Today, we turn our attention to France.
Group: Part of Group A along with Mexico, Uruguay and South Africa
The coach Raymond Domenech will really have selection headaches (of the good kind) considering the embarrassment of talent that this country boasts of. Brilliant French players ply their trade all across Europe from England to Spain, Italy and Germany.
The French Football team and Thierry Henry in particular received a lot of bad publicity for the manner in which they just about qualified for the 2010 spectacle. A lot of neutrals will be against them and they will not be getting a lot of support in South Africa. France won the World Cup in 1998 when they had hosted the tournament and made it to the finals of the 2006 World Cup in Germany where they lost to Italy.
A quick scan of the potential players who could make the cut reveals that ‘Les Blues’ have it in them to make to the knock out stage but will struggle after that.
Goal Keepers
Fabian Barthez’s exit from the big stage and an aging Gregory Coupet has left the door wide open for a young set of goal keepers like Steve Mandanda and Hugo Lloris to make a mark in the national squad. But the lack of a seasoned goalie might prove to be the proverbial chink in the amour.
Defenders
The French Defense is a little unbalanced in my opinion. Evra and Abidal will be competing for the left back position and should have it covered.
Willy Sangol’s departure means Domenech needs to fill the right back role.Bacary Sagna and Francois Clerc seem to be the likely options but both lack experience in internationals.
It’s in the centre of defense that France could really struggle. Gallas will be nearing 33 come June and will really find the pace hard to handle in. the knock out stages.Since Thuram is retired now i don’t think that players such as Escquede,Boumsong etc. will be able to establish a good partnership with Gallas in manning the defense.
This is the back 4 that played in the 2006 World cup finals
Abidal Gallas Thuram Sangol
I don’t think France have found the replacements for the 2010 edition
Midfielders
Ribery,Flamini,Malouda,Nasri,Diaby,Ben Afra,Lass Diara.,Sissoko,Govou. There are a lot of options in the midfield and I think Ribery will have a big part to play in the French campaign. After a lay off of 3 months he has just started getting back into groove at Bayren Munich and is showing all signs of being in rich form by the time the World cup starts.
Patrick Vierra will most probably make it to the squad for the World Cup if he continues playing the way he is with Manchester City.But he again will find the going tough in big games and again I think France are yet to identify someone to replace him.
Strikers
This could be the year when Karim Benzema steps out of the shadows of Thierry Henry and Anelka and makes a name for himself at the international stage.Anelka has been outstanding with Chelsea this season but he will require support. Henry should be used as a scoring substitute and not be give 90 minutes. His performance at the international stage has not really been effective.
The biggest problem with France in my opinion is Raymond Domenech.
According to me he is over dependant on established but aging players like Anelka,Henry,Vierra,Abidal etc. and does not like to give young and upcoming players a chance.I do not think enough time has been invested by him in finding and grooming replacements to the players who have retired.
Domenech's management style has raised eyebrows amongst players and fans. A keen amateur dramatist and astrologer, Domenech has admitted to distrusting Scorpios, such as Robert Pirès. This led to the choosing of Vikash Dhorasoo who played an important part in qualifying but not in the finals. He later fell out with Dhorasoo after he made a behind the scenes film called "substitute." His decision to leave out FC Barcelona star Ludovic Giuly in favour of Franck Ribéry, and subsequent refusal to explain that decision, left many French players and fans mystified .His exclusion of Roma back-bone defender Philippe Mexès has also raised a few eyebrows. Mexès, named "Hope of the Year" in 2000 and being a starting defender for Roma since his arrival to the team, still has to participate in a competitive senior tournament under Domenech.
Strengths : Experience of a few players and quite a creative midfield
Weaknesses : Defense and judgement of the coach
Verdict: France should make it to the knock out stages and have a very decent squad on paper.But I think the retirement of a few key players and the lack of replacements will pose a problem.France will not go too far in the knock out stages.
Other teams reviewed by me
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France_national_football_team
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43946/index.html
Showing posts with label Thierry Henry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thierry Henry. Show all posts
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Friday, November 20, 2009
Le hand Of TH14 - Part 3
And here are some reactions from the BBC
"I played with Thierry Henry for six years at Arsenal and I can assure you he was as honest as the day is long.Like Maradona, he knew exactly what he was doing and, for the Thierry I know, that is out of character but people will look at his handball in the build-up to France's extra-time equaliser, which sent them to South Africa with a 2-1 aggregate victory, and say he's cheated.
We've all done it on the pitch - the ball's gone past you, you're out of position, you stick your arm out, concede a free-kick and sometimes a yellow card. So I'm not surprised at all he stuck his arm out in the first place. That is not blatant cheating. But the second part, when he scooped the ball back, is the deliberate bit and that's what will taint his reputation"
- Lee Dixon, ex- Arsenal
"In 15 years of knowing him, he has behaved magnificently. I haven't seen him do anything badly wrong in his whole career so we can allow him one mistake.
It's similar to the situation with Zinedine Zidane - he's been sent off 14 times, some for things a normal person in the street might be in prison for. We always found an excuse for Zidane so why can't we find one for Thierry as well?
If this happened at the other end of the pitch for Robbie Keane, I'm sure he would have done the same. "
- Emannuel Petit, ex-Arsenal
"France were there for the taking and Ireland didn't do it. Same old story."
The Irishman, who made 65 appearances for the Republic as a player, continued: "If I'd been there in the dressing room after the game, I wouldn't be talking about the handball. I'd focus on why the defenders didn't clear it. They should've cleared it.
"I'd be more annoyed with my defenders and my goalkeeper than Thierry Henry. How can you let the ball bounce in your six-yard box? How can you let Thierry Henry get goal-side of you? If the ball goes into the six-yard box, where the hell is my goalkeeper?
"These are skills and lessons you learn as a schoolboy.
"Ireland had their chances in the two games and they never took them. They had chances at Croke Park (in the first leg) and they had chances on Wednesday.
- Roy Keane, Manchester United Legend
General Public Reaction from the BBC
"The clamour to award the Irish a replay will however open up a whole can of worms. Do England get a second chance for Diego's Hand of God? Do Spurs get a replay for Pedro Mendes' 'goal' at Old Trafford? Do the Welsh get another go following Joe Jordan's handball at Anfield in 1977?"
Anon via text: "Earlier in the game, Robbie Keane blatantly used his arm to control the ball. If he'd scored as a result, Ireland would be through. He was caught, Henry wasn't. So Ireland just aren't as good at cheating as the French. Try harder next time."
"The only person(s) who can be held responsible for this travesty is the referee and his linesman. 'If the ref don't blow get on with the show'."
Francois Bayrou, a former candidate for the French presidency: "In an ideal world, the match should be played again. I saw the match and like a lot of people I wasn't very proud, and like everyone else I asked why don't we have a video match official. It works in rugby and it works very well."
Leading French politician, Philippe De Villiers: "Raymond Domenech should express his public regrets and show a gesture of dignity towards Ireland. The moral of this match is that you can cheat as long as you don't get caught. The France team is going to be labelled for years as a team of cheats."
Stephen Fottrell, BBC News with Irish fans in Paris: "Wherever we go, the French are looking at us in an apologetic, embarrassed way. People at the hotel, cabbies, waiters - they are all pleased to be at the World Cup but sorry for how it happened. We've had them coming up, shaking our hands and saying 'We are ashamed'. When you pick up the papers here, it's obvious - the French robbed Ireland."
We knew in the stadium something was wrong. There were no replays inside but there was such a protest from the players, something was up. Shay Given's such a gent, so for him to go mad it was obvious. Following the game, there was a bottleneck waiting to get into the station and the fans were just chanting 'cheat, cheat, cheat'. Everybody still went out and still really enjoyed the night but they were gutted, devastated."
Former France international David Ginola on BBC Radio 5 Live: "I'm very embarrassed by the situation. I don't feel very proud to be French this morning. The Irish played very well and they deserved to go through as much as France, maybe more. I'm very surprised Fifa haven't mentioned anything about it - the whole world saw the handball. This is a pure injustice. Everyone in France, the press and everyone, says there should be a replay."
"I played with Thierry Henry for six years at Arsenal and I can assure you he was as honest as the day is long.Like Maradona, he knew exactly what he was doing and, for the Thierry I know, that is out of character but people will look at his handball in the build-up to France's extra-time equaliser, which sent them to South Africa with a 2-1 aggregate victory, and say he's cheated.
We've all done it on the pitch - the ball's gone past you, you're out of position, you stick your arm out, concede a free-kick and sometimes a yellow card. So I'm not surprised at all he stuck his arm out in the first place. That is not blatant cheating. But the second part, when he scooped the ball back, is the deliberate bit and that's what will taint his reputation"
- Lee Dixon, ex- Arsenal
"In 15 years of knowing him, he has behaved magnificently. I haven't seen him do anything badly wrong in his whole career so we can allow him one mistake.
It's similar to the situation with Zinedine Zidane - he's been sent off 14 times, some for things a normal person in the street might be in prison for. We always found an excuse for Zidane so why can't we find one for Thierry as well?
If this happened at the other end of the pitch for Robbie Keane, I'm sure he would have done the same. "
- Emannuel Petit, ex-Arsenal
"France were there for the taking and Ireland didn't do it. Same old story."
The Irishman, who made 65 appearances for the Republic as a player, continued: "If I'd been there in the dressing room after the game, I wouldn't be talking about the handball. I'd focus on why the defenders didn't clear it. They should've cleared it.
"I'd be more annoyed with my defenders and my goalkeeper than Thierry Henry. How can you let the ball bounce in your six-yard box? How can you let Thierry Henry get goal-side of you? If the ball goes into the six-yard box, where the hell is my goalkeeper?
"These are skills and lessons you learn as a schoolboy.
"Ireland had their chances in the two games and they never took them. They had chances at Croke Park (in the first leg) and they had chances on Wednesday.
- Roy Keane, Manchester United Legend
General Public Reaction from the BBC
"The clamour to award the Irish a replay will however open up a whole can of worms. Do England get a second chance for Diego's Hand of God? Do Spurs get a replay for Pedro Mendes' 'goal' at Old Trafford? Do the Welsh get another go following Joe Jordan's handball at Anfield in 1977?"
Anon via text: "Earlier in the game, Robbie Keane blatantly used his arm to control the ball. If he'd scored as a result, Ireland would be through. He was caught, Henry wasn't. So Ireland just aren't as good at cheating as the French. Try harder next time."
"The only person(s) who can be held responsible for this travesty is the referee and his linesman. 'If the ref don't blow get on with the show'."
Francois Bayrou, a former candidate for the French presidency: "In an ideal world, the match should be played again. I saw the match and like a lot of people I wasn't very proud, and like everyone else I asked why don't we have a video match official. It works in rugby and it works very well."
Leading French politician, Philippe De Villiers: "Raymond Domenech should express his public regrets and show a gesture of dignity towards Ireland. The moral of this match is that you can cheat as long as you don't get caught. The France team is going to be labelled for years as a team of cheats."
Stephen Fottrell, BBC News with Irish fans in Paris: "Wherever we go, the French are looking at us in an apologetic, embarrassed way. People at the hotel, cabbies, waiters - they are all pleased to be at the World Cup but sorry for how it happened. We've had them coming up, shaking our hands and saying 'We are ashamed'. When you pick up the papers here, it's obvious - the French robbed Ireland."
We knew in the stadium something was wrong. There were no replays inside but there was such a protest from the players, something was up. Shay Given's such a gent, so for him to go mad it was obvious. Following the game, there was a bottleneck waiting to get into the station and the fans were just chanting 'cheat, cheat, cheat'. Everybody still went out and still really enjoyed the night but they were gutted, devastated."
Former France international David Ginola on BBC Radio 5 Live: "I'm very embarrassed by the situation. I don't feel very proud to be French this morning. The Irish played very well and they deserved to go through as much as France, maybe more. I'm very surprised Fifa haven't mentioned anything about it - the whole world saw the handball. This is a pure injustice. Everyone in France, the press and everyone, says there should be a replay."
Le Hand of TH14 - Part Two
Here is some snippets of news which traces the time line of this controversy
1. The Match Result
The Republic of Ireland suffered cruellest of World Cup exits as France went through with a goal which should have been disallowed for handball.
Thierry Henry clearly handled before playing the ball for William Gallas to score the equaliser which saw France win the play-off 2-1 on aggregate.
The debate will rage on about the goal that took France to the 2010 finals in South Africa and how the officials failed to spot such a blatant handball and will likely reignite the debate about video technology being introduced.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/8367418.stm
2. FAI decides to put in a request for a playoff to FIFA
3. FIFA rejects the plea and Irish hearts are broken
Fifa has refused the Football Association of Ireland's request for a replay of France's World Cup play-off win over the Republic of Ireland.A Fifa statement read: "The result will not be changed and cannot be replayed."
And the French Football Federation (FFF) has no intention of proposing a replay, BBC sport has learned.
With Fifa having rejected the Republic's plea, it was thought Ireland's only hope was if France themselves came forward and backed plans for a replay - but the FFF believes such a notion to be a nonstarter, BBC Sport understands.
Even politician's got into the act
Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen called on Fifa, football's world governing body, to order a replay, saying he would raise the issue with French President Nicolas Sarkozy at a Brussels summit.
But France's Prime Minister Francois Fillon responded that the Irish government should not interfere in footballing decisions.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/8368100.stm
1. The Match Result
The Republic of Ireland suffered cruellest of World Cup exits as France went through with a goal which should have been disallowed for handball.
Thierry Henry clearly handled before playing the ball for William Gallas to score the equaliser which saw France win the play-off 2-1 on aggregate.
The debate will rage on about the goal that took France to the 2010 finals in South Africa and how the officials failed to spot such a blatant handball and will likely reignite the debate about video technology being introduced.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/8367418.stm
2. FAI decides to put in a request for a playoff to FIFA
3. FIFA rejects the plea and Irish hearts are broken
Fifa has refused the Football Association of Ireland's request for a replay of France's World Cup play-off win over the Republic of Ireland.A Fifa statement read: "The result will not be changed and cannot be replayed."
And the French Football Federation (FFF) has no intention of proposing a replay, BBC sport has learned.
With Fifa having rejected the Republic's plea, it was thought Ireland's only hope was if France themselves came forward and backed plans for a replay - but the FFF believes such a notion to be a nonstarter, BBC Sport understands.
Even politician's got into the act
Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen called on Fifa, football's world governing body, to order a replay, saying he would raise the issue with French President Nicolas Sarkozy at a Brussels summit.
But France's Prime Minister Francois Fillon responded that the Irish government should not interfere in footballing decisions.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/8368100.stm
Le Hand of TH14
Once again after so many years it's a hand that's hogging the headlines. Last time it was Maradona against England this time it's Thierry Henry against the Irish.
The background is that TH14 apparantley handled the ball before he passed it onto Gallas who went onto score a goal that effectively blew up Ireland's chances of playing in the world cup 2011.
I saw the goal and i think Ireland had a case.In my book there should have been a replay.Some people wanted Henry banned but would that really do justice to Ireland ?
The game of football has been crying out for technical advancements.Imagine the fact that 2 people( the referee and linesman) have caused 4 years of planning and investment to come to naught.
The background is that TH14 apparantley handled the ball before he passed it onto Gallas who went onto score a goal that effectively blew up Ireland's chances of playing in the world cup 2011.
I saw the goal and i think Ireland had a case.In my book there should have been a replay.Some people wanted Henry banned but would that really do justice to Ireland ?
The game of football has been crying out for technical advancements.Imagine the fact that 2 people( the referee and linesman) have caused 4 years of planning and investment to come to naught.
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