France v Albania...Les Bleus lucky to escape with a draw.

Thankfully that game did not count towards France's qualification efforts...what a bland bland bland effort from Les Bleus. Albania, gasp, were the better team on the night. From the start it was apparent that the team Deschamps rolled out onto the pitch was only there physically and certainly not mentally. Anyways...the game was a friendly...end of the season...at least they didn't lose.

The Good:

• Lloris was world class. He was not at fault on the Albanian goal, a impeccably placed header after France failed to clear the corner kick. Otherwise the Tottenham keeper played a solid game, making some very good saves. One on a long range shot that came down the right flank. The save looked decent in real time, when you saw the replay one realizes what a difficult save it turned out to be as the ball was dancing all over the place and Lloris showed great skill in

  

  Big save that kept it a one goal deficit

  parrying the shot. He made another huge save on a defensive breakdown where he had to parry a bullet of a shot that was heading for the upper corner. The Spurs' keeper was also in command of his area. In a bland showing he was the one bright spot...and without him it could easily have been 3 or 2 goals to the Eastern Europeans. 
• The insertion of Griezmann changed the game. Coming on late in the game, the Atletico Madrid winger quickly placed his stamp on the game. Bringing pace and some offensive punch that was otherwise absent from the French attack. His goal was a perfect two man game on the wing. He and the French right back, Jallet, played a give and go game that sprung Griezmann into the Albanian penalty area where he clinically finish. 
• The Albanians. For a team I thought would pack it in, they took the game to the French. for some stretches they were outclassing the hosts. Ever dangerous on set pieces and smart with their counter attacking. Their fullbacks were dangerous down the flanks and their center backs a constant threat in the air on set pieces. The midfield did a good job collapsing to thwart any French offensive forays. They are a sneaky side that could find a way to the Euros, don't forget they already took 3 points off of the Portuguese.

The Bad:

• The French 4-4-2...was abysmal.  I had written about this earlier but I was not convinced that the 2 striker formation would work. And I feel as if it didn't. The high line was clogged up by both Benzema and Lacazette operating in the same space. The midfield had no width. And the fullbacks were able to push up but  their offensive forays were too often "one and done" runs, which then left a lot of room behind them for Albania counters. Cabaye seemed to be asked to scramble to much to fill in the spaces left by the fullbacks. Les Bleus used to be able to run out  strikers, when those strikers were named Henry and Trezeguet...and they had a certain Zidane in the midfield. Henry was really more of a roaming striker, while Trez was a true #9. France do not have those players. I hope that DD rolled out this formation based on necessity. I certainly do not expect to see it again in the near future. 
• Finishing...stop me if you have heard this before....Les Bleus just lack any clinical finishing, other than the Griezmann goal. Benzema had the 2-1 ball on his foot but inexplicably ballooned it from 10 yard out. Otherwise there just was not finishing threat. Concerning. 

The Ugly:

• Lack of rhythm...Les Bleus looked like they were sleep walking, had zero consistency with they play. They never really controlled the match. Even when they were mounting some sustained threats to the Albanian goal, it did not feel like the French had their finger on the pulse of the game. They still looked like they were chasing the Albanians. Yes Les Bleus were missing the likes of Matuidi, but the apparent lack of consistency and ability to dictate the game was a bit disconcerting. If they play like this against Zlatan and his merry band from Sweden, it might get ugly.

Okay so France move on with a "point" from this game. Thankfully it does not mean anything, but there were more areas of concern than of good. Let us hope that their next match, against a much larger fish, is better than what we saw in Rennes.

DD back to the 4-4-2...out of necessity or a real option moving forward?

Reports coming out of Clairefontaine would have us believe that Les Bleus will come out tomorrow back in a traditional 4-4-2. Hmmm. Not sure what to make of that. Readers of this blog will know that I think France plays better when they play a 4-3-3, taking advantage of their depth and quality in the midfield trident and allowing their wide players to carry the attack - leaning on a lone striker to roam around the penalty box. Starting with 2 high strikers might create a lot of congestion in the attacking 1/3. The potential line up -

Lloris - Jallet, Varane, Yanga Mbiwa, Digne - Sissoko, Cabaye, Valbuena, Pogba - Lacazette, Benzema

Some items to watch:

• Deschamps is putting the former and current Lyon strikers together. How will Benzema function with someone playing off his shoulder. Karim seems to function better as the lone striker, even at Real Madrid when he is partnering with the likes of Ronaldo, the Portuguese is more of a winger. Lacazette has been lined up as a striker for Lyon, even though he is believed to have a future on the wing. Will the two strikers compliment one another...or get in each

  

  The OL connection - will it succeed?

  others' way?
• Is that really a 4 man midfield? Or more of a 3 deep lying midfield with a false #9 in Valbuena? The formation reads 4-4-2, but I can see Valbuena being asked to push higher on the pitch, sitting in the space right behind the two strikers, with the trio of Sissoko, Cabaye and Pogba as the defensive/linking midfield. I could even see Cabaye being the deeper lying player, right in front of the defensive back 4, Sissoko being given responsibility for the right and Pogba the left side of the formation. It will be interesting to see how this midfield evolves. But I certainly doubt it will be a flat 4.
• Where will the wide play come from? With out the usual wingers or formation rolled out, where will the offense come from the wings? Expect Digne and Jallet to be instructed to push high and wide on the pitch. They will be asked to provide the bulk of the crosses and wide runs, overlapping the midfielders to offer wide options for Valbuena.

I am not sure how much we will be able to deduce from this first game, they are not playing the metal of world football. It should be a good test as I expect Albania to pack it in and look to strike on the counter. That will shine the light on how well the fullbacks are able to bring some dangerous crosses, how does Benzema and Lacazette attack the Albania goal as a tandem and can Valbuena break down the defense as the #10?

Prediction - France 2: Albania 0 goals from Cabaye and Benzema.

Allez Les Bleus!!

Deschamps has to back track with his views on the U20s

Well well well...a few injuries and suddenly Deschamps has to backtrack on his stance with regards to including any of the French U20s. The latest is Kurt Zouma from Chelsea who has been brought into the senior squad. This after Kurzawa was brought in to replace the injured Tremoulinas. That might have been the more awkward call up for DD, as it was the Monaco left back that was the leader of the sophomoric behavior of the French U20 team against Sweden...how juicy that France will be playing Sweden during this international break.

Overall I think this is actually a good thing for Deschamps. He needs to start looking at some of the young talent he has at the U20 level. Players like Zouma and especially Kurzawa have legitimate ambitions to being part of the squad that plays on home soil the 2016 Euros. Kurzawa in particular as the French left back role, I believe, is a position ripe for new blood.

Another name that has pulled out is Matuidi, Gonalons was called up in reinforcement. This will open the door for Schneiderlin to assume greater time on the pitch. Could this be to the detriment of Cabaye, who is not getting much time at PSG?

With so many names missing, will Deschamps use these two games for some experimental

More celebrations to come in blue?

sides? I hope so. Players like Lacazette, Guilavogui, Scheiderlin, Yanga-Mbiwa and Kurzawa should get substantial time over the two games. Rotate some of the midfielders along side Pogba to see how they function with the emerging main stay of the French midfield. In the back it would be good to find out what Kurzawa can do on the left as well as Yanga-Mbiwa in the center paired with the likes of Varane. Up front it would be good to see if Lacazette is an option, either as a striker or out on the wing.

 I do not believe that many of the starting roles are in question if Deschamps has his full roster. The places I see some question marks - left back, right wing and possibly left wing (but that is Griezmanns for now). The real questions are the second level players. Who are the ones that provide the depth needed? That would be across the field, but really at the striker role and creative midfielder. It will be interesting to see what DD does with these two games.

Allez les Bleus!

Les Bleus - roster for last internationals - the U20 get shut out.

Deschamps announced his list of players for the last round of international friendlies for their matches on the 14th against Albania and 4 days later against Sweden. Not to many surprised on the list...other than the exclusion of any U20 players. No doubt because of their catastrophic showing against Sweden in the qualifiers.

The list:

Gardiens de but : Lloris (Tottenham), Mandanda (Marseille), Costil (Rennes)

Défenseurs : Digne (PSG), Jallet (Lyon), Mangala (Manchester City), Sagna (City), Varane (Real Madrid), Yanga-Mbiwa (Roma), Trémoulinas (Séville), Perrin (Saint-Etienne)

Milieux de terrain : Cabaye (PSG), Matuidi (PSG), Pogba (Juventus), Schneiderlin (Southampton), Sissoko (Newcastle), Guilavogui (Wolfsburg)

Attaquants : Benzema (Real Madrid), Gignac (Marseille), Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Payet (Marseille), Valbuena (Dynamo Moscou), Lacazette (Lyon)

 

Not many surprises, but DD had to deal with a decimated defensive core with Kos, Sakho, Mathieu and Evra all being sidelined with injuries. We get to see most of the reservists from the World Cup - Tremoulinas and Perrin on defense. Interesting to see Guilavogui back in the picture. It will be interesting to see if the midfielder gets any time over the two games. One area that DD has a wealth of options is in the holding midfielder role. Up front I am a little surprised to see Payet again, as I have stated in the past, I just don't see it with the former Nantes player.  He really isn't a ride sided player and not sure he fits in the middle of park...actually I am not sure he is a full international at all. It will good to see Lacazette on the roster, see if he can give DD a legit option up front behind Benzema.

 

It will be also interesting to see how DD leans on lining them up against Albania. Also, when will DD start calling up some of the U20. He specifically stated that he did not want to reward any of the U20 players after their poor showing. But the likes of Kurzawa were specifically singled out after his sophomoric behavior away to Sweden last month. However at some point some of these players will have to start integrating into the senior squad.

The next week will tell us a lot about what DD is thinking in terms of his line up.

Allez les Bleus.

France v Albania...some thoughts...a few days late!

I am remiss to have not had the time to post some thoughts on the France v Albania match from last Friday. It turned out to be a relatively easy victory for Les Bleus: 3-0, a score that one would expect when teams such as these meet. Some quick thoughts:

The Good:

• Have to start with Samir Nasri, the Citizen has come under tremendous criticism as of late for his showings wearing the French stripe, and they have been deserved. He has not been able to replicate his Premier league form for France. Even being benched for the match away to Romania. However a new and apparently more at ease Nasri showed up this time around. He openly joked with the media about the scrutiny he was being placed under. Clearly this new attitude served him well as he played one of his better matches for France. He appeared more comfortable given the responsibility to manage the right channel.  He frequently cut back to the middle, dropped deep when he needed and even lend a hand defensively, no better image of that than seeing him at the top of the French penalty box late into the game when France were already ahead 3-0 working hard to win a ball. The goal by Remy was created by Nasri who shed no less than 4 Albania defenders who all were trying to take down the Manchester City player, he broke into the penalty area gave a neat little fake to draw the defenders before laying off a sumptuous little through ball on the running Remy. Blanc expressed his happiness with the way Nasri played, now it is up to the former Marseilles and Arsenal midfielder to build on this showing - if he does that is great for Les Bleus.
• 14 caps and he is only 21, clearly M'Vila is one of Blanc's core players that he mentioned when took over Les Bleus. He was the metronome for France, sitting comfortably infront of the back 4, providing an outlet for the midfield when they found themselves in trouble and being a defensive rock when need be. With M'Vila, Blanc might have the luxury of playing with only one pure holding/defensive midfielder, similar to what Spain did in 2008 with Senna.
• Remy is starting to come into his own as a footballer. His pace on the flank was something Albania had no answers for, he created the first goal by simply running by the defense event thought they were giving him a very healthy cushion. His goal was cheeky as he nutmegged the keeper and his work rate on the flank kept Albania on their back heel. One has to wonder what will happen with Ribery returns healthy, will Blanc look to unleash Remy on the right wing and Ribery on the left? 
• Scoring early...cliche I realize, but one cannot overstate how vital it was for France to score early in this match. Against a team like Albania, you always get a bit concerned if you take too long to score that first goal. The longer the underdog keeps a clean sheet the greater their confidence grows and more stern their defending...and you can always get the "hold up" as we saw earlier in these qualifiers as Belarus sprung a late goal to take the full 3 points from France.
• The crowd at Stade de France, recently the crowd at the Stade de France have been fickle, and with reason. They have booed the team and when Dumbenech was still there chanted requests for the coach to resign (something I wholeheartedly supported!). But this match there was something different the supporters backed up the team, the enthusiasm reverberated through out the stadium - even giving Cisse many standing ovations (he used to get booed!).

The Bad:

•  French injuries, you never want to see them but you know they will occur but seeing Evra and Cabaye having to sub off due to injury is not good. With a big match coming up you want to keep what you have intact, especially since France are already "under - manned" due to injuries. Something to keep an eye on, especially since Evra and Abidal might be out, interesting to see who could be slotted in at left back.
• Speaking of Belarus...coming down to the last game with qualification riding on the line is BAD, especially considering France dropped FIVE points to Belarus! A draw at home and a loss on the road are nothing but BAD BAD BAD...border line UGLY. I realize that France and Bosnia are both guaranteed to "play on" one will win the group the other will be put into home and away fixtures against another group runner up.  Now granted, France would go into the #1 Pot if they fail to win the group and therefore most likely miss potential opponents such as Belgium/Turkey, Croatia or Denmark (based on current standings)...but why go through that stress...remember France v Ireland to get to World Cup 2010?

The Ugly:

• Did anyone get the number of that Albanian tackling machine? The Eastern Europeans clearly lived up to their reputations as a tough side, but some of their tackles were border line criminal. 
• The Albanian keeper - Ujkani - did not cover himself in glory. Granted his defense at times let him down and trying to stop point blank shots isn't always easy. But he was beaten between the legs and to the short side...granted I have given up my fair share of goals in this manner but I have never represented my country! Ugly goals...

Overall happy to see the win, Les Bleus did what they should have done - beaten Albania with relative ease. Now onwards to the "mini final" against Bosnia...

Aie Aie Aie - Les Bleus limp into last 2 qualifiers

I have been remiss in writing about Les Bleus - travel and work have gotten in the way! But with some airport time I can finally weigh in on what is happening with Les Bleus.  With 2 crucial games left in qualifiers, France find themselves in a precarious position. With the likes of Mexes, Benzema, Gameiro and Abidal out, France and Blanc will be scrambling to find the players and formation to face Albania and then Bosnia. When these qualifiers started and after France had defeated Bosnia away, I thought that they might be able to go into these last two games and already have their ticket punched for next summer. Unfortunately a draw away to Belarus (1 point from the two matches against the former Soviet state) and a lackluster draw away to Romania, finds Les Bleus clinging to a single point lead over Bosnia.

Home			Away			Total
	Teams	P	W	D	L	W	D	L	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	Pts
1	France	8	2	0	1	3	2	0	5	2	1	11	3	8	17
2	Bosnia and Herzegovina	8	3	0	1	2	1	1	5	1	2	11	7	4	16
3	Romania	8	2	2	0	1	1	2	3	3	2	10	6	4	12
4	Belarus	9	2	2	1	1	1	2	3	3	3	6	5	1	12
5	Albania	8	2	1	1	0	1	3	2	2	4	6	10	-4	8
6	Luxembourg	9	1	1	3	0	0	4	1	1	7	3	16	-13	4

Yikes.

France should, that is the operative word "should," at least finish in second which would mean a home and away play off with another second place team...no thanks. France should, again there is that word, defeat Albania in Paris while Bosnia will defeat Luxembourg, setting up a show down in Paris. Where Les Bleus would only need a draw to secure the top spot...sound familiar? Similar to the situation they faced in 1993 - 2 home games away from qualification...only to face Bulgaria and that 90th minute.

A repeat of his first selection would be nice!

Okay let's not focus on the past. Let us look at what we have moving forward. Blanc has mentioned going with a 4-4-2 since he does not seem to think he has a true lone striker without Benzema and Gameiro. Word from Paris is that Remy - Gomis might be leveraged with Nasri on the right and Malouda on the left, I would assume M'Vila and Cabaye would be the central, deep lying midfielders. The back line would most likely have Evra on the left (Abidal does not appear to be fit), Reveillere on the right and Kaboul - Rami as your central pairing. Of course Lloris in goal.

The concern I would have with this formation is who will fill the middle of the park? Will Cabaye slot higher to sit behind the two strikers? Or will Malouda and Nasri be asked to drift inside from time to time, if so this will place greater strain on the fullbacks to provide width to the attack. Or will you see a 4-2-3-1 at times with Gomis the lone striker playing very high, Remy drift out as a right winger allowing Nasri to drift back to the middle of the pitch? Could be a way Blanc gives his offense some flexibility to break down what is sure to be a rugged Albanian defense.

It is a bit of a patch work strike force, much of the creativity and threat will have to come from the likes of Nasri and Malouda, neither of which has been lighting things on fire for France. The talent is there for Les Bleus, it is now a matter of can they click the next two games? Otherwise we might be looking at an Ireland circa 2009 situation....no thanks.