Les Bleus moving forward

So I have been reading one of my favorite blogs - http://france.worldcupblog.org/euro-2008/france-argentina-highlights.html#comments . And I am struck at the desire to change the French team whole sale. Now I am by no means a supporter of Domenech, I would hope my prior posts have clearly demonstrated that. At the same point I am not ready to throw out the entire team after a 2-0 lose to one of the world's best football teams - Argentina. So after a weekend to digest this here are some final thoughts before we look towards the start of World Cup qualifying.

What seems to be working -

• France seems to be finding some sort of rhythm offensively - Gourcuff appears to be able to pull the strings on offense. Granted, when he comes across world class defensive midfielders - Mascherano and Gago - he find the sledding a bit more difficult, but any player would have a challenge when faced with the steel of the Argentine midfield. The understanding between Gourcuff and Ribery is promising. Henry does seem comfortable on the left. There is some depth offensively, albeit some that is still immature. Being able to draw upon Gourcuff, Ribery, Ben Arfa, Benzema, Henry, Anelka, Nasri...as well as the Cisse, Menez, Sinama-Pongolle. The main challenge will be to figure out who the top 4 strikers are, which are the wingers and stick with them. Allow them to develop.
  
• Mexes and Gallas - ok I am basing this on one game....a game they lost! But based on what I had seen the past few months I will grasp that straw with all my strength. However, I did see much promise in the Argentina game. Mexes was aggressive and attacked the ball and looked to control the aerial game while Gallas was well positioned and relaunched the offense regularly. To me this is a bright spot for the near term. If this partnership can hold together, it will bode well for Les Bleus.
• The lateral defenders - Evra, Clichy, Abidal, Sagna, and Fanni - to name the recent players. With players like Clerc, Trémoulinas, Rami waiting in the wings, there is depth on the defensive wings. While Sagna struggled against Argentina, I am confident that the French will be well served by a combination of the above defending the wings.

What needs to improve -

• Goalkeeping - are there some good options? Yes. Is there a clear #1? No. To me this goes back to Domenech, what a surprise. Prior to the Euros it appeared that France would look to either Frey or Landreau to assume the torch once Coupet moved on. Surprise! Domenech decided to jettison Landreau, not sure why, and add Mandanda to the roster. Then rather than allow Frey to become the clear #1, which he could be, Domenech jettisons the Fiorentina keeper and goes with Mandanda. Now the latest rumor is that Lloris is going to be the #1 keeper for Les Bleus....????? Not to say he is not deserving, but what happened to Mandanda? A poor game against Argentina? Does that take away your #1 shirt? If that is the case then how did Barthez keep his position with Les Bleus for so long? Bottum line - Frey or Landreau should be #1, with Mandanda as one back up. Too bad Domenech is too near sited and too stubborn to figure that out.
• The holding midfield is a little in disarray and not due to lack of talent. With ADiarra, LDiarra, Flamini (although leaving Arsenal might have been a terrible decision for the midfielder), Toulalan, Mavuba, etc, there is depth at the position. The issue is - who is the right player for that role? The greater issue is, does France have a holding midfielder in the mold of a Pat Vieira? A "box to box" midfielder, one that can make the hard tackle, carry the ball and chip in a goal here and there? I would actually think that ADiarra might be that player, based on how he is performing for Bordeaux. Les Bleus might look to couple him a LDiarra or Toulalan, plus Alou would give you some much needed height. In its current iteration I fear that the holding tandem will not give the added dimension teams need to compete at the highest level, remember when Vieira was hurt during the France v Greece 1/4 final game in the 2004 Euros in Portugal - France. France lined up Dacourt and Makelele, both world class tackling, defensive midfielders, but neither player was capable to linking well with the offense. Les Bleus need to find that player that can allow the linkage between the defense and offense. A challenge, yes, but not unsolvable.
• The team motivation, what do I mean by that? It is clear that some players' performances for their clubs do not carry over to their play for Les Bleus, why? I place the blame squarely on the shoulders of the manager. Domenech needs to find a way to get the most of his players, and unfortunately I think that is where he is the most lacking in terms of leadership. A great example for me is watching Maradona on the sidelines. You can tell he has his teams trust and ear, granted he is a hero in his home land, but one needs to know how to harness that stature, he has done that. Domenech on the other hand just alienates players and does not know how to motivate. Granted some may argue, hey Domenech has been able to get his teams to play well when they have to - world cup in Germany, qualifier in Ireland...but to me the times he cannot far outweighs the times he has. I fear I sound like a broken record, but not sure how much will change as long as Domenech remains at the helm.

The upcoming matches against Lithuania are, obviously, far more important than what happened last week. Let us not overlook the fact Germany lost at home to Norway, England was outclassed against Spain and Italy lost to Brazil in a game where Brazil could have scored 2 or 3 more goals. What will take place next month will be much more important, so before we decide to over turn the entire team and call upon young or fringe internationals - Sakho, Gignac, Hourau etc (granted some should be given a chance, but they are not the short term answer). Until Domenech is sacked we will constantly be having these discussions.