Laurent Blanc set to manage France...a few months too late?

According to sources, Laurent Blanc has already agreed in principal to take over the reigns of Les Bleus after the World Cup - Domenech's contract expires...thankfully. Good news? Time will tell. I think that the OM manager - Deschamps would still be my choice. Not that I think that the former France central defender would be a poor choice. I recognize that Blanc has turned Bordeaux back into a powerful side, winning the Ligue 1 title last season, getting out to a comfortable lead in this year's competition and finishing top of a difficult Champions League group. However I think that Deschamps still has a slight edge in terms of experience and having lived through the highs and lows of management - taking over Juventus in Serie B was not an enviable task.

While the FFF could not make a bad decision selecting either man, I wish they could make the change today and not in July.

Les Bleus for the opening qualifiers

Domenech has announced the list for Les Bleus for the first two games of the World Cup qualifiers. Not too many changes from the team that won away at Sweden. Here is the list:

La sélection française :
Gardiens : Lloris, Mandanda
Défenseurs : Abidal, Clichy, Evra, Fanni, Gallas, Mexès, Sagna, Squillaci
Milieux : A. Diarra, L. Diarra, Flamini, Nasri, Toulalan
Attaquants : Anelka, Ben Arfa, Benzema, Gourcuff, Govou, Henry, Malouda

Overall nothing too surprising, but here are some thoughts:

The Good:

• Consistency - One thing that I am glad to see, is Domenech keeping a consistent list from the Sweden game. Even retaining folks like Gourcuff and Fanni. The only changes were the addition of Squillaci, Abidal, and Nasri. These players would have most likely been on the squad had they not been injured.
• The Youth - Domenech has also stayed with the youth. He did not bring back Coupet, but rather stayed with the two young keepers, wonder what that means for Greg long term? I do think this is the proper move, while taking Landreau or Frey as well to make them #1 would not have been questioned, I think that Domenech is signaling that he sees the future with the two youngsters in France.
• No Boumson - While I am sure he will rear his head again....thank goodness he is off the list.

The Bad -

• Govou - Okay next to Boumsong he is my favorite whipping boy...but he scored a brace against Sweden so I guess deserves the call up...I guess.
• Makelele - Okay, why is this "bad" because his name keeps coming up...the fact that Domenech or the press keep throwing out his name is bad. The man has been a nothing but a pure professional for Les Bleus. He was unfortunate to be left off both the World Cup and European Cup winning teams...hard when you have Deschamps, Vieira, Karembeau, and Petit blocking your path.
  

The Ugly -

• Nothing.....yup, I cannot really find anything too ugly with the selection. Now when Domenech decides to have Abidal shoulder Gallas rather than Mexes...then I will call that UGLY

This is the beauty of international footie, the European Cup is still fresh in our memories, the club season has just started and we are starting the long process of determining which nations will go to South Africa in 2 years to play for the World Cup. France have a tricky group, one they should win, but one filled with traps and potential pitfalls. On paper you would think that the main competition will come from Roumania, but one needs to becareful of Austria and Serbia. Also, Lithuania will not be an easy 3 point match, especially when traveling away.

France will come into the qualifiers with a tricky match, heading to Austria. Austria just drew at home against Italy in a match they could have won. It is never easy playing away, but I think that Austria will prove a difficult customer, wanting to demonstrate that hosting the Euros was not a fluke (granted they did not get out of the group stages, but some rank them higher than Les Bleus - http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/30062008/58/euro-2008-euro-power-rankings.html ) Austria played Germany very tough in the tournament and should not be overlooked at home.

France will then need to head home to face a difficult test against Serbia. Serbia should prove to be a difficult team to break down with a defense lead by ManU hard man - Vidic. Serbia will open with Faroe Islands so will head to Paris with the full 3 points and look to hold France to a draw. France might be heading into that game sitting with one point and will be desperate to find a win....a recipe for disaster for Les Bleus!

Domenech has a tough task at hand. His first 4 games will see Les Bleus traveling to Austria, Romania and Lithuania. As well as hosting the tough Serbs. In addition, the FFF has said it would revisit the Domenech situation during this run of games, if Les Bleus start slowly it could spell the end of Domenech's run as France manager. I think it will be hard pressed for France to expect to get 12 points from these matches. Les Bleus should beat Austria and Lithuania, and get a win&draw from the Romania - Serbia games. Coming out of these 4 games with 10 points should be seen as a successful run, 8 points will be acceptable....anything less and we might be seeing Deschamps in charge for the return game against Lithuania.

Domenech's first list post Euro disaster

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

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

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

The Good:

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

The Bad:

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

The Ugly:

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

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

Les Bleus adds a 1998er to the staff

An interesting strategic....and public relationships move by Les Bleus adding Alain Boghossian to the managing staff. A move that seems to come out of left field. First of all, I had not heard of Alain being someone looking to move into the managing ranks especially at the international level. Second it is an interesting move that Domenech is basically being told who to add to his staff, obviously the FFF is putting their stamp on how Domenech runs his organization.

On the surface this would appear to be a way to bury the hachette between the FFF, Domenech and the World Cup '98 alumni. Of course this is a brilliant coup. Domenech gets a 98er on the staff, but not a big named one...the 98ers get one of theirs on the staff and the FFF shows who really has the power. Had they placed Deschamps or Blanc in this role it would clearly be a signal that they have a manager in waiting, with Boghossian they have someone that would not be on the short list for the role, but was an active member of the 1998 squad.

We shall see how this plays out and how much value Alain brings to the equation, but from a PR perspective a grat move for the FFF.

PSG - French international retirement home

The news of the day on the footie transfer from France is that Makelele is about to sign with the team from the capital. Couple that signing with the arrival of Guily from Roma, and the attempted signing of Thuram it appears that PSG is becoming the retirement home for old French Internationals....who can we expect to sign next - Sagnol? Barthez? Giresse?

Joking aside, I think these are good moves for PSG and Le Guen. The team struggled the last two seasons to find any rythm. While Guily and Makelele are on the back 9 of their careers, I think that coupling Guily and Rothen again as they did at Monaco will be a good combo for the Parisian midfield. Makelele still has a lot to bring to the table and without international duty and an easier calendar overall I think he will be able to prolong his career. I think these two veterans will allow PSG's two young midfield stars - Chantome and Sessegnon to learn and develop with these two veterans (an interesting sign is that both these young midfielders were rumored to be heading to Arsenal). PSG should have a decent midfield - with Sessegnon and Chantome patrolling the middle with Makelele protecting the back 4, Rothen and Guily on the wings. I would think Le Guen will play with one striker - either Ngog or Luyindula up front.

I do think PSG still need to find a striker with Pauleta leaving they do not have a consistent goal scoring threat up front. PSG also needs to find some young talent and retain the youth it develops, which why I am glad they did not cave and sell Chantome to Arsenal, while that would have been great for the player as well as the North London club, it is great for PSG to be able to retain him.

Let us hope these moves, and I am sure more moves to come, will allow PSG to hope to be mid table in France rather than battle for relegation survival!

Merci La Generation 1998

So the fall out continues from the horrible Euro campaign. I have not even had a chance to put my thoughts down about the continuation of the Domenech era.....needless to say I am not thrilled. However what I want to highlight today is the latest news of another 1998er that will be retiring from international football as well as the great Lilian Thuram.

Lilian Thuram: The iron man of Les Bleus with a record 142 caps. He has a World Cup title, World Cup runner up and European cup title to his name. Thuram was arguably the best right back in the world during France's glory run from 1998 - 2000 and with Lizarazu, Desailly and Blanc formed one of the strongest back four in football. He continued to be a force when France won the "double" by winning the Euros in 2000. Subsequently he switched to center back and, for me, was one of the reasons France was able to proceed to the finals in 2006. He was the man of the match in the semi finals against Portugal. During that game it was clear that his guile and experience were world class. This was an interesting parallel to what I would consider his other sublime game - semi finals of the 1998 world cup. Against Croatia in Paris, Thuram was the Lilian in his prime. Strong defending, pacey, tough tackler, and for a bonus scored a brace (his only 2 goals for France!) to send Les Bleus to the finals. I will always remember seeing him "strike a pose" after scoring an improbable left footed goal from the edge of the penalty box. That game demonstrated how influential a right back can be to a game from a defending stand point and from an energy level. And most noticeably how energetic he would be in singing the Marseillaise, that would always get me fired up!

History will judge Lilian as one of the games greatest players and best right backs football has ever seen. I hope that he will be fine and his heart condition will not force him to retire from football entirely as well as ensure he lives a long and fruitful retirement. He is a huge asset to the game but to society in general, he is one athlete who has a genuine concern for his fellow citizen and society. Merci Lilian for what you have done for Les Blues and Merci for what you will do after football.

David Trezeguet: The Franco-Argentine recently announced his retirement from international football, which was no surprise to anyone that follows Les Bleus. The retirement was not due to a drop in form or health, Trezegol remains one of the deadliest snipers in Serie A. Yet he has not been high on the list of favorites for Domenech since the manager has been at the reigns of Les Bleus. The system France has been playing, for some reason, does not lend itself to a player of Trezegol's style. Which I disagree with....but that is what Domenech believes. Not to rant, but I will, when Domenech brought in Gomis during the Holland game he stated he wanted Gomis to be a "pivot" crosses and passes to go to him and to be redistributed on wing players. Um last time I checked Gomis is more of the mold of a striker that runs at defenses a la Henry, Benzema, Cisse...Trezeguet is a true pivot. He plays within the 18 yard box. He has a superior aerial game, therefore can channel the ball - 2 examples of that 1998 first knock out game of the world cup against Paraguay chip from Pires head down by Trezegol to an on rushing Blanc for the winning goal the second was end of regulation in the 2000 Euro finals, long free kick from Barthez to the top of the Italian 18 yard box where Trezegol deftly headed down the ball to the on rushing Wiltord who scored the famous tying goal against the Azzurri. Goals aside, because end of the day he was called Trezegol for a reason, but Trezeguet brings so much more to a team allowing it to play a different style of game. Too bad Domenech refuses to buy into this. I have written this before but I will reiterate my sentiments, Trezegol is one of the greatest strikers that has worn the French stripe. I will always remember his stepping up and taking a penalty kick against Italy in the 1998 1/4 finals as a 20 year old on the biggest stage and of course his golden goal against the same Italians in the Euro 2000 finals. Unlike, as it appears Domenech does, I do not hold the 2006 World Cup penalty kick loss at Trezeguet's feet. That match should never have gotten to penalties. I am sad to see Trezegol leave, he still has a lot to give to any club and team. I will enjoy watching him ply his trade for many more years at Juve, I am sad that he will not bring that skill to Les Bleus.

I realize that Sagnol and Makelele also called it quits, and at some point I will type some thoughts on both these players who have also been outstanding players for Les Bleus. This post is about 2 players from the 1998 generation.

Merci Lilian
Merci David