Les Bleus get set with some new faces

The international season will be kicking off this month. Of course Les Bleus will not be playing any qualifiers, but the European Cup is about 15 months away. That time will go by fast and DD will be expected to have his squad ready for the tournament they are hosting - will anything short of a semi final appearance be acceptable??

The list DD called up looks very familiar with some new faces and some questionable choices:

Lloris, Mandanda, Ruffier – Evra, Jallet, Koscielny, Sagna, Sakho, Trémoulinas, Varane, Zouma – Gonalons, Kondogbia, Matuidi, Payet, Schneiderlin, Sissoko – Benzema, Fekir, Giroud, Griezmann, Lacazette, Valbuena

The fresh new face is that of Fekir from Lyon. The attacking midfielder is having a break out season with his club, with double digit goals (11) and 7 assists. He was long time a target for the Algerian national team but made the decision to throw his future behind Les Bleus. He did play at the U21 level with France. The player offers DD some new blood for his attacking midfield. With the retirement of Ribery and the exile of Nasri coupled with France's consistently lacking right side, it will be interesting how the new player get integrated and leveraged.

Many of the other names are the usual suspects that DD has been leaning on. The one player that continues to make me scratch my head - Evra. The Juventus left back continues to be called up. But is he truly the future for the left back role? It is good to see Tremoulinas being in the squad. But what about Kurzawa? I am not sure that Evra is our solution at left back for the Euros. I realize he hasn't retired from international play, but that does not mean DD needs to continue to call him up.

It will be interesting to see how DD handles his back line. With Sakho starting to do better at the club level, will the central pairing be changed again? It is also good to see Kondogbia back on the roster. Clearly his play for AS Monaco has not gone unnoticed. Let us see how DD runs his formation.
 

DD calls up his list for next round of friendlies - are we really prepping for the Euros in 2 years?

Deschamps announced his list of players that will face Portugal (October 11th) and Armenia (October 14th). The list looks very similar to ones we have seen from DD. Actually almost resembles one from 2 years ago...

Keepers: Lloris, Mandanda, Ruffier
Defense: Evra, Sagna, Digne, Varane, Mangala, Mathieu, Koscielny, Jallet
Midfield: Matuidi, Schneiderlin, Cabaye, Pogba, Sissoko, Valbuena
Forwards: Payet, Benzema, Griezmann, Rémy, Gignac, Cabella 

The returns of Gignac and Payet are a return to the past for DD. Not a huge surprise to see the OM #9 since he has been on a tear with his club team this season - 8 goals in Ligue 1. Payet has always been somewhat of an enigma. Loads of talent, a player who rose through the youth ranks at Nantes' top class development program, yet a player who has failed to really shine at the top levels. It almost feels like a safe pick for DD. But not a player I see as a full blown international. It also feels that

Back in blue

these selections were made by default with the likes of Giroud out until 2015. France remains thin at striker, so Gignac could actually have a legitimate chance of making the Euro squad. Payet, I think the jury remains out and might be more of an indication that DD still wants to find the right player on the right flank (do I sound like a broken record??).

My concern is the continuous inclusion of Evra in the side. The Juventus left back looked a shell of his former dominate self during the World Cup. Not surprising considering the miles that are in his legs. Unlike the other international coaches, DD does not have to worry about winning these games. France is automatically qualified for the Euros as the host. So Deschamps is in the unique position to truly test some players that will be key to the France side in 2 years. He doesn't have to lean on veterans that might not be around for the Euros but that he needs now to win games. Yet he insists on calling up Evra when he as viable options such as Digne from PSG (who is in the side) and Kurzawa from AS Monaco (who should be in the side). The next two years should really be about figuring who between these two left backs and even Tremoulinas is going to become the anchor at left back for Les Bleus. Continuing to give time, in training and during the games, for a player like Evra, feels like a wasted opportunity.

The remainder of the squad is straight forward. I would look for DD to rotate through these players during the two games. It will be interesting to see how he manages the formation for - Cabaye, Sissoko, Matuidi and Pogba - as his middle 3 if he continues to go with the 4-3-3. On the wings it appears that Valbuena on the right and Griezmann on the left will be the first choice, but where do Remy, Cabella and Payet fit in this? As for the middle of the top 3, look for Benzema and Gignac to split the games in that role. Kos and Varane appear to be the #1 central defensive pairing. The wide defenders will be interesting with the injury to Debuchy, who will emerge as the right back (and apparent #2 behind the Arsenal man) and on the left...well does Evra get a start???

I would also expect to see the keepers rotate. I would not be averse to even seeing Lloris sit both games and give Mandanda and Ruffier each a game.

It is positive that there isn't too much turn over on the squad and that most of the roles are fairly well defined. But there remain some questions about who some of the support players DD will groom to become important assets in 2 years. Granted, DD also made it known that he was giving priority to the Espoir team as they look to qualify for the Euros. A reason why the likes of Zouma, Thauvin and even the aforementioned Kurzawa were not included on the senior list. However at some point I would like to see some of the youth players get integrated into the senior squad.

Should be an interesting 2 years...might be a slow boil.

Allez les Bleus.

France successfully navigate first day back in international season - defeat defending Euro champs

Feels like the World Cup finals were yesterday...and we are already back in the swing of the international football schedule. France and Spain headlined a decent roster of matches including Argentina v Germany and Italy v Holland. While the match ups, on paper, were mouth watering, the resulting games were, as expected, were a tad drab. So what to make of France's 1-0 win over Spain?

The Good:

• France continue their positive rebuilding. After falling 1-0 to the eventual World Cup Champions Germany at the 1/4 stage of the World Cup, France got back on the winning track. France will be hosting the Euros in 2 years. Due to this automatic qualification, France will not have real competitive games for the next two years. Match ups against the likes of Spain go a long way to keeping France's development on track.
• Pogba growing into the role as the boss of the midfield...and team. The Juventus midfielder has already captained the French U20 side to the U20 World Cup victory a few years back. He also became an integral part of DD's set up at the World Cup - even chipping in a crucial goal against Nigeria in the knock out stage. He is putting his stamp on the midfield as the box-to-box midfielder Les Bleus have been seeking since Vieira retired. M'Vila was seen as that player, but his career has taken a side step. Although with M'Vila back from exile in the East it might be an interesting combination if he rediscovers his form.
• Le Petit Velo - Valbuena - remains the metronome for Les Bleus. He is the creative fulcrum for France. It was his vision and play that was at the center of the goal from Remy. With Ribery's

  

  Remy benefits from Valbuena's creativity

  retirement from international football, the only truly creative player France have is Valbuena. Players of the likes of Cabella offer that creativity as well, but he is still a few games away from elevating his game to the international level. France's success over the next 2 years and how well they do at home in the Euros will hinge on how well Valbuena's creative play drives the midfield. Which calls into question why he was taken off the field in the 1/4 finals against Germany when France was chasing the game late on...
• Sissoko playing out on the right. The Newcastle man is more of a traditional box-to-box or deep lying midfielder. However since he was put out on the the right by DD in World Cup qualifiers...away to Spain...he seems to have found a role with the national team. He is not a traditional right winger like a Menez or even a Remy, but his power and pace bring something the French national team have not had out on that side. He also seems more willing to stay out on the right allowing for Les Bleus to keep their shape. Since he is more of a deep lying player, he doesn't shy away from his responsibilities to back track defensively. 

The Bad:

• For once the left side looked a little dodgy. Griezmann had a rather pedestrian game on the left side. This was a bit disappointing after his good showing at the World Cup. Of course one cannot judge the player from 60 minutes. Long term I am not concerned about the left side with regards to Griezmann. But there will clearly be some growing pains for the French left side after the international retirement from Ribery. It is to be expected when you lose a world class player like Ribery.
• I am a little concerned with the fact that some of DD's main cogs are not full time starters on their club sides - in particular Sakho and Varane. Neither has maintained regular starting roles for Liverpool and Real Madrid. Something to watch for in their club play. Reality is not sure what DD's other options at center backs since the likes of Mangala, Zouma and Yanga-Mbiwa are not regular starters for their clubs either. The one regular starter is Kos...and even his role looked a little tenuous with the start of Chambers recently for Arsenal! Something to watch for moving forward.

 The Ugly:

• Speaking of the left side - I think seeing Evra continue might get a tad ugly. Unlike the Gooner who is clearly "anti-Evra," I am not entirely negative on the Juventus left back. But I do

  

  Has his time passed?

  recognize that he is well past his prime. And that will not get any better in 2 years time. While the player doesn't seem to want to retire from international play, I question what DD gets from continuing to play him on French left. France have some options out on the left - Digne being first in line. There is also Kurzawa from AS Monaco as well as Mathieu from Barcelona who are options for that left side. I will be shocked if Evra is the starting left back in 2 years time for France...having said that, it might be time for Deschamps to start integrating a new starting left back now. Allow the new left back to integrate with the likes of Griezmann.

One cannot take too much from this game, granted the win was nice. Deschamps started out in a 4-2-3-1 but it was really more of a 4-3-2-1 with Sissoko on the right but more in line with Pogba and Matuidi, Valbuena given more free reign with Griezmann and Benzema as the high line striker. Similar to the World Cup, this is Deschamps' best formation - allowing him to put as many of his best midfielders on the pitch. It will be interesting to watch how this evolves especially when it comes to Cabaye and how he fits in the midfield. He has had a difficult time securing regular first team action with PSG (wonder if he wishes he was still at Newcastle...or maybe Arsenal) but he was a vital part of DD's set up in Brazil. Moving forward will he regain this role with France? Or become a super sub? Not necessarily a bad problem for DD to have - but probably not the role Cabaye desires.

France will not embark on a number of friendlies as they act as the 6th team in Group I - they will play a schedule as if they were in the qualification process but obviously the results will not count for either France or the team they play. I think this is one of the smarter ideas from UEFA - guarantees the host some games, and pits them against a qualification group guaranteeing they get matches against top nations such as Portugal.

What to watch moving forward:

• Who asserts themselves as the left fullback for Les Bleus?
• Is there a viable back up to Benzema up front?
• Will Griezmann put his stamp on the left winger role?
• How will DD manage his apparent log jam in the midfield, especially if someone of the likes of M'Vila regains his form?

Should make for an interesting 2 years of preparation for the Euros.
Allez les Bleus!

Post World Cup roster looks eerily like the one from Brazil - Deschamps releases his list.

Yup, international friendlies and European Cup qualifiers are about to start up again. Get ready for whining for the clubs and some new international careers being launched. The first round of internationals are always interesting after a World Cup. How much will rosters change? In the case of Les Bleus...not much at all.

Deschamps is going with many of the players that got his side to a 1/4 final in Brazil. We knew ahead of the time that Abidal, Ladreau, Nasri and Ribery would not be included since they have all retired from international football. So the list:

Gardiens : Mandanda, Lloris, Ruffier
Défenseurs : Debuchy, Digne, Evra, Koscielny, Mangala, Sagna, Sakho, Varane
Milieux : Cabaye, Matuidi, Mavuba, Pogba, Schneiderlin, Sissoko
Attaquants : Benzema, Cabella, Griezmann, Lacazette, Rémy, Valbuena

Any major surprises? Not really. The one that is a small surprise to me is the inclusion of Evra. The former Manchester United skipper and current Juventus left back did not officially retire from international football, but it felt as if the World Cup would be his last kick at the

What? The retirement home is that way?

can when it came to international silverware. As the Gooner so willingly pointed out, Evra looked past his prime in Brazil. What would he look like in 2 years time at the Euros?? With Digne poised to become the next French left back as well as AS Monaco left back Kurzawa waiting in the wings I do not see Evra keeping a place on the roster. Of course this could be Deschamps giving Patrice his due and one more cap - France will be playing Spain on Sept 4th in Paris, a nice game to end your international career on. 

One name I thought we might see is the one of Ben Yedder. The TFC striker has been someone that is on the cusp of making it to the senior side, were it not for his joining with the likes of M'Vila and Griezmann in their ill fated night club run which lead to a suspension, he might already have received a cap. France, not a news bulletin, is thin up front. With the injury to Giroud that is either a blessing or a curse. Deschamps has the opportunity now to call up and see a number of striker options. Ben Yedder being one of them, M'Baye Niang another such player. While the Euros are still 2 years away, these matches are precious and need to be used to test some of these options.

See you in a week for the start of the international season...I know the Gooner is thrilled.

Deschamps' dilemna - bold moves that might be made

So we have had 24 hours to digest the French 2-0 victory over Nigeria, and two big questions linger for Deschamps.

• Benzema - Giroud: as I stated in the last blog post, this partnership needs some work. And this is not the time to test and work out the kinks. It is tough on the Arsenal man that once he came out of the game yesterday the French all of sudden found their rhythm and took control of the game on the offensive side. Of course there would not be this problem had Ribery been healthy. But he is not. Does Deschamps look to Griezmann to shore up that left side? I think he does. The next few training sessions will give us a glimpse into what line up DD will roll out.
• Speaking of the left side...does Deschamps have a problem with Evra? Were it not for Giroud's debacle of a game, Evra would have received the worse grade for the French yesterday. I read one match report that gave Evra a 3 and Giroud a 2! (scale is 1-10, 10 being perfect). Evra looked a shell of himself for most of the game. Only make a few late runs offensively which amounted to very little. Was this due to Evra being on a yellow and not wanting to pick up a second and missing the 1/4 finals? Or was it because as the Gooner stated - "he has lost it." I believe that it might be a combination of the two. I do not see Deschamps sitting his veteran, but I am hoping that the yellow card threat was what had Evra pump the brakes a bit on his game.

There is also another story coming out of Brazil - that Varane had to be hospitalized for dehydration.  This story is concerning. Something else to watch for. The next few days should be very interesting to say the least.

Allez les Bleus.

Les Bleus - pump the brakes a bit after great showing against Switzerland

Group E

#	Country	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	PTS
1	France	2	2	0	0	8	2	6	6
2	Ecuador	2	1	0	1	3	3	0	3
3	Switzerland	2	1	0	1	4	6	-2	3
4	Honduras	2	0	0	2	1	5	-4	0

These are the standings of Group E after day #2 of the group matches. The euphoria of the majestic 5-2 win for Les Bleus over Switzerland is still palpable. Some press are even putting France into the category of potential winners. I am not ready to go there.

France are not even qualified for the knock out round. Every team in Group E are mathematically still alive for the knock out rounds. However for France to make it would take a monumental collapse that not even the Red Sox of French football team could find a way of making happen. France would have to lose to Ecuador and the Swiss would have to make up the 8 goal differential. A monumental collapse no doubt.

So let us assume the France go through and most likely in first place. Meaning they will miss facing the Argentinians in the next round. But France and DD face some interesting questions with regards to how they should approach Ecuador. In the World Cup you need to keep an eye on the knock out stages at this point. Deschamps has two players on yellow cards - Pogba and Evra. Neither of which DD would want to lose for the knock out rounds. But there is a wrinkle to that, more on that later.

DD also has to deal with a Sakho that might not be 100% fit. As well as Cabaye that is not able to play in the game - that might not be a bad thing since he will start the knock outs yellow card free.

Deschamps should look at the Ecuador match as a half World Cup half friendly, I realize that might sound arrogant but France need to think about the next rounds. They need a win or draw against Ecuador to ensure they get through, but as I stated even a loss allows them through as long as the 8 goal differential isn't overturned. Here are some thoughts:

Ready to start in place of Cabaye?

• Keep the trio of Benzema, Giroud and Valbuena in the starting line up. It has been a pleasant surprise the two times it has been rolled out. An 8-0 and 5-2 wins against Jamaica and Switzerland. I certainly do not expect such a goal deluge each time this line up rolls out there, but it seems to have some real teeth to it. The question becomes will it have success if and when it faces the metal of international football? Now is the time to get it some time.
• Look for Mavuba in the place of Cabaye. That seems to be DD's choice of like for like substitution. The Lille captain will be a solid replacement for the PSG midfielder. I am not sure that Mavuba can replicate the passing accuracy of Cabaye. But he can certainly more than replicate the defensive efforts.
• Kos or Mangala to shoulder Varane? Based on the substitution patterns it would appear the Arsenal man will get the nod. Even if Sakho is healthy enough to play I might not want to risk further injury if it can be avoided. Some have pointed out that the second Swiss goal came off the back of Kos, but if Debuchy had done his job the play would have been off side and no harm would have been suffered. I think Kos is more than capable of playing along side Varane in the back.
• What to do with the yellow carded players? As I mentioned both Pogba and Evra are on a yellow. In a way, I bet deep down inside DD might have hoped that both had picked up yellows yesterday. Against Ecuador I am not sure Deschamps would have been too nervous having to start Digne at left back and not having Pogba available. I am not so sure he feels the same if he has to start Digne against say Bosnia or....Germany. How might that happen you ask? Let's say Evra plays against Ecuador and does not get a yellow, he will still be sitting on his yellow from the Honduras game in the first round of knock outs. Imagine France plays Bosnia, which is a physical team to play. A game where cards might be flying fast and furious. As a defender he has a strong likelihood of potentially getting another card...he would then miss, assuming France get through, the 1/4 finals. Which could very well be against...Germany. Who have Gotze and Ozil as wide players. You see the potential danger! I might be over thinking this, but DD needs to think and look ahead.
• With this in mind, even if Evra plays, I would expect Digne to get in a good 30

  

  Would be very different against the senior squad

  minutes of time on the field - as long as the game allows it. Get the PSG left back some game time at the World Cup, in case he is needed later due to the yellow cards. A player like Schneiderlin might also get some run to provide cover for a Pogba and the other midfielders.

France and Deschamps can go into the Ecuador match a little more at ease than might have been hoped 2 weeks ago. Of course they cannot take anything for granted, but even with a number of bench players in the starting line up France should be more than competitive against Ecuador. I certainly do not expect 5 goals, but a result is well within reach.

Keep an eye on the Sakho injury this week as well as how Deschamps manages his yellow card players.

Allez les Bleus.

Disaster...

What else can you say about that showing. Hats off to the Ukraine who shut down Ribery and looked the better side. I am still stunned by the outcome.

The reality is I should not be. France's last two showings against Australia and Finland were fool's gold.  Yes they opened up the flood gates on the goal scoring, but I should have know that what was a better indicator of this team's status was the horrible 0-0 draw away to Georgia when France had to win in order to keep pace with Spain. The same can be said about most of the game against Belarus, where France allowed 2 soft goals in and had to claw back to win the game 4-2.

Les Bleus have a fundamental malaise. A rot at the core of the team. I have finally come around to realizing that the future does not lie with the likes of Nasri, Benzema or even...gasp....Ribery. Wonderfully gifted individual players, but players that do seem to worry more about the night club they will be visiting or the individual awards they might be in line for, as opposed to the overall team.

Ribery was a great complimentary player when he burst one the scene with France in 2006. But he came into a very mature team, led by the likes of Vieira, Henry, Trezeguet, Thuram

Better days for Ribery and Les Bleus

and a certain Zidane. All players that had won the World Cup and European Cup, but also players that had a maturity about them that has been lacking recently. Maybe that is why Deschamps insists on keeping Abidal in the starting line up, as one of the last links to 2006. While Ribery has been a better citizen for France recently, he is still carrying the stench of what happened in South Africa. Same as Evra. A player who has done nothing about his image recently after going on a verbal tirade where he decided to "settle some scores."

France are at the edge of the precipice...they are looking down into the darkness one where they will drop in the FIFA rankings, thereby making it more difficult to qualify for major tournaments...which will then make it harder to uplifted their rankings...and so the circular spin into the abyss continues. Short of a miracle in Paris in 4 days, there might be some difficult times ahead. The saving grace is that France are hosting the next European Cup - so they do not need to worry about qualifying, will get a head of group seeding, playing at home and might just get past the group stages!

Not heading to Brazil will not be easy to take, but at the end of the day it might be better for the federation. A shock to the system to clean house and reassess what France needs. Same thing happened after the disaster of qualifying for the the 1994 World Cup where France moved away from the talents of Cantona, Ginola and Papin ... and built around a certain Zidane. Now I do not think there is another singular talent like Zizou on the horizon, but there are some players France can build around. More on that in another post.

I still hold out hope that France finds a way to win 3-0 and go to Brazil, but my head tells me this time does not have the internal fortitude to do this. Do they have the talent? Absolutely. Do they have the fire...no.

The list of the 24 to face off against the Ukraine

Deschamps unveiled his list of 24 players that he will take into the World Cup qualifier playoffs against the Ukraine. Not too many surprises - the list:

GARDIENS : Mickaël Landreau (Bastia), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham/ANG), Steve Mandanda (Marseille).
DEFENSEURS : Eric Abidal (Monaco), Gaël Clichy (Manchester City/ANG), Mathieu Debuchy (Newcastle/ANG), Patrice Evra (Manchester United/ANG),  Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal/ANG), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal/ANG), Mamadou Sakho (Liverpool/ANG), Raphaël Varane (Real/ESP)
MILIEUX : Blaise Matuidi (PSG), Paul Pogba (Juventus/ITA), Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle/ANG), Clément Grenier (Lyon), Samir Nasri (Manchester City/ANG), Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle/ANG), Rio Mavuba (Lille)
ATTAQUANTS : Karim Benzema (Real Madrid/ESP), Olivier Giroud (Arsenal/ANG), Dimitri Payet (Marseille), Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich/ALL), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille), Loïc Rémy (Newcastle/ANG)

The small surprise - the inclusion of Evra. After the soap opera that surrounded his recent interview where he takes to task members of the press as well as former players, where the Manchester United left back had to go the the headquarters of the FFF and explain himself, I was a little surprised that Deschamps selected him. Especially considering he has a viable plan B in Clichy. Will Deschamps want the circus that will clearly be around Evra leading up to the matches. What if Evra has a poor showing in the first match ... then what?  It will be something to watch.

Mavuba also makes his return. He will be looked at to provide cover in the holding midfield. The

Miss me?

reality is I doubt he will play a serious factor barring some injury. The reality to me is he is at best 4th in the pecking order for that role behind: Pogba, Cabaye and Matuidi. Sissoko might even be ahead of him. Regardless the Lille midfielder is a quality player and will be a valued asset in the preparation as well as in reserves for France.

What I will be keen to watch is who are the players DD decides to lean on? Will Nasri and Valbuena be seen together in the starting line up? What about the right flank? Will Deschamps look to use a natural right winger in Payet or go back to the aforementioned Nasri/Valbuena duo with one slotting out wide right. What about central defense, is Varane - Kos the duo that Deschamps will finally roll out or will Abidal keep his spot there? See you in a few weeks!

Allez les bleus.

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 - Estonia: Building momentum

I have been remiss for not posting on the France v Estonia match, the last one prior to the start of the Euros. But sometimes life gets in the way of my publishing! Here are my thoughts:

The good:

Keys to France's fortunes

• I realize I sound like a broken record - the victory. Granted France were playing a smaller side in international football - 57th in the FIFA world rankings. The nation still finished second in their qualifying group, behind Italy. They ended up being thumped by Ireland in the playoff. But let us not forget what it was like during the warm up matches for the World Cup in 2010 - France lost to China! That threw everything into a tail spin, granted Dumbenech didn't help the situation and deciding to start Gouvou...sorry I digress. Heading into the Euros on a high note is a positive.
• Benzema and Ribery - These two have been linked at times for all the wrong reasons, but the fact both got goals is very positive. The fact that Kaiser Frank has scored in three straight games for Les Bleus is even more positive. After not scoring for France in too long, he now seems on a nice streak. Granted he will be facing a slightly tougher opponent on Monday, but he must be heading into the tournament full of confidence. The same for Benzema. After a very successful season at Real Madrid, I wanted to see him score for France before the start of the tournament. 4 years ago he headed into the Euros with a lot of pressure on his shoulders, which he still has. However playing at the highest levels with Real Madrid, having to battle for his place on the squad have allowed him to mature. Getting a brace against Estonia is just what the doctor ordered. He also had a nifty flick on for the Ribery goal.
• The 4-3-3 seems to be working well for Les Bleus, at least offensively. Scoring 9 goals in 3 games is a very positive sign. The freedom the formation gives to the offensive players has allowed them the freedom to exploit their offense. The move of Malouda to a deeper role seems to be working out very well. The question remains - is the system solid defensively? More on that later.
• No one got hurt! This cannot be understated, while it looked like Diarra might give us a scare early on, end of the day none of the players picked up any last minute knocks. All you have to do is look at France's first opponent - England - and see what injuries can do to your squad.

The Bad:

• While not necessary bad, it is not good either...but I am still waiting to see the right side of the offense take the next step. Nasri continues to be a bit maddening in his inconsistency. At times he looks like the player we always expected him to be - able to play the right wing, slot to the middle, drop deep and bring an offensive touch to the side. Unfortunately at times he seems to disappear as well. I am also not convinced of his interplay with Debuchy, the Lille right back makes some very dangerous runs from deep, but I am not sure that Nasri is quite there yet with how to interact with him. We know that Nasri has it in him, but can he be consistent? The one saving grace is that Blanc has a number of options he can throw on the right in games to change the pace - Ben Arfa, Menez and Valbuena can all operate on the right side.
• Of course on the left side I am concerned about Evra. He does not seem to have the confidence a player of his stature should have. I believe Blanc will stick with him because of his experience, but he is at times a tad shaky. His offensive runs are still useful but on defense he is not the defender we are accustomed to seeing patrolling the left side for Manchester United.

 The Ugly:

• Speaking of defense...Mexes is starting to give me some concern. There have been whispers of he being out of shape and too "fat." Whether or not his weight is an issue, the fact remains that the AC Milan man has had some gaffs, which against a sterner opponent will not go unpunished. As with Evra, Blanc will stick with his core. Mexes has the talent and ability, the question is he paying for being injured much of the year in Italy? If the central defense gets leaky, this could get very ugly.
• This is not helped by the current 4-3-3. I realize I stated I thought the 4-3-3 is good, and it is, but defensively it still needs some work. Unlike the formation and how it was leveraged away to Bosnia, where Blanc deployed 3 holding midfielders: Diaby, M'Vila and Diarra. He now has 1 true holding and 2 hybrid holding players...The question is, can Malouda and Cabaye be disciplined enough to pace themselves when it comes to their offensive runs? Both players will have to be very conscious of their defensive responsibilities otherwise we might see the equivalent of run and gun!

Overall there is much to like from this last match. But none of this counts come June 11th. France will have a massive task ahead of it. Look for the Frog's Euro predictions coming out soon!

Allez Les Bleus

Abidal - god speed with your recovery

Barcelona and France left back, Eric Abidal will need a liver transplant. He had surgery a year ago and made such a fast recovery he was able to lift the Champions League trophy for Barcelona. This is clearly a set back. I wish Eric the best and for a speedy recovery.

Clearly his ability to play for France this summer is in doubt. This will have some trickle down impacts:

• Evra will most likely slot back in as the starting left back
• If Blanc was hoping to gain an extra slot, but leveraging Abidal as both his left back and cover for center back, this is out. Does this mean Blanc takes 4 central defenders? That will get Kaboul and Koschielny back into the picture.
• Who will provide cover at left back? Will Clichy find his way back to the side? Most likely Valencia left back/midfielder Mathieu will get some serious consideration, he also offers some cover at midfield (then again left midfield is crowded). How about Lass Diarra? He would provide versatility at holding midfield and left back (he showcased there for France in the past). How about a dark horse in former Blanc player - Tremoulinas? With the Bordeaux player on the left and Debuchy on the right and you would instantly get some real dangerous players covering the wide channels.

The most important is that Abidal recovers and is 100% healthy. Whether or not we see him on the football pitch is secondary to his overall well being. Godspeed with your recover Eric.

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!!!

France welcomes back Evra and Ribery...moving on

Okay I tried to publish a quick post over the weekend from my iPad but clearly it did not make it...I will blame the terrible wifi in my hotel. But I am finally back at my laptop with somewhat normal web connectivity so here are some thoughts on Laurent Blanc's latest list for France's up, first the list (to be noted that Diaby has already withdrawn to be replaced by Cabaye)

GARDIENS : Cédric Carrasso (Bordeaux), Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille)
DEFENSEURS : Gaël Clichy (Arsenal), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Philippe Mexès (AS Rome), Adil Rami (Lille), Anthony Réveillère (Lyon), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Mamadou Sakho (Paris SG),
MILIEUX : Abou Diaby (Arsenal), Alou Diarra (Bordeaux), Yoann Gourcuff (Lyon), Yann M'Vila (Rennes), Florent Malouda (Chelsea), Samir Nasri (Arsenal)
ATTAQUANTS : Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Kevin Gameiro (Lorient), Guillaume Hoarau (Paris S-G), Jérémy Menez (AS Roma), Loïc Rémy (Marseille), Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich)

The biggest surprises, but not really surprises, are the inclusion of Ribery and Evra. The former would probably have been in the list last go around had the Bayern winger not been injured. The former is interesting. To me he was selected primarily due to Abidal's absence. The past few matches have seen the Barcelona left back, reestablish himself as the first choice left back for France. The question remains, will Blanc go with what he has established as the hierarchy at the position and have Clichy start or does the Manchester United and former France captain have a claim to his old role? I am not convinced that Clichy is an uncontested choice as the #2 left back for France so there is a chance that Evra finds himself back on the pitch.

The other question is what formation will Blanc look to roll out? With Nasri and Gourcuff back in the mix, will Blanc go with two play-makers together again as he did with success end of last year? Not that France should be taking Luxembourg lightly, they have taken points from other nations in qualifiers, but Les Bleus should win the match. The following will be a friendly with Croatia, which might be interesting from a coaches stand point since it was Bilic's dive that saw Laurent Blanc miss the World Cup finals in 1998...now both men will face off from the side lines. However the game is a friendly so another chance to build, but not a concern with regards to Euro Qualifiers.

What might France's line up resemble? I think that Blanc might stick with his 4-2-3-1

Lloris
Sagna, Mexes, Rami, Clichy
M'Vila, Diarra
Nasri, Gourcuff, Ribery
Benzema

Ribery might be given some run on the left side of midfield with Gourcuff in the middle and Nasri slotting back right. Benzema has found his scoring touch again for Real Madrid so continues to be the first choice up front. The inclusion of Menez will also beg the question of whether or not he should get another shot out right, sliding Nasri back to the center and sitting Gourcuff. It will be interesting to see how Blanc plays this and how the returning players are integrated.

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.

French mutineers get their punishment, Anelka officially finished with Les Bleus

The FFF has come down with their punishment for the mutineers from the World Cup. Anelka will be banned for 18 games, Evra will be banned for 5 games, Ribery for 3 games and Toulalan for one match. Effectively the ruling has ended Anelka's international career giving him an 18 game ban...basically making him un-selectable for the next 2 years. Les Bleus will have 14 games prior to the European Championships (qualifiers and friendlies) and if they qualify for the Euros, then Anelka would only be available for a semi final game!

Anelka at Wembley

This marks a sad ending to what should have been and could have been a stellar international career. I remember living in Paris when a young 18 year old was poached from PSG by the "professor" Arsene Wenger. The rest is history...Anelka burst on the scene with Arsenal and that commenced a subsequent tour of European clubs (Real Madrid, Liverpool, PSG, Bolton, Manchester City, Fenerbahce, Chelsea, Hollywood FC...last one was a joke) and on again off again career with Les Bleus. He was dropped from the 1998 roster, granted Jacquet already selected 2 young strikers - Henry and Trezeguet for the World Cup. Anelka did find his way back on the side when France won the European Championship in 2000. He would miss the next 2 World Cups, the most shocking was when Domenech decided to take Govou to the 2006 World Cup when France needed to replace Cisse due to a broken leg, until this last World Cup - his first (scary that he played in 1 World Cup...Govou in 2...shocking). A player that demonstrated so much promise as a youngster - many look at his brace against England in Wembley as the game that gave the hope that he would be the great French striker that would carry the team. Alas, the incredible sulk allowed his attitude overshadow his enormous talent and potential. His inability to get along with managers or to even stick around with clubs turned him into the nomad of international football. Fortunately for Les Bleus, they had Henry, Trezeguet and more importantly a Zidane that emerged in 1998 to carry the national side - winning a World Cup and a European Cup (Anelka was on that squad). Not sure where Anelka would have fit into the side, although it would have been an amazing rotation of strikers between Henry, Trezeguet and Anelka in their primes. Nico leaves the international game under a cloud of shame, alas, we barely had a chance to know you.

This will be interesting for Blanc as well with regards to Evra, Ribery and Toulalan. There is some depth at left back - Clichy, Tremoulinas and Cissokho. With 5 games for Blanc to leverage one of the other French left backs, Evra might have a difficult time getting back into the starting rotation. Similar situation with Ribery - there is depth at left wing/midfield. With Malouda scoring a brace over the weekend for Chelsea it would appear his good form from last season has not taken a break. He would be the clear first option on the left, assuming Blanc goes with a 4-4-2 diamond formation. Other candidates - N'Zogbia, Diaby and Menez to name a few. As for Toulalan, fortunately for him, he only suffered a 1 game suspension with M'Vila showing he can more than comfortably hold down the defensive midfield role combined with a more offensive side, the Lyon midfielder would want to be able to get back on the pitch sooner rather than later to hold on to his spot. In addition, Blanc will not be able to call on Gourcuff since he will be serving a suspension for the red card he picked up in the last France game.

September 3rd should be very interesting, how will Blanc continue to build his team with some of the World Cup 23 come back into the list.

Les Bleus are dead long live Les Bleus! Turning the page...

We will now be subject to all the spin control from the players of the French National Team. Starting tonight with Henry on the Grand Journal and Abidal on TF1, it will be interesting to see if they are asked tough questions, doubtful and what spin they put on this entire fiasco. Patrice Evra is also rumored to be planning a public interview as well. A good blog post for Sport24 argues that if, the perpetrators of the mutiny are going to speak, then the players that tried to do the right thing - Lloris, Gourcuff, Sagna to name three - need to also speaking their mind.

However I would argue, allow the guilty parties to make their cases in public. I think the French supporters know who is to blame in this situation from the players point of view. Those that were not active participants should stay above the fray, do not get embroiled in a who said what did what airing in public. Allow Laurent Blanc to come in on July 1st and take care of the situation.

Laurent Blanc, needs to sit down with his players individually and figure out what really happened, at least try to piece enough of the puzzle to get a good sense of what transpired. Then he needs to tell his team. "That was the past, it was unacceptable but it was not under my watch so I will not punish you for it. However, if I get a sense that any of that has carried over, you will be dealt with swiftly and severely. There is a new sheriff in town so behave." He should confront some of the main perpetrators individual and tell them - what you did was reprehensible if I call you up for the team you will follow my rules and if you do not, I will find a replacement for you. No one is bigger than the team."

It will be interesting to hear what is said over the air waves. If it is true that Henry was one of the ring leaders, then is is a truly sad day. The all time leading scorer and one of France's greatest players would go out in shame - hand ball against Ireland and then this, not a good way to end one's international career.

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!

Something smells rotten in South Africa

A traitor amongst us....those are the words spoken from the current French captain - Evra. According to Manchester United man there is no anger towards Anelka, no ill will from the players. The Chelsea striker has been sent home, without any dinner. However according to the "incredible sulk" the words attributed to him are not those he used. While he admits having a discussion at half time, he claims it was not as heated as L'Equipe would have  you believe. The damage is done, and he is heading back to France.

Yet the soap opera continues - according to Evra there is someone within the organization that is looking to bring down the team and must be "eliminated." Can we please end this circus? Soon?

What I find ironic is Inspector Clouseau left Nasri and Benzema off the squad because they had "attitude problems." How is this anywhere as bad as it was in 2008? Doubtful. What is surprising is that Evra did not come to the aide of his manager, clearly made it visible to everyone that while Anelka heads home alone, no one seems to want to come defend their lame duck Inspector Clouseau. Maybe, as many are thinking, the mole is actual the inspector himself. Wouldn't surprise me. Of course I am sure that Domenech will find a way to blame someone like...say...Gourcuff, since we are all piling on the young Bordeaux playmaker.

Can we invite Ireland to play the last game against South Africa?

Henry passes the baton

Anyone watching the first 2 matches for Les Bleus know that Henry has been downgraded from unquestionable starter to substitute. Something which the player is prepared to accept - does he really have a choice? So Henry seems to have passed on the captains' armband to Evra - a good choice in my mind he has worn the arm band for Manchester United as well. The real question to me becomes should Domenech have selected Henry in the first place?

I realize he is France's leading goal scorer (51 goals in 119 appearances) but his recent form has left much to be desired. Barely getting into any games at Barcelona, the most telling was he was not even used in the Champions League  match versus Inter when Barcelona were chasing goals. He is a little redundant on his preferred left wing. You have Ribery firmly entrenched there and he is most likely the last player you would want to substitute out during a game for another offensive player. There seems to be lots of cover at center forward, although none of which is scintillating right now. You cannot expect to stick Henry out on the right wing, he has never occupied that channel. So what to do with Titi? It is not as if Domenech has a warm heart and soul - see what he did with Trezeguet, Pires and Vieira.

So I question why select Titi in the first place if is just going to take a spot on the  bench. I understand he was your captain and a good soldier. However maybe you should see if he could evolve in the middle as your center forward during the past 2 games, that is where I see him having some influence on games. Unfortunately Domenech decided to take 4 players that could evolve in that role and not enough that could man the right side. When does Laurent Blanc start?

France v Ireland...Yellow cards

Another twist to watch, which will have a bearing on the return match in Paris are the French players under "yellow card" peril - meaning if they pick up a yellow card during the match tomorrow they will miss the Paris match. Those players:

Evra, Gallas, Abidal, Sagna and Gourcuff...um yeah that is the entire, probable, starting back 4 and France's play maker. This could make the return match even more interesting.