France makes 2 changes...not the ones expected

Interesting, Blanc makes some interesting changes to his line up. The formation is more of a 4-2-3-1

Diarra keeps his place over M'Vila. Clichy is in on the left over Evra, a surprise and Menez makes his way on the right to the detriment of Malouda. This makes sense since Les Bleus seemed to forget the right side of the attack at times against England.

I am surprised Evra gets switched out...should be an interesting attacking formation, with more width than against England.

Allez les Bleus

France v Croatia - back to the future?

After a successful, albeit bland, win last week versus Luxembourg, France will play a friendly versus Croatia tomorrow at Stade de France. There are many questions as to what line up Blanc will roll out? He has declared that he will make some changes to the team that walked out last Friday, but what changes?

On defense, Blanc has already stated Lloris in goal and Mexes/Rami as central pairing. Wise move. While Mexes and Rami have developed a successful partnership, quickly, it never hurts to give them more games together - the partnership has only been in place since last Fall, not a long time by international standards. Other than these three positions, the other roles seem wide open.

• Clichy back on the left? The Gunner could find himself back in the starting line up after apparently been pushed to third in the peeking order, alternatively I could see Blanc slotting Evra back at left back. Why? Inevitably there will be some strong reaction from the fans geared towards Evra and Ribery for their roles in the South African debacle, better to get it out of the way in a friendly than allow it to linger. Or maybe Clichy gets the start and have Evra come on as a substitute to suffer his slings and arrows.
• Sagna on the right or give Reveillere some time? This one is interesting because the Lyon player is 31, so why does this matter? Not sure if he is in the long term plans for Les Bleus, while Sagna is 3 years younger and should be the French right back for a while to come. Does Blanc want to give a fringe bench player time or allow his starter more time to work with his defensive partners?
• Midfield mixer - I will assume that Blanc will opt again for a 4-2-3-1 type formation, in which case the midfield might see the most change. Will Diarra find his place back in the starting line up? How about the Ribery - Malouda debate? And Gourcuff? I think that we will see the likes of Menez and Diarra out on the pitch. I would not be surprised if Blanc slotted Diarra and Gourcuff together as the deep lying midfielders, maybe playing along side his former Bordeaux team mate
  will be just the formula Gourcuff needs to get back on track. In addition, I think Blanc will slot Ribery on the left with Menez on the right and Nasri in the middle. Allow his team to function with a player who prefers the right (Menez) and one that excels on the left (Ribery). This would push M'Vila and Malouda to the bench.
• Stay with the hot hand up front? Will Blanc start Benzema? The Real Madrid striker has had a great run of late, and could have added to his goal scoring tally against Luxembourg were it not for a slightly better effort 1v1 on the keeper. What about the other strikers? I think that Blanc will want to run Benzema out there for part of the game, see how he does with the likes of Menez, Nasri and Ribery behind him. However I would not be surprised if the other strikers did not get some run in the second half.

I think Blanc will go with a 4-2-3-1, but a more offensive line up than the formation would otherwise indicate.

LLoris
Clichy, Mexes, Rami,Sagna
Gourcuff, Diarra
Ribery, Nasri, Menez
Benzema

I see Evra coming on for Clichy in the second half, Remy in for Menez and Gameiro for Benzema.

Allez les Bleus!!!

Best wishes for rapid recovery for Abidal - opens door for Evra and FFF?

The latest from Barcelona is that their left back , Eric Abidal, will be operated for a liver tumor. All reports point to his ability to have a normal recovery and will be back on the pitch in a reasonable time frame. That is the essential and we wish Eric the best of luck and speedy recovery. Of course his absence prior to Blanc's list for the upcoming matches against Luxembourg and Croatia opens an interesting question: will Evra be brought back into the fold?

Next FFF left back?

Blanc had clearly slotted Abidal as his starting left back, and I would assume that once Abidal is back on the pitch he will continue to assume that slot. However in the short term who will be in that position? Based on the prior matches it would appear that the Gunner's left back Clichy will be given the starting role. But what about Evra? Will the Manchester United left back find his way back onto the list. Other alternatives - Tremoulinas (played under Blanc at Bordeaux) or Cissokho from Lyon. I think that Blanc will take this as a chance to call up Tremoulinas and at some level I think that the competition for the #2 left back is open, I am not convinced that Clichy has a lock on that spot. Tremoulinas has more of an offense minded game and has more consistency when it comes to his crosses than his Arsenal counterpart. I do think that Blanc sees Evra as the center piece of what transpired in South Africa last summer and is not convinced he would be a welcome presence in the French dressing room. We will see tomorrow when Blanc unveils his list.

Best of luck to Abidal and wishes for a rapid recovery.

A double dip bottom for France? Les Bleus lose 4th straight match

Sigh...Les Bleus have not won a meaningful game since they defeated Ireland 1-0...that was last year - November 14 2009. The defeat of Costa Rica was a friendly. Otherwise France is on their 4th straight loss - Mexico, South Africa, Norway and now Belarus. Not exactly Spain, Argentina, Brazil and Germany in terms of powerful international sides....alas. So after a day to mull over what I watched here are some thoughts.

The Good:

• Um not much good....but the play of M'Vila once again impressed. The young holding midfielder clearly earned more points and impressed with his pace, defensive presence, passing, intelligent positioning and overall game. As I wrote in an earlier post, this might be the tipping point with regards to Toulalan as an international. M'Vila's game could allow Blanc, once he has his full roster, to play a much more offensive midfield and rely on the young Rennes player to be the primary protection for the back 4. He was impressive starting the second half when he jumped a pass and unleashed a powerful shot, something you would not see from Toulalan.
• Day 1 of qualifying. You have to point to the positives! As much as it is grasping for straws. However we must remember that the qualifiers just started, there are many many more matches to go. France got trounced 3-1 against Austria when they started World Cup 2010 qualification. If France cannot end second in this group then we have bigger problems...sad that finishing second might be the ultimate goal....
• Blanc is running the team not Domenech. I realize that Le President is 0-2 as manager of France. However I still have much more faith in his ability to turn this around. Let us  not forget this was his second match in charge with important players missing. Granted the honeymoon is over or close to over, but at least the person pulling the strings is capable of getting France back on track.

The Bad:

• Goals anyone? France's poor showing in front of goal remains a concern. We cannot forget first, that we are without the services of some important offensive players - Anelka, Henry, Ben Arfa, Nasri, Gignac, Ribery and Cisse. When it comes to the first two mentioned they have retired by choice or due to FFF. But even a nation with as much talent as France does not have a bottomless pit of players. In addition, the players leveraged by Blanc up front had 21 caps total amongst them and 4 goals....Saha 18(4), Gameiro 0, Hourau 1(0) and Remy 2 (0)....a far cry from the likes of the players mentioned.
• The early strategy of playing short corners. Not really sure what the thinking was behind this. With the likes of Diaby, Hourau, Mexes and Rami in the offensive zone why not send crosses in directly from the corner kick?

The Ugly:

• I have stated this before, but now it is getting a little much but Sagna and to some extent Clichy and their crosses. The Arsenal fullback duo are excellent when it comes to their defensive responsibilities - granted Sagna allowed a Belarus break early in the second half because he allowed a player on sides. However what has gotten a little ugly is their inability to provide consist quality in their crosses. Both Clichy and Sagna have the pace and
  
  
  
  
  desire to jump into the offense and get themselves into good positions, but the end result - the cross - leaves much to desired. I don't expect either to become Maicon or Ramos, but being able to provide at least 50% of crosses into a real danger zone would be a huge improvement.
• Dropping 3 points at home. Qualifiers are always a long and grueling marathon, any time you drop any points at home it is not a good thing. Especially when it is against a side like Belarus. A draw would have been a disappointment but at least it would have been a point, but dropping all the points is very UGLY.
• Still looking for a leader. It was clear to me that Les Bleus had more individual talent on the pitch, but there was a clear lack of leader. Not surprising. When Malouda is your most capped player with 57 and the next are all in the 20s for caps you have a very young and inexperienced team - average age 25. It will be interesting to see what changes when players like Ribery, Cisse, Nasri, Gourcuff and Evra are available to return. However Les Bleus must allow a leader to emerge, I think that Mexes and Rami are starting to show that they can provide leadership at the back, but the team will need the Zidane, Platini, Deschamps or Vieira style player that will take the reigns of the team as a whole.

Sigh, so France continues to have problems. Cannot score, lack a leader, still seem to be finding their style to name a few. After 6 years of Domenech we all knew that the rebuilding would be difficult. Inspector Clouseau left the squad in such upheaval that the work needed to bring things back to the proper level was always going to be a challenge. I am sure that none of us thought it would be easy, but clearly not this difficult either.

Big match in a few days against Bosnia. After Tuesday we will now whether or not Blanc and Les Bleus have Mt Blanc to to climb or something more reasonable.

Blanc moving towards a 4-4-2: Menez on the right?

Without the services of his 3 "natural" play-makers - Gourcuff, Ribery and Nasri - it would appear that Blanc is moving towards leveraging a normal 4-4-2 with a flat middle 4. Opposed to the 4-4-2 diamond that was leveraged during the Norway game where M'Vila sat at the base of the diamond as the solo holding midfielder and Nasri at the top of the diamond as the play-maker. 

Blanc will apparently lean on his wide players to carry the play making role, with Malouda on the left and Menez potentially on the right. The other option for the right would be Valbuena. Remains to be seen how Blanc goes with the

right side of the midfield. ADiarra and Diaby will hold the middle 2 slots in the midfield providing cover for the back 4,  wonder if M'Vila will slot in rather than Diarra? Up front, it appears that Hourau and Remy will once again get the nod to start, partially due to Benzema picking up a knock and I am sure Blanc wants to see the tandem on the pitch again.

Finally the back will have the same center back partnership (Mexes - Rami) with the return of World Cup players on the wings and in goal: Sagna, Clichy and Lloris.

It will be interesting to see if the two wide midfielders can carry on the play making for France. The formation might make Clichy and Sagna less free to push high up the pitch. With a striker like Hourau the crosses from the wings will be crucial to unlocking the opposition allowing Remy to play off his position. If Malouda and Menez can carry the game and allow the wide channels to be opened at appropriate times permitting the fullbacks to push higher and send in crosses, this might create the necessary offensive push to bag a few goals.

Probably line up:
Lloris - Sagna, Rami, Mexès, Clichy - A. Diarra, Diaby - Ménez, Malouda - Rémy, Hoarau.

Silvestre signs with Arsenal

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/7573520.stm

Arsenal sign player from rival Manchester United. Silvestre comes over from Manchester United from an undisclosed fee. An interesting move for Arsenal to shore up its defense. Silvestre has fallen out of favor at Old Trafford with the emergence of Evra at left back.

This appears to be a opportunistic signing for Arsene. He will not take the starting role from Clichy but will be good cover, and he can also evolve in central defense giving Wenger an opportunity to rotate his central defenders. This move might even give Wenger some flexibilities in pushing Toure into a higher position, maybe playing midfield right in front of the central defensive pairing...crazy yes, but maybe.

Overall a good signing for Arsenal, they just need to sign Mexes and they will basically have the French defense playing at Emirates.

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.