Boumsong no longer "obsessed" with Equipe de France...well that is good!

An interview today, Boumsong announced that being called up for Les Bleus is no longer a major obsession. Well thank goodness for all of us! I think the former Lyon central defender has realized that door to the French national team is closed, maybe not completely locked but closed. With Mexes and Rami cementing their partnership for Les Bleus as the first choice central pairing, with the likes of Sakho and Koscielny knocking on the door, clearly the opportunities for the likes of Boumsong and Escude are close to being shut.

Well at least Boumsong is aware of this....and unlike others stated that if called upon he would answer the call. Not sure you would hear such language during the Domenech era.

France v Ireland....Part II...more injuries

The latest news from Clairefontaine, Abidal is out for the return leg on Wednesday (so is Toulalan but he was already injured for the Dublin clash). This is an interesting wrinkle for the match. Abidal played, other than the terrible mistake late in the game gifting the ball to the Irish in the French camp, a very strong game. He was able to bring a degree of calmness and steadiness that the central defense has not had in a long time.

So what will Domenech resort to in the return leg? Clearly the favorite should be Squillaci, who shouldered Gallas very nicely when given the chance. In addition, Squillaci is a big center back and strong in the air, clearly something the French will need defending the long ball bombs the Irish are sure to lob into the French 18 yard box in Paris. I cannot see Domenech going with Escude, who has been shaky in the past few games from Les Bleus, especially against Romania when his own goal gave Romania the draw in Paris. Interestingly, Domenech has not looked to call up replacements for either player. I would think this opportunity would be a golden chance for him to at least call up his binky - Boumsong.

Boumsong back again!!!! WHY????

Ok, my prior posting on Les Bleus gets an Ugly - Boumsong is in the mix. With Clichy and Escude withdrawing from the side, Domenech once again called upon his binky - Boumsong....again...why? I know he is playing ok for Lyon but this has to end.

On a better note, he also called up the young Dabo from St Eteinne. The young defender, who has been a mainstay on the French U20 side, is having a good season with Les Verts and appears to signal more youth in the French side as Domenech passed on veterans such as Armand and Mathieu to fill out the defense. What I find surprising, is that France is able to find solid young talent for the lateral defensive slots, yet always look to Boumsong as cover in the middle...the former Newcastle man must have dirt on someone at the FFF...

A nice goal from the newest member of Les Bleus -

Domenech announces his list for the Argentina match

Domenech finally announced his list for the upcoming match up against the Albicelestes. Here is who we will be seeing on the Marseilles pitch -

GARDIENS : Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Cédric Carrasso (Toulouse)

DÉFENSEURS : Eric Abidal (FC Barcelone/ESP), Gaël Clichy (Arsenal/ANG), Julien Escudé (FC Séville/ESP), Rod Fanni (Rennes), William Gallas (Arsenal/ANG), Philippe Mexès (AS Roma/ITA), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal/ANG), Sébastien Squillaci (FC Séville/ESP).

MILIEUX DE TERRAIN : Alou Diarra (Bordeaux), Lassana Diarra (Real Madrid/ESP), Jérémy Toulalan (Lyon), Yoann Gourcuff (Bordeaux), Samir Nasri (Arsenal/ANG), Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich/ALL).

ATTAQUANTS : Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea/ANG), Karim Benzema (Lyon), Jimmy Briand (Rennes), Thierry Henry (Barcelone/ESP).

At first pass I like this list...primarily because no Boumsong! Thank goodness. But I know what will happen, one of the defenders will bow out because of injury and Domenech will decide call up the Lyon defender as a replacement and then will play him the full 90 minutes. Ugh.

The Good:

• No Boumsong.
• Carrasso is the only fresh face on the team, but a deserved call up. He has been playing very well for French side TFC. Having looked at Pele from LeMans during the last go around, I will give Domenech credit for using these opportunities to look at different keepers. He clearly will give the keys to the team to either Lloris or Mandanda, but is covering all his bases. As he demonstrated during the Euros, he is not afraid to use the third keeper slot on an up and coming talent.
• Strength at central defense while that is usually not something I will say is the case for Les Bleus recently, having Gallas, Mexes, Squillaci and Escude all together is good. Why? I see the natural pairings of Gallas and Mexes, Squillaci and Escude (both at seville now). Hopefully Domenech will have enough time during the training sessions to see if these two pairings work well. Again no Boumsong makes this a possibility.
• I like the fact Nasri is back in the fold. He has been playing well for the Gunners and deserves the chance to make a case for him to be on one of the wings for Les Bleus.

The Bad:

• No Savidan, while this is not completely unexpected, after his first appearance for Les Bleus you would think he deserved another look. I am not sure that Briand is a better option up front.
• No Vieira, this is not really bad, since Pat has just started training again with Inter. What might be bad is that we may never see Pat again playing for Les Bleus.
• Abidal, I am not sure where he will slot for the team. I have lost faith in his ability to play central defense let alone on the flanks of the defense. I realize that with Clichy, Fanni and Sagna, Domenech goes 2 deep for both the left and right side of the defense. However since this is a friendly and in a pinch he can slot Diarra on the right or left of the defense why not take this as a chance to look at another defender, maybe Adil Rami from Lille.
  

The Ugly:

• Surprisingly I do not see any real ugliness with this selection. Of course this will change if anyone drops out and Domenech decides to call up his binky - Boumsong.

Overall there are no real surprises on this roster. I think the team will have a very familiar feel, with a 4-2-3-1 formation -

Keeper: Mandanda (or Lloris) - both are solid, neither has solidified his role as #1.
Defenders: Clichy, Gallas, Mexes, Sagna - I think it makes sense to play 3/4 of the Arsenal defense. It will be important to see if Mexes and Gallas can work together in the middle.
Holding midfielders: LDiarra, Toulalan - this should be the holding duo for the next few years for Les Bleus. ADiarra, Flamini and eventually Blaise Matuidi will be capable second in commands.
Attacking midfielders: Nasri, Gourcuff, Ribery - I would like to see these three on the pitch together, althought I can also see Henry slot back on the left wing.
Striker: Benzema - This might be a tough call, Anelka could easily slot in this spot or Henry, depending on whether or not Titi will slot back to the left side. However I think that the young french star should be given the chance to lead the attack.

This will be a very difficult game, Argentina is bringing their big guns - Messi, Tevez, Aguero, Gago, Mascherano, Zanetti to name a few. The test for Les Bleus will be how will the defense hold up against the dangerous Argentine attack. This will start with Toulalan and Diarra, if they can hold the midfield and slow down the attacks through the midfield the back 4, which is shaky, will have less pressure. I also think this will hinge on how well Gourcuff can hold the ball up front and control the tempo of the game, I am sure he will be matched up against a Mascherano, this will be a stern test for the young Girodin.

I think this is a good test for both sides. Unfortunately for Les Bleus I still think there are too many questions of the defense. Facing such South American fire power will see a similar result as last time they faced off - Argentina 2 France 1 - Messi and Tevez for Argentina, Nasri for France.

Another friendly or a chance for a change?

Les Bleus will head into a difficult friendly today versus South American nation - Uruguay in Paris. Domenech, as usual has announced an interesting list of players for the match (the original list):

La sélection française :
Gardiens :
Hugo Lloris (Lyon)
Steve Mandanda (Marseille)
Yohann Pelé (Le Mans)

Defenseurs :
Gaël Clichy (Arsenal)
Julien Escudé (FC Séville)
Patrice Evra (Manchester United)
Rod Fanni (Rennes)
William Gallas (Arsenal)
Philippe Mexès (AS Roma)
Bakary Sagna (Arsenal)
Mikaël Silvestre (Arsenal)

Milieux de terrain :
Alou Diarra (Bordeaux)
Lassana Diarra (Portsmouth)
Yoann Gourcuff (Bordeaux)
Samir Nasri (Arsenal)
Jeremy Toulalan (Lyon)
Patrick Vieira (Inter Milan)

Attaquants :
Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea)
Karim Benzema (Lyon)
Jimmy Briand (Rennes)
Thierry Henry (Barcelone)
Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich)
Steve Savidan (Caen)

Escude, Sagna and LDiarra are already out due to injuries...of course Boumsong was called back into the squad...why I am not sure. But some thoughts:

The Good:

• I like seeing Fanni back in the roster, he will most likely start for Les Bleus on the right side of the defense. He has shown some talent for both his club Rennes and for France when he has had the opportunity. Many have compared him to Thuram, not a minor comparison to make, while this is a lofty stature to live up to I think that Fanni can do so. Does this mean that Sagna is out? No. But I think France should be in good shape on the right side of the defense for years to come.
• Speaking of the defense, the left side is in good shape as well. Evra and Clichy are both world class wide defenders. Clichy final opened his goal account a few matches ago for Arsenal so should be full of confidence. Evra remains a constant for Manchester United. I would like to see Clichy starting on the left side for France, but either player would be a valid option. I think that Clichy has shown he works very well with Nasri and that would be a good combination to develop for Les Bleus...more on this later in the posting.
• Speaking of Nasri, I have been reading some comments about how Gourcuff has done better in two matches for France than Nasri, even thought the young Gunner has been more hyped. I would beg to differ on that statement. While I am an unabashed fan of Gourcuff, I am also a fan of Nasri, but not in the middle of the pitch. I think that France needs to leverage Nasri much as Arsenal does, on the flank leveraging his pace and talent to widen the pitch. I realize Henry appears to be the favorite on the left but is he really the long term solution? While he should still be effective in South Africa, if France makes it, he will be on the back half of his career.
• Vieira, I like seeing Pat back in the squad. Now let us hope that he actually gets on the pitch. I think it he is the true leader of the squad, but same as Henry he might be getting close to the end. So while a good thing for this match, not sure a long term solution.

The Bad:

• Um Jean Alain Boumsong ....what is Domenech doing???? Why? What is going on...I am not sure what to make of this. I am without words. Boumsong is terrible. He should never see a France kit unless it is when he is on the Champs D'Elysee at the Adidas store. There are other players that should get a chance to show their wares in the middle of the France defense. If he gets on the pitch rather than Mexes I will go bananas.

The Ugly:

• Boumsong...he is just terrible. I'm sorry I just cannot believe that he still has a place on the French team.
  
• The keepers, This is not a criticism of Pele, Mandanda or Lloris, they are all solid keepers and I think they are the future of the French national team. But what is ugly is the situation with Frey. Frey is clearly one of the top 2 keepers in the Serie A, it is really between him and Buffon. Yet, Domenech treats him as if he is a second string keeper for the LA Galaxy, forcing Frey to renounce on the French national team and then during a press conference Domenech goes on to say that Frey is always selectable....um....ok. Hey Domenech learn some personal skills and give us some reasons with your rhyme. Frey should be France's #1, Mandanda and Lloris the back ups. Landreau should also still be in the mix. Once again Domenech is showing his questionable strategy/tactics/tact when it comes to his team and players. I am sure that Deschamps would have brought back France's best keeper into the mix.
  

France should go out with the following squad:

Lloris/Mandanda

Clichy, Mexes, Gallas, Fanni

Vieira, Toulalan

Nasri, Gourcuff, Ribery

Benzema

Let us see if we can get the old guard - Vieira - back into the mix. Let us try out, what I think is the attacking future for France, Nasri - Gourcuff - Ribery - Benzema. I think the second half we can test Anelka up front with Henry on the wing. I think the real area to be tested is the defense, and more specifically the middle of the defense. The wide defenders are fine, there is talent and depth there, it is really the middle of the defense. Who will be the one to partner with Gallas? And who will be the long term option? Mexes is the clear option, he is one of Italy's best defenders and should be a main stay for the French defense. I think the Uruguay team will be a good test for France, they are not a top tier nation but will offer a stern test for France.

Prediction - France 3 Uruguay 1: Benzema 2, Anelka 1.

A week to digest Les Bleus

Ok the international break has been over for a few days and we are back to club footie, and due to my travel I have not been able to reflect on the matches played by Les Bleus. I have however had plenty of time to think about the Romania game to some extent the friendly against Tunisia.

First the important match, the one in Romania for World Cup qualifying. I was able to watch the match on TV5, and for the first 20 minutes wished the game had not been broadcast. Quick recap, France looks like disjointed defensively the first 20 minutes and then mount a comeback that gets them a point for the draw and could have easily been the full 3 points of a win. Some thoughts:

The Good:

• Gourcuff, after his strong showing against Serbia (prompting me to search for a Gourcuff kit while at the Adidas store on the Champs D'Elysee, they did not have his number and name, but I am sure that will change now) he followed up that showing with an encore that included an assist and a spectacular goal, his first for Les Bleus. In the young man from Brittany, France might have the piece they have been missing since Zizou retired - a #10, someone to pull the offensive strings for the team. While I am not ready to even place Gourcuff in the same time zone as Zidane or Platini, he has demonstrated an ability and willingness to take on defenders with his dribbling, look for the deadly thru balls, attempt the school yard back heel or flick on, and is not afraid to attempt to test keepers from long range. This is what France has been dearly missing, and was evident this summer at the Euros (amongst many deficiencies in the French game). His partnership with Ribery is especially intriguing, the two players linked up on more than one occasion carving up the Romanian defense. The future is very bright for Yoann.
• Speaking of Ribery he too was very good, scoring an important goal before the end of the half cutting the deficit in half. For his first game back in Blue the Bayern man looked dangerous running at the defense and linking up with Gourcuff. He also demonstrated his emergence as a leader for the French team, his work rate after the second Romania goal was what kept the French afloat. The partnership between Ribery and Gourcuff might be the cornerstone for Les Bleus for years to come.

The Bad:

• The French defense, was absolutely TERRIBLE. They dug themselves a nice 0-2 hole after 17 minutes. The first goal was on a poor effort from Evra who fell asleep at the wheel allowing his man to run right by him to latch onto a long through ball to fire Romania up 1-0. And of course, my good friend Boumsong did not shower himself in glory once again. France has the talent defensively - Mexes, Clichy, Evra, Sagna, Gallas, Squillaci all play a big time European clubs, but for some reason the French defense remains a huge enigma.
• What about Malouda? His form for Chelsea is finally coming up to the level he demonstrated while at Lyon. Yet for France he appears lost. He got a surprise start on the left side but was completely invisible and substituted out well before the end of the first half. Is this the last we will see of the talented left wing? With Nasri, Ben Afra, and even veterans Henry threatening to assume the responsibility for the left side of the French attack, the Chelsea man might only be in Blue at Stamford Bridge.
• Have I mentioned that Boumsong is absolutely terrible? He jumped 3 inches on the second goal, last I checked he is a central defender with some size and on set pieces is suppose to stick his head in there to clear the ball, not allow an attacking player to easily out jump him for an open header at the net.

The Ugly:

• Boumsong, yes once again he qualifies for both Bad and Ugly. And what is really ugly is that he got the start in the friendly against Tunisia. That makes no sense to me. First of all, the only reason he was on the squad was due to the injury to Gallas, so technically he is your 4th or 5th best central defender, yet he gets to start both games???? That makes no sense what so ever to me. Why was Mexes not starting the friendly? I realize he is a player I love to hate, but there is plenty there not to like...Les Bleus will go no where with that donkey in the middle of the defense.
• Defending set pieces, the French defense was overall bad but defending set pieces was UGLY. It is incomprehensive that a team cannot defend corners or free kicks. You would think it was a team of 7 year olds just learning the game. The goal on the corner kick was terrible and in some perverse way humorous, you could almost see it coming, the French defense flat footed and allowing a free run at the ball.
• The fact Domenech still has his job is pure ugly. He should have been sacked minutes after France got humiliated at the Euros. The fact he remains in charge is preposterous. He continues to make questionable decisions with regards to selecting players. He appears to have no desire to work with the talent around him - how do you explain the whole Mexes fiasco? He continues to alienated players. And remains standoffish and aloof with the fans and media. Also, can he practice defending set pieces? Is that too much to ask? I fear that sticking with Domenech may waste the talented youth that France has...

The trip to Romania, was thankfully, not the disaster that it could have been. Being down 0-2, I was ready to see Les Bleus dig themselves into a deep hole for South Africa 2010, but they fought back and dominated the game. When France shifted Henry to the left, Benzema up front with Gourcuff sitting in the middle and Ribery on the right, they looked very dangerous. If you look at this offensive combo it is very young, with only Henry the "elder statesman" but you also have Nasri and Ben Arfa that will contend to hold that left channel. I could even see Remy or Gouffran getting a look soon to fill those roles. The holding roles are also in good hands - Toulalan and Diarra look like they will be able to hold down those roles.

What terrifies me is the defense. There is talent there, but there does not seem to be the system or partnership in place. Mexes - Gallas? Gallas - Abidal? Mexes - Squillaci? Boumsong? The right and left side are well served - Clichy might be getting a leg up on Evra and on the right Sagna is quickly cementing his place. The problem is with the central pairing. Mexes needs to be in the mix, but Domenech appears to be hot and cold with him. Gallas will be there but needs to develop a partnership and soon. Also, I think Mandanda has a wealth of talent and is the long term solution in goal, but I find Domenech's jettisoning of Landreau and Frey as irresponsible. Neither man really did anything to deserve that fate. I think Frey should be France's #1, he is clearly the best keeper in Serie A and has been that for a few seasons. However for whatever reason Domenech decides he will be discarded to the rubbish heap...stupid.

France have some talent and have the pieces, I fear that Domenech in his stubbornness and inability to properly manage might see this talent waste away.

Domenech's first list post Euro disaster

So France has announced the list of 20 for their upcoming friendly against Sweden. This match will prove crucial for Les Bleus. After a disastrous European campaign, and with the World Cup qualifiers right around the corner this match will be the first time the French are back together on the pitch. There will clearly be some changes - Thuram, Makelele and Sagnol have announced their international retirements. With Vieira and Ribery sidelined, the French midfield will look very different than what we have grown accustomed to seeing. So let us dive into the lucky 20:

Keepers: Lloris, Mandanda
Defenders: Boumsong, Clichy, Evra, Fanni, Gallas, Mexès, Sagna
Midfielders: A. Diarra, L. Diarra, Flamini, Toulalan
Strikers: Anelka, Ben Arfa, Benzema, Gourcuff, Govou, Henry, Malouda

Looking over this list, no Coupet, no Frey and no Landreau. Is Domenech making a statement about the future of the keeper role for Les Bleus? I can see Coupet being left out, he might not be the French #1 choice keeper anymore especially looking forward 2 years. The sad part is he should have been France's #1 during the World Cup in Germany, but for some idiotic reason Domenech went with an aging Barthez. However Lloris and Mandanda are without a doubt the future for the French national team and their keeper position. Okay so let us dive into the list:

The Good:

• Lloris and Mandanda - this is the future for France at goalkeeper. I think that getting these two into the squad early and often will pay dividends. It appears that Landreau, the one time shining star for France, has been dropped to second tier. I think that there remains a window for Frey to come in and assume the mantel as France's #1. There will be tough competition however, but in the long term there is solid talent at that position.
• Clichy - The Arsenal left back has long deserved his place in the national team, now will he be the #1 option ahead of Evra? Not sure, I think that Evra still gets the nod. However, as long as Domenech understands that the future left back for France should be one of these two talented players, then it will all be good.
• Gourcuff - The one time "next Zidane" lost a lot of luster when he made a big move to AC Milan only to find himself relegated to the substitutes' bench and could barely get on the pitch. Granted he had some tough competition at midfield - Pirlo, Kaka, to name a few. But he now has a real chance to continue to grow and develop to his full potential playing for Bordeaux, in the Micoud role. Under the eye of Laurent Blanc, one of France's up and coming managers, I think you will see Gourcuff live up to his potential. It might be a bit early for Domenech to integrate him into the French squad, but since the French league has already been under way since last weekend, the young midfielder will have more game action in his legs than other options. So why not take a look at him.

The Bad:

• Malouda - I have to question this selection. It is a bad choice purely based on the fact he is not doing much with Chelsea and has not done much in over a year! This is an example of a player that chased the money and found himself on a team that had no real place for him. This shows in his play for Les Bleus. He had a few flashes during the Euros, okay maybe one when he ran through the entire Romanian defense but sent his shot screaming just wide of the top corner.....but that is it. Maybe Domenech took him for cover and will give the left side of the midfield to Ben Afra, who is the player that should be there. We shall see.
• Govou - Ugh, I cannot understand the love affair between Domenech and Govou....I know he had a brace against Italy in the first European Qualifier ages ago, but still....please....he is a nice player, but not at the international level! Why not give a youngster like OM's Valbuena a chance to see what he can do on the international level?
  

The Ugly:

• Boumsong - Um you all knew this was coming....how how how how in god's name can this player be constantly selected for the French national team? Does he have some pictures of Domenech that ensure he will always be on the squad? It just baffles me when he gets the call up. What happened to Escude? Squillaci? Givet? Ugh...anyone of these would be a better option than Boumsong. Maybe even take a chance on one of the youngsters - Sakho from PSG or Dabo from St Etienne. I really cannot understand why Domenech calls up Lyon's 4th choice central defender....he is slow, has terrible positioning, cannot defend...ugh. And if his inclusion precludes having Mexes partner with Gallas in the middle of the defense I will scream. He gives France nothinig in the back. Domenech should be playing the following - Sagna on the right, Mexes and Gallas in the middle, and Evra on the left (maybe Clichy, but I think Evra has a little more offensive talent), Boumsong should not be any where near the pitch, substitutes bench, team bus, etc.....
• French strikers - Hmmm what was once a strength, now appears to be a potential weakness. Based on my conversation with Sam yesterday it is clear that France could have a shortage of strikers. Trezeguet has retired so he is out. Saha is always hurt. Cisse is coming back to form with Marseilles but has not translated this form to the national team. Briand remains a work in progress. Gomis has talent but might have shown everything he had in the one game against Ecuador. So it remains Anelka, Henry and Benzema. Henry is getting a long in the tooth and Anelka is hot and cold. Benzema is the rising star, but at times gets sacrificed for the veterans. I think Domenech needs to figure out who (Benzema) will be his point man, the player France will lean on the next 4 - 5 years for goal scoring. He can then figure out how to use the veterans (Anelka and Henry) to support and add to this formation. However, Domenech will have a very small window to figure out who is the complimentary striker to Benzema - Gomis? Briand? Gouffran? Remy? Menez?

I am looking forward to this match. Part of me wants France to come out and play some good flowing football, allowing players like Ben Afra and Gourcuff to shine, another part of me wants Domenech to fall on his face so we can get rid of him. I fear that the French Federation will stick with their philosophising manager too long and we will lose and opportunity and lose a generation of footballers. France no longer has the luxury of "building for the next tournament," they are now firmly entrenched as a nation that should be qualifying for and contending for every major international tournament.