OH MY ..... you will not believe what came out of Domenech's mouth

I read this little sound bite from my favorite former French national team manager...click here. For those that cannot read French what Dumenech basically said:

He would love to go on and manage the USMNT. That they always get to the World Cup, they only have two "real" games versus Mexico. You get to visit some nice warm islands. And in the end no one really cares...

I cannot believe that he would believe ANYONE would give him another job to run a national team. At least not a nation that is half decent. Although I would laugh if he came to run the USMNT, after all the grief I took from my American soccer fans during Domenech's reign of terror...

Domenech...back again

So our favorite French national team manager has found a way back into the spotlight with the upcoming release of his book - "Tous Seul." Translated, the title means "all alone," which is where I wish he had stayed. I will actually shell out some money to get the book, read about how Dumbenech was a victim in everything and he is not to blame. Sigh.

From some excerpts from the book, it sounds as if Domenech decides to blame everyone - Anelka, Henry, Ribery, Evra... for the terrible adventure in South Africa. While the players deserve blame, I cannot help but wonder what Domenech is complaining about when HE selected these players. This is not like a team that Domenech had to take over. He was the manager...he picked his team. Henry complained that he wasn't playing. Don't select him. Anelka was divisive. Leave him at home. Ribery was self-centered, don't bring him. I realize this is easier said than done. But seriously.

I look forward to reading what other pearls of wisdom come from Dumbenech. While it pains me to give him any of my money, I still want to read what it is like to be completely delusional. Must be nice.

Les Bleus - Glass half empty, but the half full has some optimism

So it has been less than 24 hours and the long knives have already come out. No surprise. After being thoroughly outplayed in their last group game, coupled with a timid exit from the 1/4 finals, there plenty of ammunition for the pundits to question Les Bleus. Let's look at what we learned from France's run:

The Good:

One of the few bright spots for Les Bleus

• Reaching the 1/4 finals. I realize this is difficult to process after what we saw yesterday. However, after two disastrous tournaments - Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010 - getting out of the group stages was one of France's goals. Les Bleus navigated their first two games as they should. While they could have hoped for a better result versus England, they were able to come back after being down 1-0. They then resumed regular service when they defeated co-host Ukraine 2-0. With 4 points, Les Bleus knew they had a foot into the 1/4 finals, good to take care of business from the start...not all good...more on the bad later.
• The emergence of Lloris....okay this is not a news flash! Lloris did not have much of a chance to shine in South Africa, but he showed his class at these Euros. I would only fault him on the English goal, the others he gave up were unstoppable. The Lyon keeper will be backstopping Les Bleus for many years to come. A team cannot underestimate the comfort in having a stable #1 to call on....look at what Hart is doing for England!
• A duo of M'Vila - Cabaye to build on? I realize that M'Vila struggled with an injury and at times was not able to display his full range of abilities. On the contrary, Cabaye had a coming out party at the Euros. His ability to link the defense and offense were on display in his first two games. He even opened his goal account with Les Bleus. Both players are young and look for France to build on this base in the midfield.
• Menez playing on the right. I realize we have a small sample size. However the PSG winger was one of the few offensive players who fulfilled his role. He kept the right wing occupied and allowed the French to have the width necessary to off set the tendency to lean on the left with the likes of Ribery. Menez should scored more in his game versus Ukraine, but it was his goal that unblocked the situation. There is a future for the PSG winger on the right side of the French formation. But enough about the good....let's get to the juicy part.

The Bad:

• Backing into the 1/4 finals. As I had posted prior to the Sweden game, click here for post, I thought it was very important for France to end the group stages on a win after getting the 4 points after their first two games.The fact Les Bleus were thoroughly outplayed in their game against the vikings was a bad omen for yesterday. It is unlike what happened in 2000 when France lost their last group game against co-host Holland 3-2...starting a secondary line up. France had won their first two games and knew they were headed to the 1/4 finals. Many would argue that they were happy to finish second in the group since they would stay in their location. This time around, France should have wanted to finish first - avoid facing Spain! Alas, Les Bleus exhibited some hubris and lacked the professionalism to finish out the group. The reaped what they sowed.
• I have to question Blanc's over managing at times. Of course had France come out of yesterday with the win we would all be heaping praises on his brilliance. I cannot completely throw Le President under the bus. I like the fact he was willing and able to shift strategies based on his opponents. Unlike his predecessor who would, apparently, blindly threw out the same line up. However does this gloss over a bigger problem? Did Blanc have faith in his team where he could just roll out his best formation and basically take on the challenge - strength on strength? At some level I think Blanc did not have complete faith in his team. Did not trust his best line up could beat another team's best line up. I do question starting Debuchy high on the right side. I understand the reasoning...but the reality is the Lille right back was dangerous when he was able to overlap and make runs from deep. Starting him higher on the pitch did not allow him to do accomplish this. Had Blanc really wanted more defense, why not start Matuidi? Have Debuchy play right back. Instead it felt like a round peg in a square hole. Again hindsight is 20/20. Good for Blanc to be flexible but sometimes one can over think the situation.
• France needs an on the field leader! I realize that Lloris wears the arm band, and leads through example (he is the only player who gets a good rating for all his games) but he is not a leader a la Platini, Vieira, Zidane, Deschamps or Desailly. A player that will lead not only through example but by telling teammates to get it together. Les Bleus need one...could it be Cabaye or M'Vila eventually? Maybe. But there wasn't one in Poland/Ukraine.

The Ugly:

No repeat...yet

• La Generation 87...Nasri, Benzema, Ben Arfa and to some extent Menez (although I did praise him earlier!) did not show up.  Yes Nasri scored the equalizer against England, but where was he in the other games? His tendency to drift to the center of the park left his right side vacant. He did not provide the offensive outlet the team needed. Benzema had a large number of shots and two assists against Ukraine...but he is our striker, he needs to score goals. I realize he got frustrated and dropped deeper to get the ball, but a striker can go all game with very few touches and still be effective. Look at Inzaghi! You would never hear his name for Milan or Italy and then all of sudden 3 touches and a brace! If Benzema is more comfortable playing deeper, like Ibrahimovic for Sweden, then France need to line up a true striker. Otherwise teams will just let their last bank of 4 sit deep and keep everything 10 - 15 yards in front of them. Finally Ben Arfa for his brief time on the pitch was a shell of himself. Where was the Newcastle player who ran at defenses and forced teams to their back heels? Granted he had a short run of it, but did not step into the opportunity.
• I don't think Mexes covered himself in glory. First he seemed to show up in less than ideal shape. Second he continued to make mental mistakes during the games. Finally getting that second yellow card was silly...granted it might have been for the best since I think the Spanish would have skinned him alive. But for the 30 year old defender might he have seen his international career pass him by? I was always a fan of his, I think Domenech was a fool in the way he handled the AC Milan libero during his peak years. Unfortunately we are now getting him on the back nine of his career. Alas, another legacy left by Dumbenech!
• Speaking of seeing the last of a player, I do not think that we will see Malouda for France any more. It is a shame. Flo has always been a good soldier for France. And another player that was mishandled by Domenech. I respect the reasoning behind why Blanc took the veteran Chelsea man, but his play on the field was not good. He was invisible. While it was ugly, I will thank Flo for his time and play for Les Bleus.
• Finally, speaking of ugly...what Nasri did post game was unacceptable. That was ugly.

So France head home. Not as early as the last two tournaments, but still with too many questions and doubts. There is a core to build upon. There remains some hope! I hope that Blanc stays on, he has done a lot already and changing jockeys at this point would seem counter intuitive. Allow him to build to World Cup 2014. 

Euro 2012 Draw - Judgement Day

The Euro draw will take place tomorrow in Kiev to determine the teams that will comprise the 4 groups of 4 teams. Just a refresher - all 16 teams have been placed in pots based on rankings, with Poland and Ukraine in Pot 1 since they are co-hosting. The pots:


Seedings for Euro 2012
Pot 1: Spain, Netherlands, Poland*, Ukraine*.
Pot 2: Germany, Italy, England, Russia.
Pot 3: Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Sweden.
Pot 4: Denmark, France, Czech Republic, Republic of Ireland
* As joint hosts, Poland and Ukraine have already been allocated to Groups A and D respectively.

Each group will have one team drawn from each pot. By this time we all know that Les Bleus have dropped into the 4th pot and could be drawn with Spain, Germany and Portugal...yikes...that would be a serious group of death. For me this is really an indictment on the Domenech years once again. The horrendous showing at the last World Cup and European Cup have lowered the French coefficient to a point that they are dropped to the last pot. Of course we cannot forget that before the World Cup, France was also in a situation that might have been difficult and somehow drew South Africa as their #1 seed (avoiding the likes of Brazil, Spain and Argentina) lot of good that did! France went on to scrape together one lousy point versus eventual 4th place finisher and Copa America winner Uruguay - but poor losses to Mexico AND South Africa were ugly...thanks Dumbenech.

So just for fun I did my own draw and here is how it broke:

Group A

• Poland
• Italy
• Sweden
• France

Group B

• Spain
• Russia
• Croatia
• Denmark

Group C

• Holland
• Germany
• Greece 
• Ireland

 Group D

• Ukraine
• England
• Portugal
• Czech Republic

These would actually be decent groups, no really top heavy one. Group C would be tasty due to the Holland - Germany match up, but neither Greece nor Ireland would really pose a threat. Group B would be a walk in the park for Espana. Group A would actually give Les Bleus a chance to get into the knock outs! and Group D could see Ronaldo go against Rooney...oh no wait, the Englishman has already gotten a red card!

It will be interesting to see how the groups break. Until then it is just an idle exercise to pass the time!

Tempest in a teacup? Blanc looking for clarity on his contract

The latest news out of the FFF is not about preparing for the upcoming match against Belgium but rather a small tempest that seems to be brewing around the contract for Laurent Blanc. Le President's contract expires at the end of next seasons Euros, and understandable he made some comments that he would like to know his future before heading to Eastern Europe. The head of the FFF, on the other hand, remains mum on the topic: basically stating that this is not something to think about today.

Thumbs up for Blanc - let us make sure we see this thru to 2014

I see both sides of this coin, give Blanc an extension and if he pulls a Domenech during the Euros you cannot sack him without financial penalty. If you do not sign him he might pull a Santini and sign with a club prior to the tournament. In this situation I am leaning towards avoiding the Santini route. Le Graet needs to focus on the big picture, after the disaster that was Domenech (something France is still paying for both monetarily and on the pitch) what France need is stability. Blanc has clearly brought a calm leadership with what appears to be a solid strategy with regards to rebuilding the national side. Unlike Domenech, Blanc has been willing to bring in new blood on a regular basis. He has built his system around a spine of Lloris - Mexes/Rami - M'Vila - Benzema, but will need to continue to build on this adding the creative element - Martin? France will most likely head into the draw in the worst pot - #4, meaning they could end up with a group with Spain, Germany, Portugal...ouch. Granted they could also get a group with the likes of Ukraine, Russia, Greece - much more manageable. France need to know they will have a steady hand at the tiller. Add to this the qualifying group that Les Bleus face for the 2014 World Cup and it is imperative that Blanc has the support and backing of the federation - keep his plan in action and maintain consistency.

Group I

Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Spain	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
France	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Belarus	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Georgia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Finland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

The group of death!

I understand the federation's desire to take things cautiously and not lock themselves into a manager as they did with Domenech. One big difference in the two situations, Blanc is actually talented and intelligent, meaning he is a hot commodity on the market. Better lock him down before you lose control of his future.

Motivational speech...if you need something to get you fired up.

Great pre-game speech. Too bad this coach wasn't managing Les Bleus rather than Dumbenech...

He's baaack - Domenech gives some insight into his "genius."

"I'm not a moron..."  

Good statement from a recent interview with Domenech....reminds me of Fredo from the Godfather - "I can handle things! I'm smart! Not like everybody says... like dumb... I'm smart and I want respect!"

So our good friend Domenech is slowly emerging from his shell and addressing some of the topics that have dogged him since that fateful day in South Africa where Les Bleus dropped a final game to the hosts. For the interview on L'Express click here. Overall he, no surprise, refuses to take on too much responsibility for the disaster that was the World Cup. He does call out his players for being spoiled brats for refusing to practice. What is surprising, is his admission that maybe he should have resigned or been sacked after the Euro 2008 fiasco - 1 draw versus Romania and 2 losses against Holland and Italy - that was the famous tournament where he decided to propose to his girlfriend at the end of the Italy match.

«Avec le recul, effectivement, je me dis: "Pourquoi n'as-tu pas démissionné?" Tout était faussé. J'ai manqué de lucidité. Je me demande même pourquoi personne ne m'a obligé à démissionner.»

With hingsight I told myself 'why didn't I resign?" Everything was wrong. I was missing some clarity. I even asked myself why didn't anyone force me to resign. 

Sigh, in hindsight I also wish he has left in 2008, maybe the trip to South Africa could have been a little more than an exercise in ineptitude. I guess not being a moron means one can be honest about one's past...first step to recovery is admitting a problem! Better late than never.

France v Brazil - initial thoughts - "small victory"

Okay I will admit I was only able to catch parts of the second half of yesterday's 1-0 victory by Les Bleus over Brazil. I was planning on watching the replay on ESPN3.com but my wifi was terrible last night...I will be watching this evening so look for the Frog's detailed thoughts later today.
Some thoughts on what I was able to see and cobble together:

• Benzema is looking stronger and stronger as he stays in confidence with Laurent Blanc. He scored again last night and could have added another. Unlike Domenech, who did not show any consistency with players, Blanc clearly gets the fact you need to settle on your core and stick with them - through peaks and valleys. Let them work themselves into form.
• Same can be said about Mexes and Rami, under Domenech France had more center back combinations than a rubik's cube. Both Mexes and Rami have been paired together since Blanc's first game in charge and it shows. Both players appear to be building a strong working relation and both have elevated their game, Mexes in particular. Sad to say, but watching him yesterday is slightly frustrating when you think that Domenech never put faith in him and rather constantly forced a round peg into a square hole by slotting Abidal there.
• Speaking of Abidal - solid work at left back....are you watching Domenech?
• Lloris - steady as he goes, strong save end of the game at the feet of Hulk.

Look for deep thoughts from The Frog once I can watch the game in its entirety. I will take any win over a team like Brazil, even if they were a man down for 45 minutes! 

Ribery's star continues to fall...might his international career be over as well?

The mercurial French winger was called out by his club coach after a supposed poor effort during a Bayern Munich friendly. Saying that Ribery showed little effort and was lacking in terms of physical preparation, the winger does not seem to be on the path of revitalizing his career any time soon. After the prostitute scandal over the summer, a terrible showing in South Africa both on and off the field and a string of injuries, the once savior for the French national team now appears to fade away into the oblivion of fallen super stars. There is no guarantee that Blanc will look to the former Marseilles any time soon for France.

Injury bug lingers over Ribery for past few seasons

Why? During the Domenech era there was always an issue of how to appease the winger with his insistence on playing on the left - where Henry and Malouda were also making cases for being. Unlike 2006 when Ribery was the "young pup"  on the World Cup squad and accepted his role as the team's right winger, with Malouda on the left and Zizou in the middle, the last two seasons under Domenech, Ribery constantly lobbied to be on the left. This lobbying for selfish reasons, ignoring the betterment of the team hung like a led balloon over the team during the run up to the World Cup. Couple this with what happened in Knysna and his suppose behavior towards Gourcuff and you have a player that has spiraled out of control. Domenech is out and now we have a real manager - Blanc. In addition there are many options for France on the left flank - Malouda, Menez, N'Zogbia to name a few. Blanc will also not tolerate any lobbying to play on the left if it is at the detriment of the team...so will Ribery be back in the set up for Les Bleus? I think that if he is healthy and gets some good run with Bayern Munich he will figure in the set up with France, but clearly the player that was once regarded as the savior for France is not longer a shoe in for Les Bleus.

How fast a player's fortune can change. Up to Ribery to get himself and his game back on track, otherwise he has no one to blame but himself.

Ah the lighter side of Domenech

A funny ad with our old friend Domenech...

2 in a row...Les Bleus are back on track and sit atop Group D for the the Euros

Amazing what 2 wins in a row will do for a team...after a missed Euro qualifying start where France fell on a last gasp goal versus Belarus, Les Bleus have found success away to Bosnia and home against Romania. France now sits atop group D with six points:

Looks a lot better than 2 games ago

Clearly the table looks much more reassuring than it did a few games ago! So let's get into the game:

The Good:

• The win - it cannot be emphasized enough how important the full 3 points were to France. Not just for the qualifying campaign but for the team as a whole. With every victory the bitter taste of 6 years of Dumbenech as well as the failed South African campaign seems more and more like a bad nightmare. The primary goal is to qualify for the Euro in 2012 and being in first place after 3 games, albeit by 1 point, is still first place. The fact that your 2 closest competitors are 1 pt behind and consist of Albania and Belarus, should give France great hope to win the group. As I stated in a prior blog post, the win away to Bosnia gains that much more importance. I realize that Belarus got a famous victory at Stade de France, but a draw against Luxembourg means that advantage has been squandered...assuming Les Bleus do not fall into the same trap this Tuesday! Additionally, it was a breath of fresh air to see France not lose their composure against a team that was playing for the draw - and to get the vital goals in the last 10 minutes of the game.
• The coaching from Laurent Blanc played a major part in the victory. There is a reason why France was able to break down the Romanians late, intelligent substitution. Something that always seemed to be missing with Domenech, something I had long criticized him for. Bringing in Remy, another fast winger, for Valbuena who had done so much positive work on the right flank (really could have had a goal were it not for a desperation save and a cross bar!) to wear down the Romanian defense led to the first goal. Inserting Payet for Benzema, a change of pace striker, clearly broke down the Romanian defense for the 2nd goal, scored by the other substitute - Gourcuff. Until the goal, Gourcuff had not had the expected impact on the game but being able to run out one play maker Gourcuff, for another Nasri, ensured that there was always a "#10" on the pitch for Les Bleus. As Blanc stated, you win games with 14 players - the starting 11 and your 3 subs in case Domenech is reading and cannot do the math.
• I have to say that Clichy showed me something during the game, granted he had a counter that was too easily lost to Romania that almost led to a Romanian goal. Otherwise his pace and offensive minded runs created danger and opportunities all night for France. He worked well with Malouda and his desperation header in the 47th minute ensured that France keep their clean sheet. I will still ding him for his crosses, while improved still need to be more consistent and precise to take his game to another level.
• Mexes - Rami looks like a good central defensive duo that France can lean on for years to come. Surprise surprise, both are natural central defenders! Wow what a grand idea, play players in their positions. Once again both players compliment each other very nicely. Mexes even had a good occasion to score in the 51st minute forcing a good save from the Romanian keeper.
• The holding duo of M'Vila and ADiarra are also looking more and more like one of the pillars Blanc is looking to develop. It is amazing that M'Vila is all of 20 years old, he looks like a seasoned veteran. Strong in his tackles, great positioning and a calming presence. Diarra looks more and more like he wants to not only hold on to his starting role but also the captain's arm band. It was his clinical pass from deep that spring Remy in for the first goal.
• The newcomers - Remy and Payet - both demonstrated the quality they possess. I realize that Remy has been in the side in the past, but always on the fringe. Clearly both demonstrated some values that could prove important for France moving forward. In the 10 minutes Payet played he grab himself an assist and almost opened his goal account forcing a good save from the Romanian keeper. While Remy's change of pace and coolness in front of goal were decisive, granted he really should have done better on Malouda's 88th minute cross that found the Lyon winger alone on the far post with, what appeared to be, the simplest of headers to give him the brace. I guess in that area he resembles the player he is sometimes compared to - Titi Henry!
• Nasri also had himself a very strong game. He was unfortunate not to score when the Romania keeper made an emergency save with his rear end. Otherwise the Arsenal #8 was the maestro for the offense when he was on the pitch. Makes you wonder why he was left in France this summer.

The Bad:

• Defensive lapses, I realize that at the international level there is always quality opposing you, but there remains some lapses for France that against better quality sides could prove disastrous. There remains some work to be done when it comes to the fullbacks bringing the ball out from the defensive 1/3 as well organizationally ensuring that the back line does not succumb to the quick counters. I hope that these are things that will work their way out as Blanc gives the team more time to develop.
• French finishing, I realize they scored 2 goals, but they came late...still count...but France must find a way to do better with the chances they are afforded during the game. I realize that the Romanian keeper had much to do with the fact they could not score earlier, but with the likes of Malouda, Valbuena Benzema, Nasri et al there is ore than enough fire power to get a goal earlier than the 80th minute.

The Ugly:

• The Belarus game...sorry but dropping 3 points at home to Belarus remains ugly in light of the recent success. Les Bleus could be up 4 points on Albania rather than 1 point up on Albania and Belarus!

Overall I cannot be anything but happy after this match. Clearly France is starting something "new" and building something as Blanc and many of the players voiced.  There are players that are emerging as pillars - Mexex:Rami in central defense, M'Vila in the midfield, Malouda on the left to name a few. Unlike his predecessor, Blanc appears to have a much clearly strategy that he is actually sticking with! I will be curious to see if, ever, Ribery and Evra find their way back into this side.

Highlights of the second half, when all the action happened!



Of course all of this will be wasted if France do not take care of business this Tuesday against Luxumbourg! But for now all is starting to be right with Les Bleus.

Allez Les Bleus

Domenech lining up job opportunities? Really? Seriously?

According to Inspector Clouseau's camp he is currently considering between 20 and 25 contract offerings...huh? I am not sure what to make of this story. How could anyone let alone 25 potential employers be interested in hiring this bumbling buffoon? Then again the article does not really state contracts for what...maybe it is not managing a professional football team. Maybe they are job offerings for one of the following:

• Fortune teller - he is a renowned astrologer...he could tell customers to avoid Scorpios like Robert Pires.
• Public speaker - he did such a wonderful job reading the players' little speech in South Africa.
• Professional mole - clearly all signs indicate that he leaked what happened in the locker room at half time of the Mexico match, I am sure plenty of organizations need a reliable mole.
• Philosophy Teacher - based on some of his reasoning during his six years as head of Les Bleus you could see him confusing students in his explanation of the musings from Plato or Machiavelli.
• Head of Public Relations - between not shaking a competitor's hand, proposing on live television, hanging up on former players during radio interviews...just to name few exemplary situations of wonderfully handling PR, one could see him taking these skills to many corporate settings maybe BP could use him - he would confuse so many of us that we would forget that the story is that BP's ineptitude spilled millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

Any other jobs that Domenech could be looking at? Again...25 opportunities? In what?

Domenech fired! Witch hunt continues

The main culprit for many of the problems surrounding the French National team is finally getting some of his punishment - he was fired from the FFF. Granted this is probably 2 or 3 years too late, he should have been sacked after the 2008 Euro fiasco. Better late than never, but the action from the FFF feels a bit empty. Granted Escalettes never had the back bone to do the necessary and fire Domenech when he should have been sacked. Escalettes continued support of Domenech made it virtually impossible for Inspector Clouseau to be axed and created a false sense of support from players, former players and other France football pundits. We all know how that ended. To me Domenech cannot suffer enough embarrassment and disgrace, but the only thing that will allow us to move on from the Domenech era will be some success on the pitch. Let us hope Tuesday we enjoy that emotion.

Domenech the mole from South Africa!

The story that will not die, then again why should it I think many are still looking for their pound of flesh from Domenech...myself included! The latest is that it was the manager himself that leaked the naughty words that were said in the dressing room during the half time of the France v Mexico match in South Africa. Not surprising. The rumors were circulating that Domenech was the mole from day 1. Who else was dumb enough to share this with the press? Not the players. Other assistants had nothing to gain. Domenech, however, clearly thought this could serve him to cover his pathetic failure that was South Africa. Maybe he thought this would sway public opinion to his side, demonstrate how childish and immature his team was...um a team he selected and had been managing for 6 years.

Once again another example of the ineptitude of the former France manager. And once again, another piece of evidence that makes me scratch my head as why the federation stuck with this idiotic leader for so long.

France v Norway: The Blanc era starts with a 2-1 loss, but lots of positive to take from the match.

The Laurent Blanc era started...unfortunately with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Norway. Then again Norway is ranked 22nd and France 21st so not a huge upset! There were some encouraging aspects of the match, some usual problems but overall a better outlook than when we last saw Les Bleus. Some thoughts:

The Good:

• Fresh faces - Once Laurent Blanc decided to leave the World Cup 23 at home we knew there would have to be an infusion of new talent. With Ruffier, Rami, M'Vila, Hourau, N'Zogbia, Menez, Cissokho and Cabaye getting their first caps it was refreshing to see a team with the drive and effort that comes from new blood. A much better site to see than what we last saw from Les Bleus. Maybe the World Cup 23 can learn something from this match in terms of what it means to put on your nation's jersey.
• Speaking of fresh faces, the central defensive tandem of Mexes and Rami was very promising. The Lille central defender was solid in the back and was very strong in the air clearing a number of crosses and high
  
  
  passes into the box. He also brought an aerial threat on offense. What was most refreshing about watching him play was his lack of fear when it comes to sticking his cranium in hazardous places, a skill I am sure his manager respects since that was a strength of Laurent Blanc when he played. The pairing with Mexes worked well with the AS Roma player showing his quality bringing the ball out of the defensive end of the pitch for France. On many occasions Mexes was used as a launching pad for the offense, and he was very comfortable pushing into the offensive side of the pitch to bring his support to the attack. Mexes is at time overly aggressive on defense, but in the end he gets the job done. 
• Mexes as captain. While I am not sure this is a long term solution, the fact Blanc gave the arm band to Mexes was brilliant. To me it was a statement to Mexes who has long lived with the label of great potential for France but not living up to the hype. Blanc sent the message: "Act and play like a captain and you will have a chance to build with this team, now is your chance, seize it." Clearly the message resonated with the AS Roma player, and it might be the very thing he needs to take the next step with Les Bleus.
• The generation 87, since winning the U17 Euros in 2004, much has been expected of this generation. For whatever reason, Domenech could not find a way of building around the likes of Menez, Benzema, Nasri and
  
  
  Ben Arfa. It was encouraging to see all of them on the pitch together for the senior France team. Each brings his individual skill set that Blanc and Les Bleus can lean up. The qualities of Benzema and Nasri are well documented - although the Real Madrid man needs to demonstrate he is back on the path we saw when he was at Lyon as a pure goal scorer. Menez demonstrated his ability to play on the wing and bring width and pace to the attack. While Ben Arfa demonstrated his pure dribbling talents, breaking down the Norwegian defense and creating his own shots. Now up to them to demonstrate their value and worth for the national side. 
• M'Vila, the Rennes central midfielder and U21 France captain provide a glimpse at his vast talents and potential. He played better in the first half as the lone holding midfielder, more on that later, but overall gave a slight glimpse of the potential he possess. He was strong in his tackles and linked well with the attack. At 20 years old the future for him is very bright. 
• No more Domenech!!!!! All together now "The Domenech era is OFFICIALLY over!!!" Even suffering through a loss the fact that when the camera panned to the side lines I saw Laurent Blanc standing there and not inspector Clouseau, made me feel good. In just the past 3 days I feel a breath of fresh air has been infused into the FFF. You can see the difference in the press conferences, interviews, the tactics and the in game management. I saw a Laurent Blanc that took advantage of every minute he had with this squad, understanding that for him to do his job well he cannot afford to waste caps on players, waste a practice or a game. This is no more evident in the fact Blanc clearly wanted to work two systems in the Norway game, he wanted to allow his back 4 (especially the central pairing) to get as much real game action as possible and he wanted to ensure he used his substitutes wisely to have the combination of players on the field in the system that would allow him the most information. Unlike Domenech who in one of his last games in charge prior to the World Cup called up some new faces, but rather than put them on the pitch to at least see what they could do in game situations used the same old tired tactics that had gotten him ... nothing. What a novel idea, if you call up players...play them. Of course, and I am sure Blanc is well aware of this, France cannot afford to lose games come September 3rd otherwise this good will towards Blanc will rapidly evaporate.

The Bad:

• France lost 2-1. That is bad. No game should be seen as a throw away, where the result does not matter. Clearly Blanc is of the same opinion. France had their chances: a great 50 - 50 ball won by N'Zogbia in the 17th minute which he then put a perfect left footed cross on the head of a diving Remy, forcing an emergency save from Knudsen. Had the OGC Nice striker hit his shot a foot either direction it would have beaten the keeper. 13 minutes later the Toulouse midfielder Sissoko forced another strong save on a volley destined for the upper 90. Ruffier did make a strong save in the first 15 minutes to keep the game level. However overall the first half belonged to Les Bleus. Unfortunately the second half saw the Norwegians take advantage of two defensive errors leading to the 2 goals for the victory. Never good as a manager to start your tenure 0-1, but I am sure Blanc will build from the positive we saw today.
• 4-2-3-1 formation. Just when you thought the favorite formation from the Domenech era would be long gone...it makes another appearance. Blanc switched from the 4-4-2 diamond to the 4-2-3-1 in the second half. Clearly it was not a formation that fit well with the French side. Granted they held the lead briefly through a laser from Ben Arfa, but overall the formation seemed to cause more problems. First, it put Diarra and M'Vila together. M'Vila quickly seemed out of sorts compared to what he showed in the first half. And not sure what Diarra brought to the table. M'Vila was doing more than an adequate job in the first half as the sole holding midfielder, with a partner on his shoulder it appeared to stifle the young Rennes' game. He was not as free to roam as he had been in the first half. Second, Menez and Ben Arfa's tendencies at times were to drift too far into the center, thereby clogging up the lanes and the midfield. Couple this with the fact Hourau and then Benzema, as the lone strikers, drifted back to try to pick up the ball. This created at times, 3 players to be right on top of one another with little spacing. While I am sure this formation can work, Blanc, if he wants to use it, will need to make sure the personnel he runs out there is more appropriate. 

The Ugly:

• Defending set pieces. Well this problem has been around Les Bleus for a few years. Some teams just seem to have trouble with set pieces (see Arsenal). Rami seems to bring one element that could change this - his
  

  

  The Norwegian bagged his brace

  command in the air. But Ruffier did nothing to solve this, especially end of the match when he appeared lost on a few corners. The first goal from Norway was on a set piece, where Hourau was inexplicably defending on Huseklepp and was easily turned by the striker. This has been France's Achilles heel for a few years now, hopefully Blanc can find a solution.
• Huseklepp's second goal. Not ugly from his stand point as the Norwegian striker bagged his brace, but what was Diarra doing? A botched pass at the center circle led to the Norwegian striker waltzing in one on one against Ruffier. My one area of nit picking is that I think the Monaco keeper should have held his ground for a split second more. Why? Rami was sprinting back to try and close down the break, had Ruffier forced Huseklepp to either shoot or take another touch it might have allowed the French central defender to get back into the play. Instead Ruffier went to ground quickly trying to guess where the Norway man was heading and instead allowed himself to be easily side stepped and the ball gently tapped into an open net. Again, nit picking I realize.
• Lack of finishing for France. Any game you approach 20 shots on goal, granted less than half were on net, and only show 1 goal for your efforts you need to consider getting some goal scoring lessons. The silver lining is that there were some quality chances and it was good to see players taking their opportunities. Too often you see teams try to pass and wait for the "perfect" shooting chance. However, France will have to improve on this aspect. Question is what striker or striker combo to remedy this? With Henry retiring, Anelka out in international Siberia, no Trezeguet and who knows if Cisse can replicate his scoring form for Les Bleus there are a lot of up and coming strikers - Hourau, Benzema, Remy, Briand to name a few - but no established international caliber striker. Of course it is difficult to fill the boots of both Henry and Trezeguet when you consider both are top 3 goal scorers all time for France, with Henry being #1. This will be an ongoing quest, it will be interesting to see how it gets resolved. The talent is there, but what is the right system and combination.

Overall I think what Les Bleus showed to me was encouraging, then again after 6 years of Domenech almost anything would be better! Next steps will be how Blanc integrates some of the World Cup 23 back into the side. The players I think scored the most points to stick around - Rami, M'Vila, Hourau, Mexes, Sissoko, Menez and Ben Arfa. I did like what I saw in spurts from N'Zogbia, but he falls victim to the depth France have on the left - Ribery and Malouda stand in front of him, or even Diaby. To me Rami-Mexes could very well be the central pairing we see on Sept 3rd against Belarus for the Euro qualifier opener. I am not sure Gallas will figure back in the picture and not sure Squillaci slots in over Rami and he does not have the ball carrying skill of Mexes. Neither Cissokho nor Fani did enough to move ahead of Evra/Clichy/Abidal when it comes to Cissokho nor Sagna when it comes to Fani (although Fani had some quality crosses early in the game, not sure Sagna would have made those). Nasri might slot out to the right allowing Gourcuff to hold the central midfield slot, regardless Nasri demonstrated he has the quality to be the #10 for Les Bleus. Ben Arfa is the one pure dribbler and deserves consideration moving forward. Finally M'Vila showed a lot of promise and at 20 years old has a great future ahead - could make the holding midfield role one of the most competitive on the French roster.

Good to see Les Bleus back on the pitch, rather have seen it end in a win. But we can truly put the Domenech era behind us! Let the healing begin. Let us just hope the winning shows up...and soon. But the signs point to a brighter future than a few months back.

The French goal, Ben Arfa shows why he can be so frustrating at times, so much talent yet needs to find the consistency:

Les Bleus arrive back home...let the blame game begin

The South African "adventure" has finally come to an end for Les Bleus. With the team landing in Paris earlier today, the players can now go back to their clubs, some will never be back in Blue some we might see in 6 weeks against Norway for Laurent Blanc's first official match...so what to make of this fiasco, or is there anything more that needs to be said? Let me recap, I have been writing about this through out the entire mutiny...now there is some new information that has come out - such as the fact that Evra's lawyer supposedly wrote the letter they had Domenech read, the tension in the bus and so on.

So let me put a period on all the on goings. Who is to blame in all this?

1. The one that shoulders the most blame - the Federation and in particular Escalettes. As I have stated in the past, it is inexcusable that the direction of the Federation stuck with Domenech for this long. Many of the radio podcasts I have been listening to have all made similar points, after 2008 we were told that things would "change." That the federation was sticking with Domenech, even though France crashed out in the first round of the Euros. They added new staff and support structure. Brought in Boghossian, one of the members of the 1998 side, to help manage with Domenech - clearly a move to try and appease the voices from the 1998ers that were disgruntled with the way the team was going. None of this changed anything. The team still had no direction, no strategy and apparently no desire to win. Sometimes you cannot blame the coach, because he is clueless and cannot get out of his own way. That is when the federation is suppose to step in and make the necessary changes. Shame on you Escalettes, I place 45% of the blame on  your shoulders. You should step down or I hope you will be told to step down, the federation needs some new leadership.
2. Blaming Domenech is easy, but he deserves it. What has he done in 4 years, since his team made an improbable run to the World Cup finals? According to Houllier, who is the technical director for France, stated that for a long time Domenech has worked in isolation from the remainder of the federation, not taking any input not communicating...just being Domenech Clearly Domenech had lost complete control of his team and it is also clear that 6 years of a grating style with his players and the media came back to haunt the astrologically guided manager. His actions in South Africa further demonstrated his ineptitude - not shaking hands with Parriera, blasting his players in a press conference prior to the South Africa game, reading the statement during the player strike and really just showing a complete lack of ability when it came to tactics and strategy. How can you not use one of your substitutes at the end of the Mexico game when just scoring a goal and cutting the deficit to 2-1 gave you a better chance to advance...the manager deserves much of the blame let us say he gets 35% of the blame.
3. The players have nothing to be proud of either. The way they have handled themselves is nothing short of juvenile. However I will say that sometimes you are subjected to terrible and inept leadership for 6 years and you reach a breaking point. I was listening to Wenger, who has managed Anelka, and the Arsenal gaffer basically stated that for Anelka to snap like that, he must have been pushed to the limit. The player strike was ridiculous and unacceptable....but understandable. The rift between some players and others is not unusually in a team, again these players all have massive egos are the stars sometimes at the club level and do not always want to play nice in the sandbox...but guess what...that is the manager's responsibility to take care of that behind closed doors. Clearly Domenech either was unaware, incapable or did not care enough to rectify this situation. Are the supposed actions of Gallas, Evra, Abidal, Henry and Ribery tolerable, no. Laurent Blanc will have to make some difficult decisions on some of these players. However unlike Domenech, I think the former Bordeaux manager will take control of his dressing room.

This problem started at the top. Without strong leadership there is no respect. Without any respect, players let their massive egos take over and you get what we had in South Africa. Blanc will have a difficult task ahead of him, but he has the cache, ability and honeymoon period to really mold and shape this team.

Good riddance Domenech please take Escalettes with you.

Parreira calls Domenech "lame"...I would have chosen harsher terms

Ah the saga continues even after France have crashed out of the World Cup, actually I am getting somewhat excited about hearing all the dirty laundry being aired over the next few days as well as who writes the first book! The South African manager, Parreira, called the Domenech lame for not having the sportsmanship to shake hands after the match. I could think of some more appropriate albeit harsher terms! As suspected, Domenech's school boy protest stems from what Parreira said about the way France qualified. He called out Henry saying he cheated...well that isn't exactly a news bulletin. And for Domenech to not shake the man's hand because of a statement made months earlier that was echoed throughout the sporting world is completely idiotic. Domenech should have shaken the man's hand and spoken his peace then and there something such as:

"Good job coach, but I don't appreciate your public statements about my player, stick to you own business. However congratulations on a well deserved win." 

Instead Domenech is caught by the cameras looking like a 5 year old that is going home with his ball so no one else can play. A great image to encapsulate who Domenech is and has been for France over the past 6 years. Someone who just doesn't get it.

France v South Africa...the end of an Era....thankfully

I found myself, as I am sure the majority of the watching audience, rooting for South Africa once they went up 1-0.  Clearly the circus that has revolved around Les Bleus caught up to them...well maybe it caught up to them 2 years ago when Dumbenech as not sacked after crashing out of the Euros. The final group standings:

Group A			MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	+/-	Pts
	Uruguay		3	2	1	0	4	0	+4	7
	Mexico		3	1	1	1	3	2	+1	4
	South Africa		3	1	1	1	3	5	-2	4
	France		3	0	1	2	1	4	-3	1

Thankfully North Korea is in this World Cup other wise France might have ended dead last of all the teams. Looks much like 2002, other than this time we scored a goal, but little joy in that!

Not sure how much there is to say about this game or the World Cup, I will need a few days to digest this wasted few weeks! So let us give this game a try:

The Good:

• South African victory, they deserved a win they played positive football and had a real chance once they were up 2-0. Very unfortunate, on a fantastic link up not to be up 3-0 when Mphela cut behind Gallas and saw his point blank shot miss the upper 90 of the French goal. Lloris also made some great saves during the second half to keep his team within striking distance...of what I have no idea..but still. With the win they ensure they will not finish last in the group, gave themselves a chance to go through but it was too little too late.
• THE END OF THE DOMENECH ERA!!!!! Sad that this is a "good" but it really is the silver lining for long suffering France fans who have watched this bumbling idiot run this team into the ground and waste 4 years of our lives (I give him a "pass" on his first 2 years because they did have a great run at the World Cup 2006). Now if we can also get rid of Escalettes it will make all this pain worth it...
• Lloris...funny to see him as good after his mistake cost Les Bleus the first goal. However he could have easily mailed this game home, but made save after save and demonstrated brave goalkeeping on more than one situation where he had to make plays diving into on coming strikers' feet. He is a pillar on which Les Bleus will be built moving forward.
• Uruguay - Mexico. Why good? I am glad that game did not end in a 0-0 draw from the few minutes I watched it was clear that neither team was looking for a simple draw. I think both sides wanted to avoid Argentina at all costs.

The Bad:

• The red card on Gourcuff, not really sure how that warranted a straight red card other than it was committed on a player from the host nation. The Bordeaux player was jumping for a head ball and while his elbow was high he did not swing it with any malicious intent. Watch any game and you see much worse elbows on the same ball a dozen of times that never get called. A poor call that changed the game. Another questionable call by the official.

The Ugly:

• The French adventure in South Africa how can it not be considered anything but bad? Starting with questionable roster selections - no Benzema nor Nasri? Through what appeared to be an interesting move - going to a 4-3-3 only to see that jettisoned at the first game with no explanation and reverting back to a 4-2-3-1 that had not been used in any practice session! Couple this with a nonsensical shuffling of line ups - Govou on the right really? Anelka as lone striker when that is clearly not his best place. Ribery in the middle...um really. Let us not forget the mutiny over the past 48 hours, Anelka sent home, players not practicing and Domenech reading statements.  Then there was Domenech coming out prior to the South Africa game and blasting his players, hey you might be mad at them, but reserve that for after the game! Show some leadership. Oh then there was the game - France showed some signs of life but lost 2-1 and it could have been worse. I will say Les Bleus showed more fight than they had during the Mexico game. Thankfully the adventure for Les Bleus is over, France will head home on Wednesday turn the keys over to Laurent Blanc, who has a difficult task ahead but in some ways made much easier after this result, more on that later.
• Domenech...yes he gets his own bullet point. I am sure I will have a longer post in a few days outlining how terrible the past 6 years under this idiot has been for France, the players and the fans. However it ended in a very ugly manner for him - not shaking hands with his counterpart! There is no reason not to shake hands with your opponent. South Africa played well, played hard and deserved the victory. I am sure that Domenech was bitter about some comments Parreira made after France knocked off Ireland to get to the World Cup...but seriously Domenech shake the man's hand, whisper what you want to him but that act puts a final exclamation point on what a complete buffoon you have been and are -

• And by extension Escalettes. How could you have allowed such a buffoon run this team for SIX years!!!! I understand allowing him to go tot he Euros in 2008, he did have a World Cup finals on his resume. But after that disgraceful adventure to allow him to continue is criminal! He was the only one that kept the faith in Domenech and he, as Inspector Clouseau, also needs to go away. Escalettes stated he would not be stepping down, however in July the Federation's committee will have their meeting, where hope he is "convinced" to depart his post. There is no other way to look at this than to blame Escalettes for wasting 2 years of this team's time and energy let alone the fans.

So the end of the French run at this World Cup comes to an sputtering and embarrassing end. But there is a silver lining in this otherwise pitch black cloud. Laurent Blanc will come in this week or next and has carte blanche to do what he thinks is right to rebuild this side. This is not always the case, new manager sometimes have to live in the shadow of the previous managers decisions that "seemed" to work or have to put up with established expectations in the dressing room. This is different. This team has reached such a rock bottom point, no one in the Federation, the press, the dressing room or in France will have any Domenech legacy to defend, other than one of ineptitude. Blanc's honeymoon should prove much longer than most. Now what he does with this honeymoon is up to the man. However, unlike Domenech, I think Blanc has the insight, intelligence, respect and vision to put this train back on the right tracks.

It all starts again in 6 weeks with a friendly against Norway and the real fun begins Sept 3rd when Les Bleus kick off their Euro qualifying campaign.

ALLEZ LAURENT BLANC
ALLEZ LES BLEUS!!!! 
 

France v South Africa friendly...errr I mean last group game

So we are about 10 hours away from what should be the last game Domenech will ever manage for Les Bleus and quite possibly ever - not sure even a team of 8 year olds would want him to oversee their team! We all know what has transpired in the dysfunctional French camp since last Thursday's Mexico game. The latest is that Dumbenech was the only one at the team's press conference and of course spouted off against the player strike, good idea heading into the last match. Maybe Domenech should have said "no comment" moved on, come Wednesday he will have plenty of time to spout off on what has transpired. Rather than dwell on that let us look forward to this match and what we can expect from Les Bleus.

First the only way they have the slightest of chances of remaining in South Africa beyond Tuesday, in a non tourist capacity, is to win by a large margin and hope that the Mexico v Uruguay game has a winner (preferably by more than a 1 goal margin which would bring the goal difference down as well) and do a lot of praying and hoping. Second, France cannot play Toulalan, he is suspended and unless Anelka really is not back in Europe, we will not be seeing the "incredible sulk" on the pitch. So what should happen? Go back to the 4-3-3...you only used this for the past 3 weeks prior to the World Cup!

Lloris in goal, not really any questions there.

My back 4 would consist of: Sagna, Squillaci, Planus, Evra. That's right let us change the central pairing! Abidal looks completely out of sorts as a center back...and he should be....he is a LEFT BACK. Gallas does not look fully fit, and let us face it, isn't exactly acting like a vice-captain or captain or good teammate. Sit him down and put in two players who are defensively sound.

The 3 midfield players - Malouda, Diaby, Gourcuff. Yup! Get Gourcuff the choir boy back in the line up. Why? Without Anelka out there maybe the Bordeaux man will have some space to work and will be willing to pass to the front 3...Diaby is your holding midfielder, I prefer him to ADiarra since Diaby has much more of an offensive side to his game. Malouda is the only player that showed effort against Mexico and deserves to be in there.

The top 3 of the formation - Ribery, Henry, Valbuena. I debated slotting Henry on the left and sitting Ribery, but watching and listening to the Bayern Munich man's impromptu press conference I believe that he is truly embarrassed, hurt and recognizes how this is impacting the fans. I think he will be highly charged and motivated to make ammends on the field. Henry should be a stabilizing force for the team the last hold over from 1998 and should be highly motivated to go out head held high. Finally, Valbuena needs to be given more than 15 minutes to show what he can do...if I see Govou on the starting sheet or anywhere near the pitch today I cannot be held accountable for my actions.

I would tell Titi to give it 100% and figure he will be taken out after 60 minutes, slot in Gignac. I would tell the same to some of the full backs. Assuming you will be chasing goals throughout, I would envision bringing in a Cisse around 60 - 70 minutes to try and get another goal, maybe go with the old Brazil formation 4-2-4, slot Diaby back into central defense (really have him sit in front of the back line), have Ribery wide left, Gignac and Cisse as center forwards and Valbuena wide right, supported by Malouda and Gourcuff. Hey you need to score goals!!! No reason to go home with any saved bullets!

Of course having said that, Inspector Clouseau will stick with the 4-2-3-1...stick with his two holding players, Diaby and ADiarra most likely. Probably have Malouda on the left, Gourcuff in the middle and Govou on the right. With Gignac as the lone striker. Domenech will come up with some nonsensical banter about the stars lined up and never playing a Toro to the left of a Virgo when the Summer Solstice has passed within 48 hours....

Oh well, in 24 hours we will no longer have Domenech impersonating a professional manager we will turn our eyes to Laurent Blanc. He of the seemingly Moses type figure leading us to a brighter future....let us face it....Blanc would have to try very hard to do worse than Domenech. There is only one way to go and that is up!

Allez les Bleus. Pour l'honneur, pour la patrie, pour le respect! Pour le Maillot!

Prediction - Les Bleus 4 South Africa 0, brace from Henry, 1 from Malouda and the last one from a Gourcuff 25 yard laser. Mexico v Uruguay ends in a 1-1 draw when inexplicably the Mexican goalie stumbles on a back pass from his defender to suffer an OG allowing both nations to advance and France to go home.....

A better memory of a last World Cup game!!!

The circus is in town for a few more days!

One thing the French National team does well, like all my compatriots is strike! So why not protest the on goings with Anelka with a nice little strike! Love it! The players decided to take a practice session off in protest of the manner in which the Anelka affair was handled. Domenech had to read a statement as to why the players were absent from the practice field as well as intervene in a heated confrontation between Evra and a member of the French staff.



After the altercation the entire team sequestered themselves in the team bus for half an hour. Domenech then read a prepared statement by the team about no practicing to protest the situation, but did emphasis the gratitude the team had towards their fans and would ensure they did something to make up for the missed practice. The drama continued when the bus returned to the hotel...without Domenech. The players refused to give their manager a lift back home!

Clearly the coaching staff and the federation have lost complete control of the situation. You could argue that a team needs to be quiet and listen to their manager, unfortunately when a team or an organization continual feels continually frustrated and poorly led, if at all, it comes to a breaking point. Which is what we are witnessing today. We all know that Domenech's last game will be on Tuesday, but based on what has happened the past 48 hours I think it is crystal clear that the entire Federation needs to rethink its leadership structure - starting with Escalettes. There are capable options that could run the Federation - Guy Roux, Aime Jacquet, Gerard Houllier, or Arsene Wenger (long shot but he would bring instant stability and credibility) to name a few. Knowing that Laurent Blanc will be the next man in charge is reassuring from a team management stand point, but the federation has demonstrated a poor ability to manage the situation and must also change and earn back the trust of fans and players.

We have reached a point of no return...mutiny on the bounty cannot hold a candle to this drama! Who knows what will transpire on Tuesday. Will the players decide who they want on the pitch? Will they even listen to what Domenech has to say? Might they also use their own substitution rotation? All joking aside, the only real solution would be to have Domenech sit in the stands, allow Boghossian to run the team for the one match. This will at least allow the team to stand a chance and have some semblance of normalcy. What will be interesting to see is whether or not this situation has actually united the team - give them a focus to show Domenech and the Federation and the critics that they are better than what they have shown.  We will see in 48 hours!