playing a Gignac, Henry & Anelka as a 3-pronged frontline against Ireland?

f*ck*ng c*nt.