Official FRANCE thread

[RaiKkoNen]

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...

That's just it, the amount of creative players and attacking talent they have is disgusting. They have top DM's too.

The coach just decides to play these STALE old tired players. No idea what to make of it.

You see them against teams, lacking impetus and creativity, then you wonder wtf Benzema, Nasri, Ben Arfa etc are doing at home.

[anelka]

France are going home if they play with 1 striker

[Michel Kane]

Well yeah, got no choice right now, because the midfield is void of any pace, guile so kinda have to but that means Henry HAS to play.

f*ck.

[anelka]

Ribery -- Diarra/Diaby -- Toulalon-- Flo

----Anelka --------- Henry------------

I would personally drop Henry for Cisse but him and Nicolas Anelka are bumchums and can play well 2geva

I would also put Diaby in the middle, theres no need for two water carriers when theres no no.10

They will miss Lass coz hes box to box with a great engine and enthusiasm to get about the pitch

It all went pearshaped at the Euro's when Raymond ditched the 4-4-2 with Anelka & Benzema in favour of 4-5-1 with Ribery in the hole behind Henry and Holland spanked them 4-1

I bet hes gna make the same mistake, start 4-4-2, if that dnt work he will panick and lose control

[TF S4DK]

France defender William Gallas has emerged as a major doubt for his side’s World Cup Group A clash with Mexico on Thursday after suffering a calf injury in training today.

Gallas, France’s vice captain, who played the full 90 minutes of les Bleus’ goalless draw against Uruguay, trained for just 45 minutes today before leaving the session.

French television network Canal + report that the 32-year-old left the session as a precautionary measure but is now a real doubt for Thursday’s game.

Despite his apparent grievances over the awarding of the team captaincy to team-mate Patrice Evra, Gallas remains a major part of the French defence and his absence would be a real blow for coach Raymond Domenech.

[Taurus]

Gallas is finished

[Lethaldabizzle2008]

Hahaha lmfao@everthing to do with the French football team....

Sarkozy is meeting with henry tomorrow to discuss how bad things went...

Hahaha

[Captain Planet]

This thread really put it in perspective.

[TF S4DK]

"I think they had a difficulty with the Anelka problem and they made the wrong decision when they refused to practice. That is not acceptable," said Wenger.

"That created a huge turmoil in France and that is basically it."

France's passage to the World Cup was also tainted with controversy after Thierry Henry's infamous handball against the Republic of Ireland. But Wenger does not accept that Les Bleus are still mentally affected by what happened in that November play-off.

"I don't think their problems are linked with that," he said. "I think it's linked with the fact that there is no unity in the group, no unity between the manager and the players within the group.

"But even more than that there is not enough quality in the team."

[Drift]

not enough quality? ribery? malouda? gourcuff? anelka? evra? just to name a few.

even with the players left at home they still have enough top class players.

[Michel Kane]

The debris from the slow-motion car crash that has been the last two years in the life of the France team is unlikely to settle for some time. The fall-out from their spectacularly ugly World Cup failure will rumble long into the summer, with players promising to reveal the full story behind their ill-tempered campaign and government ministers poised to carry out a searching investigation into the failings of the French Football Federation.

French football fans want a line to be drawn under this World Cup as swiftly as possible and in the imminent arrival of Laurent Blanc as new head coach they have at least an opportunity to start afresh. Le Président has not yet signed his contract but France’s next game, a friendly against Norway in Oslo on August 11, is less than two months anyway and he will already have formulated strong ideas about how he is going to approach his gargantuan task. What next, then, for France?

Blanc would not be the first international coach to turn to trusted players from his tenure as a club manager and in that respect his arrival is good news for the Bordeaux contingent, namely Alou Diarra and, in particular, Yoann Gourcuff. The latter’s wretched tournament was ended by a harsh red card in the 2-1 defeat by South Africa on Tuesday, but Gourcuff already carried the look of a haunted man. Amid rumours of discord between him and some of the team’s high-profile senior players, Gourcuff produced an uncharacteristically shaky performance in the 0-0 draw with Uruguay and lost his place for the 2-0 loss against Mexico. His composure was badly disturbed by the atmosphere surrounding the team and Blanc’s first job will be to restore him to the level of confidence he enjoyed during Bordeaux’s annus mirabilis in 2009.

That Blanc’s France will be built around Gourcuff is almost certain, but the new coach could also call on his Bordeaux charges in other areas. Patrice Evra may struggle to regain public confidence after his leading role in the player revolt and should he fall from grace, Benoît Trémoulinas is one of a number of enterprising left-backs who could succeed him. Arsenal’s Gaël Clichy heads the queue to replace Evra though and at 24 he will theoretically be reaching his prime by the time the next World Cup comes around. Should he disappoint, Lyon’s Aly Cissokho and Valencia’s Jérémy Mathieu would also come into contention.

Of the other France defenders, Clichy’s clubmate Bacary Sagna could be the only player to survive the post-Domenech cull. William Gallas and Eric Abidal may never pull on a France shirt again and Sagna, though far from irreproachable for his performances in South Africa, profits from a lack of competition. Rod Fanni can expect a higher profile if he joins Atletico Madrid and Sevilla’s 26-year-old Abdoulay Konko is another candidate for the right-back slot. Centre-backs Sébastien Squillaci and Julien Escudé, both also from Sevilla, will hope to benefit from the defensive reshuffle, but Blanc could turn to Roma’s long-overlooked Philippe Mexès. Laurent Koscielny will leap to the top of the shortlist when he completes his expected move from Lorient to Arsenal, while Michaël Ciani, another Bordeaux man, may also get a chance to redeem himself after a nervy performance against Spain in March.

How France might line up under Laurent Blanc in a 4-2-3-1 formation

A key feature of Bordeaux’s title-winning side was the attacking role of full-backs Trémoulinas and Matthieu Chalmé. Didier Deschamps estimated in January that “50 percent of their goals [come] from crosses from their full-backs” and Blanc is likely to encourage his wide defenders to get forward as much as possible. Sagna was notably deficient in this regard during the World Cup.

Despite the anticipated upheaval, core elements of the side are unlikely to change. Hugo Lloris may have flapped against South Africa but he remains one of Europe’s best young goalkeepers, while Jérémy Toulalan’s industry and reading of the game make him an indispensable component of the midfield. Lassana Diarra offers a combination of defensive diligence and attacking intent that no other French holding midfielder can provide, but he lost his place at Real Madrid towards the end of last season and missed the World Cup owing to a genetic blood condition.

Competition for Diarra’s place is fierce, with his Bordeaux namesake Alou, Arsenal’s Abou Diaby, Mathieu Flamini of Milan and 19-year-old Rennes starlet Yann M’Vila – called into France’s initial 30-man squad – leading the charge. Moussa Sissoko of Toulouse is another contender, although he tends to play further forward.

It was in attack that France laboured most obviously in their short-lived World Cup adventure and it is here that we should perhaps expect the most change. Thierry Henry’s international career is over and Nicolas Anelka’s stock has plunged so low it is impossible to see how he could ever recover in the eyes of the French fans. At 28, Djibril Cissé may have played his last major tournament. André-Pierre Gignac once again failed to convince when it mattered, although his case will be bolstered if a mooted move to Marseille materialises.

The most obvious beneficiary will be Karim Benzema. He is the only world-class centre forward on Blanc’s radar and, despite his difficulties bedding down at Real Madrid, he is sure to be given a chance to make the number nine shirt his own. He can also expect more playing time at the Bernabéu next season. A Real director told L’Equipe earlier this month: “Not only are Inter not interested in Benzema but even if they were, we wouldn’t sell him. Real count on him.” Blanc may have concerns about Benzema’s ability to lead the line on his own, but with the right support he can be lethal. France are not currently blessed with a wealth of top-rank striking talent, but Blanc is certain to look at Lorient livewire Kévin Gameiro – recently linked with a move to Valencia – and Nice frontman Loïc Rémy.

Goals may have been hard to come by for France in recent times but the composition of the midfield was equally as responsible as the bluntness of the strikers. Franck Ribéry disappointed in South Africa despite being restored to his favoured left-wing role and was outshone by Florent Malouda whenever the Chelsea man was given a chance to stake a claim to the position. At 27, Ribéry is three years Malouda’s junior but the Bayern Munich winger has just cause to fear for his international future.

Sidney Govou’s appalling tournament highlighted France’s dearth of options on the right of midfield, but competition to succeed him will be fierce. Recovered from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and fresh from a €6 million move from Rennes to Lyon, Jimmy Briand can be expected to mount a strong challenge. With a dynamic player like Ribéry or Malouda likely to feature on the left, however, France may be better served by deploying a more thoughtful midfielder on the right and Samir Nasri would certainly enable them to recycle the ball more easily in advanced areas. So much of France’s offensive play at the World Cup relied on flashes of skill or pace from individuals, but a midfield containing Gourcuff and Nasri would give Blanc’s France much better command of the play in advanced areas. Beyond the players already named, Marseille’s Hatem Ben Arfa and Roma’s Jérémy Menez could also have a say in the configuration of Les Bleus’ new attack.

How France might line up under Laurent Blanc in a 4-1-3-2 formation

In terms of shape, Blanc used both 4-1-3-2 and 4-2-3-1 during his last two seasons at Bordeaux, with the former typically seen against lesser opposition in domestic competition and the latter used for tricky away trips and European ties. Blanc would love to be able to call upon France-born Marouane Chamakh to lead his line, given the Moroccan’s physicality in a lone striking role, but elsewhere he will find components not dissimilar to that with which he worked at Bordeaux. Malouda offers the same directness and athleticism on the left as Wendel, while Nasri’s versatility and ability to play in both advanced and withdrawn positions makes him a similar player to Jaroslav Plašil. Toulalan would in all probability be the holding midfielder to retain his place if Blanc switched to 4-1-3-2, with the rangy Rémy an intriguing potential partner for Benzema due to his pace and his penchant for working the channels.

By the time the next major tournament rolls around, however, Toulalan could be a centre-back. He played there impressively at times for Lyon last season and there were even reports prior to the World Cup that he would be asked to fulfil the role for his country. If he continues to play there next season, Blanc may look to deploy him as a central defender alongside a more classic centre-back such as Mexès or Squillaci. Drawing Toulalan back would enable Blanc to field Gourcuff in a deeper midfield position – a role which many pundits, including his own father, believe would suit him better. That would allow Nasri to occupy the central playmaking role – where he says he feels “most effective” – thereby freeing up space on the right for a more direct player such as Briand, Ben Arfa or Menez.

French football is in crisis but, just like last season, the 2010-2011 campaign will start with French players plying their trade at the grandest clubs in Europe. Blanc crucially arrives with the support of the entire French football community – not least the ever-pervasive alumni of the great 1998 team – but will not be expected to work miracles immediately.

Speaking about Blanc’s reaction to his dismissal in the 1998 World Cup semi-final, which ruled him out of the final against Brazil, Deschamps said: “He let nothing show. No emotion, no sadness. That’s him completely. He has this way of detaching himself from things. There’s a lot of that in the way he coaches, too.” One suspects Blanc will need to draw upon all his reserves of sangfroid in the months and years ahead.

[MrJibbles]

Hmmm interesting.

Best hope Blanc does well when the pressure is on because last season at X-Mas Bordeaux was leading the league then once them talks for the France job kicked in they blew it.

[big_barz]

bare players turnt complacent & sh*t started to get out of hand before that, then the official hype started & so he couldnt even care less bout bordeaux anymore, and then they just couldnt come back

[Lieutenant]

I do not understand why Anelka was playing like he was, who does he think he is.

Dropping deep and floating about not making nothing much happen.

Was pissing me off

[anelka]

I do not understand why Anelka was playing like he was, who does he think he is.

Dropping deep and floating about not making nothing much happen.

Was pissing me off

been doing that all season for chelsea

/

You obviously wernt watching the games properly coz in the 2 games I saw hedid everything asked from a lone striker... won flick ons, held it up, turned, brought others into play, good movement etc

When the lone striker vacates the central position the wide men and midfielders are spose 2 support and fill the space

Shitty Raymond didnt get practice supporting the lone striker, which is why I said 4-5-1 for France without Zidane neva works b4 the tournament and was subsequently proved right

[Lieutenant]

I do not understand why Anelka was playing like he was, who does he think he is.

Dropping deep and floating about not making nothing much happen.

Was pissing me off

been doing that all season for chelsea

Yeah I know, annoys me a bit then as well. But it aint as bad coz more time you have Drogba up there doing his ting so he can afford to float about a bit more

[Guest TimeBomb]

i still really cannot understand the nasri/benzema decision apart from something anti-arab involved.

[Michel Kane]

Ben Arfa too, and he arguably had a better season than both of them.

I'm sure it was an anti-Algerian ting from Euro 2008

[MrJibbles]

Hugo Lloris, Bacary Sagna and Yoann Gourcuff were all prepared to ignore France’s strike on Sunday, according to a report on the website of Le Nouvel Observateur, a weekly news magazine, nearly coming to blows with several of the squad’s senior members over the incident.

France have been eliminated from the World Cup, but their campaign has been hugely controversial. After a falling out between Nicolas Anelka and coach Raymond Domenech at half-time of the 2-0 reverse against Mexico, les Bleus refused to train on Sunday. Not all the players were unanimously in favour of the strike it would seem.

Lloris, Sagna and Gourcuff reportedly wanted to train, making their feelings known on the bus that the players were kept on. It is suggested that Franck Ribery, Eric Abidal and Patrice Evra were vehemently against the idea and nearly came to blows with their colleagues over the incident. France Football states that “the fight was narrowly averted”.

Evra, who captained the side in their opening two matches before dropping to the bench for Tuesday’s finale against South Africa, has already stated that he will reveal all over the behind the scenes goings on in the France dressing room in a press conference later this week.

[Michel Kane]

Lemme find you man that quote about what Ribery said to Gourcuff after he wanted to train...

/

16 heures, Ribéry intimide Gourcuff. A l’avant du car se postent ceux qui sont contre la grève. Au fond, on retrouve les meneurs : Gallas, Evra et Ribéry. Les trois mutins sentent bien que Gourcuff trépigne à l’avant et veut s’entraîner. Ribéry le prend à partie : « Vas-y Yoann, descends, tu seras seul sur le terrain, tout le monde te verra et tu seras la star des médias ! » Les grévistes veulent rentrer au Pezula mais le chauffeur ne peut mettre le contact que sur ordre de l’officier de sécurité des Bleus, qui reste impassible.

Une heure plus tard, la pantalonnade finie, tout ce beau monde regagne sa chambre et là, les téléphones explosent de coups de fils, de SMS et de messages instantanés sur leurs Blackberrys. Les familles et les amis réprouvent. Les joueurs se rendent compte de leur insigne bêtise. Les suiveurs vont témoigner de leur soutien à Domenech, reclus dans sa chambre, absolument perdu. Beaucoup n’osent plus répondre à leur téléphone, fourni par la FFF : ils sont en effet persuadés d’être sur écoute !

Translation: Gourcuff wanted to train. Ribery goaded him: "Go on Yoann, you'll be alone on the pitch. Everyone will see you and you'll be a media star."

Certain man thought I was gassing about the Gourcuff hate. Ribery was next in line after 2006, Yoann's takeover was imminent. f*ck them '06 bitches.

[MrJibbles]

SMH at Ribery.

Honestly this guy needs to sort himself out.

All is not well in France.

[big_barz]

what makes me doubt this whole story though is how sagna stood up yet diarra, valbuena, mandanda, planus didnt. fully not that guys, and swear yoann is proper tight with diarra aswell

[TF S4DK]

France defender William Gallas believes his country's appalling showing at the 2010 World Cup was down to the failings of former coach Raymond Domenech.

Gallas has become the latest in a string of players, including Les Bleus team-mates Florent Malouda and Patrice Evra, to vent his fury at the much-maligned Domenech.

"If it was a fiasco then there are reasons for it," Gallas told Les Inrockuptibles. "And for me there is no need to draw a veil over why: they emanated from the coach.

"The real problem is the coach. Okay - I wasn't good, we weren't good - but the coach wasn't up to scratch either. I was appalled that we didn't play with two strikers. Even the training sessions weren't up to the level required.

"You can have the best players in the world in your team, but if you don't have the coach you need then the results will not be achieved."

And Gallas, who is available on a free transfer after failing to agree a new contract with Arsenal, revealed that the spat between Domenech and Nicolas Anelka, which seemed to ignite France's explosive problems, was inevitable as differences of opinion had been bubbling under the surface for some time.

"Domenech was not open," Gallas said. "A lot of players were unable to talk to him and it was certainly my case. Anelka's incident was a case of him (Anelka) being fed up for a few weeks prior to that.

"Domenech hammered into us time and again: 'Put your egos to one side'. But I believe that he forgot to do that himself. The hardest part of it is the manner in which it happened.

"I realised when I entered the changing room prior to the friendly with Costa Rica (May 26) that the captain's armband was placed beside Evra's shirt. He (Domenech) told me: 'In any case, you would not be a good captain'."

[Flojo]

He (Domenech) told me: 'In any case, you would not be a good captain'."

Domenech letting off lengs everywhere