The Good:
- Anelka - The French striker showed off his wealth of talent. He played up high in tandem with Trezeguet or dropped back to pick up the ball deeper, he was a constant threat
in the air and with his speed. He was not afraid to attempt the cheeky pass or back heel. He demonstrated an ability to take difficult angles and still put a shot on net. On the play that earned France the penalty he completely out paced the England back 4 to go in solo on James forcing Calamity to bring him down. While some may argue that Henry remains France's #1 striker I would make the case that the "incredible sulk" has become the #1 striker for Les Bleus, the main question now becomes, does Domenech play Anelka up front with a strike partner or as a lone striker supported by three offensive midfielders...either way I think he will prove to be the main threat from Les Bleus this summer. - Ribery -
What can you say about the Bayern man? During the run up to the World Cup the young French midfielder was seen as the next big French footballer and many were clamoring for the youngster to make the squad...after being a late call up for Domenech he forced his way into the starting line up and soon demonstrated his value to the team. His confidence has only grown since Germany...during the first few games in Germany it was clear that Ribery at times differed to those around him rather than take his own chances (I remember Ribery breaking into the Swiss defense during the first group game and rather than taking his own chance 1v1 with the keeper he tried an awkward drop pass to Henry) However it is clear that Ribery's confidence and game have evolved and he is taking his chances and using his immense talent to force defenses back on their heels. Ribery was allowed to be creative and roam a bit more than when France play with 3 offensive midfielders. He was able to slot into either channel or the middle and start the attacks. At times he tried too hard to get his own shots, but that is good, a sign of someone with confidence and looking to make something happen. Let us hope his confidence and form keep up, for he will be an important player for France this summer. His penalty taking was perfect, very cool and collected. - The old guard - Thuram and Makelele demonstrated that they still a lot left in the tank. Makelele impressed me by taking on more of the Pat Vieira role, carrying the ball deeper, looking to create and spring the strikers rather than being the midfield destroyer. He still demonstrated his value in front of the back 4 and in breaking up any attack in the middle of the park. He showed an incredible engine for a player on the back end of his career. The same can be said for Thuram. He was rarely out of position in the back, cutting off channels, passing lanes and being strong in the air. He had one mistake on a poor clearance in the second half but the other half of the old guard, Makelele, was there to bail him out.
- Defending set pieces - France, for once, appeared more confident on set pieces. They attacked the ball in the air and did not allow England to get too many good looks at the net, the one exception was a Ferdinand free header that he inexplicable tried to pass rather than put on net (was not really a set piece but felt like one!). But compared to what France has demonstrated on defending set pieces the last few games their ability to defend against, arguably one of the best set piece experts -Beckham - bodes well.
- Speaking of Beckham - I thought the newest 100 cap English player, did very well for himself. He was very active in his channel, tackling back, looking to spring the strikers, and almost scoring on his 100th appearance for England. He was the one English player that appeared to want to play and compete in this game.
- Hargreaves - Okay Beckham was not the only English player that wanted to play, the Canadian native played a solid game. He was tasked to trying to keep Ribery in check something he was able to do fairly well...as well as one can expect. But he had a good engine for England looking to slow down and destroy French attacks and launch English counters.
- Joe Cole - Based on his form for Chelsea I was expecting more from the English midfielder. He was completely invisible for the majority of the game, the only time I noticed him is when he and Gerrard walked past each other on a throw in...
- Brown - Maybe his goal over the weekend gave him a false sense of talent, but he was constantly on his back heel and looking completely out classed by the attacks down his channel.
- Trezegol - Ugh...I was hoping the Juve man would have a better game. While I am not going to blame the Franco-Argentine for his poor game, I think that he has played his last match for Les Bleus. I think that was evident when Domenech substituted him off in the second half, allow the crowd in Stade de France give him a proper farewell. What I think made the situation "bad" was the inability or lack of comfort with
the Juve point man. On a few occasions I noticed the French midfielders or defenders with the ball at feet and time, Trezeguet had positioned himself on the last defender in perfect position for a long through ball into the penalty area, only for the French to pull the ball back and try to thread the ball into a danger area. Watching Trezegol with Juve, the Turin club at least once or twice a game will look to put through balls over the top to their goal scorer....while they do not always ended up as goals the threat forces defenses to play deeper...opening up the space between the back 4 and the midfield.
- Okay I am harping on this, but the Trezeguet situation is ugly. I think that if he is good enough to start along side Anelka, then he is at worst your 4th best striker. So why is not a regular member of this team? I mean seriously, is Briand or Menez, both solid players in their own rights, better options for Les Bleus than Trezeguet? A player with 34 goals under the French jersey, a player who is the #1 striker at a big European club and a player who is regularly at the top of the scoring charts in Serie A???? I think the answer is he remains and should remain a top option. Domenech has clearly looked to have strikers that can drop in deep to collect the ball and that can create their own scoring opportunities. Having a striker of the caliber of Trezeguet is not something anyone should be so cavalier about, having the opportunity to put Trezegol on the pitch forces the opponent to change their tactics. I think that Domenech has, as he has demonstrated in the past, done a poor job handling this situation (as well as other situations). I fear that the next round of friendlies Trezegol will once again find himself banished to footballing siberia, with Domenech saying "I know his skills and he remains an option..." I think Domenech needs to fish or cut bait....and since it is clear he is not a huge fan of the Juve striker....cut him loose. An ugly way to end what is a distinguished and amazing career as an international, David deserves much more than this. I remember watching the young 20 year old take a PK against Italy in the 1998 World Cup 1/4 finals and cooly slot his kick couple that with his incredible goal scoring and his wonder strike to win the 2000 Euro cup makes him on of France's greatest players. He deserves more than Domenech appears to want to grant him. UGLY
Let us hope Domenech can continue to build ... if he does France will be a threat at the Euros.
No comments:
Post a Comment