Deschamps with a 4-2-3-1 to face Sweden...at least not the 4-4-2 again.

Without much surprise, Deschamps has made some changes to the starting line that will take on the Ibra-less Sweden today at Marseilles' Velodrome. Not going back to the 4-3-3 but at least changing the 4-4-2 that was so bland against Albania. He is also leaning heavily on the OM contingent of his roster. The line up:

No surprise in goal, or on defense as DD gets the players that were on the bench against Albania a start - I wonder if we will see Zouma at some point making his debut for the senior squad. The midfield duo of Pogba and Guilavogui will be one to watch. Pogba had a mediocre game against Albania and the Wolfsburg midfielder Guilavogui will be looking to score some points as that position has some serious competition - Cabaye, Matuidi, Sissoko, Mavuba, Scheiderlin to name a few.

Griezmann and Valbuena will assume their familiar roles out wide, the question will be can Payet play that #10 role? And how will he interact with his former Marseille teammate Valbuena who tends to drift inside. Gignac up front will look to continue to reestablish himself as a legitimate international level striker. Something I still have my doubts about. The reality is that there is a role to find behind Benzema. With Giroud out until the new year, players like Gignac have  card to play to secure their role on the national side.

Sweden will be without Zlatan, so might not be the side fans want to see without their superstar. Regardless, the game should be a good one in the raucous Marseille stadium. I look for Les Bleus to play with a little more urgency than they did against Albania. They should be motivated for this game - last international of the year, at Marseilles with 3 current players from OM and against a team they have struggled against recently.

Les Bleus 2 - Zlatanless Sweden 1 Goals from Griezmann and Pogba.

Allez les Bleus!

Expect to see many new faces for Les Bleus walk out on the pitch in Armenia

No one will be surprised to see a completely new starting line up roll out later today when France face off against Armenia. We already know of the injuries to Benzema and Mangala, so already two spots for new faces. And we expect to see DD run through his other players on the roster and see what he has. So from the press here is the line up we might expect to see:

Mandanda - Jallet, Varane, Mathieu, Digne - Matuidi, Schneiderlin - Sissoko, Payet, Rémy - Gignac

This line up shifts France back to a 4-2-3-1, not a formation I really want to see Les Bleus in, and

Dynamic duo for Les Bleus?

really it could be a 4-3-3 with Sissoko dropping deeper on the pitch and allowing Payet and Remy to play the wide winger roles. The things to watch other than the obvious - see how the new faces play - is to see the role Payet takes on. A player that normally is a winger has been slotted more to the center for his club this year and has shown some success. He will also be sitting behind his OM teammate - Gignac. Does this familiarity on the offensive end bring something to the table for Les Bleus? Does Payet give DD a real option as a center of the park playmaker? Or is he more suited to the wing? It will be also be interesting to watch the right side of the formation. With both Remy and Sissoko who can play that channel, and both are more apt to stay in a wide position.

Let's face it, France is not playing a giant of football. The Armenian coach has also said he thinks this game is "sh**" so I don't expect a lot of creativity from the team from the Caucasus. So I expect France to be attacking and carrying the play for the bulk of the game. It will be interesting to see if with Gignac, a more traditional #9 and his playmaker from OM, if Les Bleus can break down the Armenians.

Prediction - France 2: Armenia 0 goals from Gignac and Schneiderlin.

Allez Les Bleus.

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.

DD goes with many of the same faces with one new "old" one

Last week Deschamps unveiled his list of names for France as they head into the final stages of qualifiers for the World Cup in Brazil. The names on the list look very familiar to the ones that faced off against Belgium a few weeks back...with one notable new face. Gignac. First the list:

Gardiens : Mickaël Landreau (Bastia), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham/ANG), Steve Mandanda (Marseille).
 
Défenseurs : Eric Abidal (Monaco), Gaël Clichy (Manchester City/ANG), Mathieu Debuchy (Newcastle/ANG), Patrice Evra (Manchester United/ANG),  Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal/ANG), Eliaquim Mangala (FC Porto/POR), Adil Rami (Valence/ESP), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal/ANG).
 
Milieux de terrain : Etienne Capoue (Tottenham/ANG), Clément Grenier (Lyon), Josuha Guilavogui (Saint-Etienne), Geoffrey Kondogbia (FC Séville/ESP), Blaise Matuidi (PSG), Paul Pogba (Juventus/ITA), Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle/ANG).
 
Attaquants : Karim Benzema (Real Madrid/ESP), André-Pierre Gignac (Marseille), Olivier Giroud (Arsenal/ANG), Samir Nasri (Manchester City/ANG), Dimitri Payet (Marseille), Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich/ALL), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille).

As France look to resolve their goal scoring issue, Deschamps has called up an old face one familiar both to him as well as the French national team. Granted Gignac has already found the net 3 times for his club, Marseille, but he also has not worn the national team strip since the debacle in South Africa. As I had mentioned in a previous post, I am not sure that calling back Gignac is going to solve France's scoring woos. How are Gignac's skills so much different that what the likes of Giroud provides the team? Maybe Deschamps wants more options with that profile. But again I am not sure that bringing in a retread striker is going to suddenly solve the scoring malaise for Les Bleus. Especially not a striker of Gignac's profile. If Deschamps had available a player that could single-handedly create his own chances, and put the ball in the onion bag, then he would be a good option. To me a player like Remy offers this profile. But Gignac? Not sure.

Otherwise the list looks eerily similar to the one used to confront Belgium. I look for Abidal to partner with Kos at center backs again. Not sure who will be the wide defenders. On the left it is a toss up, but on the right DD seems to favor Sagna. Lloris in goal of course.

The midfield will look very different from one game to the next. Matuidi and Pogba being suspended for the first match will most likely both start in the second. Can we see the Guilavogui - Kondogbia tandem in the first match? Or could Capoue find his way into the starting line up? I think DD will stick with the two that started against Belgium.

Up front, no surprises. I think we will see Ribery on the left, Valbuena in the middle and either Nasri or Payet on the right with Benzema as the lone striker. It will be interesting to see if Deschamps is tempted to start either Giroud or Gignac in place of Benzema, since both center forwards have both already been scoring regularly for their clubs.

Let's face it, France should win both their upcoming matches, even with their lack of goals from their strikers. But that does not solve the problem Les Bleus have been suffering from - lackofgoalsitis....

Allez les bleus.

Gignac or Toulalan...is Deschamps really thinking of these retreads?

Ahead of this Thursday's French list to face Georgia and Belarus, Deschamps was asked about some old names - Gignac and Toulalan.

The latter since France face the possibility of a shortage in the midfield - Cabaye, Pogba and Matuidi are all facing suspensions. Not sure why the Monaco midfielder is back in the conversation. One area that France is not thin is defensive/holding midfielder. With the likes of Mavuba, Capoue, Guilavogui, Kondogbia and Sissoko not sure that Deschamps needs to really consider bringing back Toulalan into the mix. End of the day I do not think that Deschamps will bring back one of the key players from the South African debacle.

Mentioning the former is really more of a reflection of the continued malaise for Les Bleus when it comes to scoring goals. Hey why not look at calling back Henry or Anelka or Cantona while we are at it...the 800 lb gorilla in all this is the fact France have had issues scoring goals and what is behind this issue is that their "#1" striker has done nothing to help solve this problem. The Real Madrid striker has not scored for France in over ... well it does not matter that is well over 1300 minutes...so is bringing back a retread striker the solution? How is Gignac's profile any different than Giroud? Both are pure #9 strikers, like to play on the last defender's shoulder and have some "fox in the box" characteristics. Their

France's answer for goals?

movements are good, but really confined to the attacking zone, which means you shouldn't expect either to pick up the ball deep and making mazey runs for goals. Maybe Gignac could give Deschamps another option off the bench...but I doubt he really is the answer. Figure that DD would start Benzema, because that is just what France does these days, and Giroud would be the first option off the bench. So Gignac would be the third option, when France rarely plays with more than one pure striker on the pitch at any time. Not sure that makes sense. Rather see a players of the profile of a Remy. Why - he can play center forward or on the wing. Makes more sense for a potential 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation.

The reality is that France and Deschamps are still struggling to find the right combination up front to score goals. As I had written in a prior post, maybe DD should think about leaning on the 4-3-3. Beef up the middle 3 and lean on the likes of Ribery, Valbuena, Nasri, Menez or Payet on the wings to provide the offense. Of course hope that Benezema realizes that he is center forward and does what he is suppose to do...score goals. Bringing back a Gignac is not going to magically solve this painful trend.

France v Ireland....The Players

So I gave some th0ught to the managers last post, now let us look at the players. Since at the end of the day it is the players on the pitch that will make the passes, take the shots, defend, score and make the saves. Where to start...might as well go from the back to the front:

Goalkeepers: Ireland is very stable with their starting keeper. Shay Given has been a main stay in the back for Ireland for a long time, since 1996 to be exact. In that time span he has 100 caps to his credit. He was the Irish keeper during the World Cup 2006 qualifying campaign, so is no stranger to having to play Les Bleus in a qualifying campaign. Also, he also has been in the middle of the Premiership since 1991, having played over 350 games for Newcastle...not a place without huge pressure from the fans. France will be backstopped by either Mandanda or Lloris - who have a combined 17 selections for the French national team. Based on Domenech's track record I would assume Lloris will find himself between the pipes for both matches. Both keepers are incredibly talented and have very bright futures ahead of them, however neither's performance has made him the clear cut #1 for Les Bleus. In such a high pressure match, experience will play a huge part in the ability of the keepers to make a difference, both positively or negatively....for that I will give Ireland the edge.

Defense: Rather than looking at individual defenders I will look at the entire units. Ireland will lean on Richard Dunn and John O'Shea to anchor their back line, both of which are veterans of the Premiership. They can even expect the unexpected goals such as against Italy when Sean St Ledger scoring the opener on a set piece.



This unit is solid, have veteran leadership and under Trap I am sure will be prepared to defend. As for Les Bleus they are still maddeningly inconsistent at the center back tandem - who to pair with Gallas? While I still contend that Mexes should be that player, and the heir apparent for the future "patron" of the back 4, he has not shown the consistency nor the opportunity from Domenech to establish himself in that role. The wide defenders are some of the best in the world at their positions - Sagna and Evra. The question becomes who will shoulder the central defensive role with Gallas? My bet is on Abidal, not that he is a natural central defender, but he appears to be the most consistent of the inconsistents. Edge is a push - on talent alone it would go to France but the instability gives me pause for concern.

The Midfields: This causes fans of Les Bleus some serious hair pulling at times. With all the potential that Domenech has at his disposal it appears he constantly leans on defensive minded midfielders, rather than take a balanced approach. Granted some of the offensive talent is injured - Nasri and Ribery - however there are other players that could have/should have been blooded earlier in the campaign - Menez, Feghouli, and Mounier - or players that could still serve a purpose - Pires and Giuly. It would have been nice to at least have a greater pool to pull from with regards to the offensive midfield. Defensively France have holding/defensive midfielders in spades - Toulalan, ADiarra, LDiarra, Sissoko and Diaby (he will most likely have to withdraw due to injury). That is not even looking at the likes of Vieira or Mavuba that have been used in the past. As for the Irish, the midfield would be much more formidable if Stephen Ireland would decide to play for his nation. A strange decision indeed for the young 23 year old, who is clearly Ireland's most creative player. Add to this Damien Duff's recent injury for club and the Irish midfield might have to rely on the likes of Hunt, McGeady and Miller...not house hold names. Advantage - Les Bleus, and if Ribery/Nasri had been healthy the advantage would be even greater.

The Strikers: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea...3 of France's strikers are all starters at these clubs. Ireland? Their main striker plays at Tottenham and could not make his mark at Liverpool. Now Keane is not slouch, he is a solid striker so please don't bombard me with comments that I am not giving him enough respect...he is a good striker...I just said it again. However, looking at the offensive punch Les Bleus can pull together means that purely on paper the advantage is clearly with Les Bleus...I really do not need to go into further analysis. The question is the following - will Domenech leverage all this offensive power or put most of it on the bench? Will he have Henry/Anelka on the field...how will Benzema be leverage? Will Gignac be the choice striker? Unless Domenech plays a 4-3-3 there will be a striker or two left on the bench. Not a bad thing to have late in games, but if you have 2 of the said strikers on your bench you will clearly be wasting one of them...(doubt you would bring in 2 strikers late unless you are chasing a goal). So how Domenech selects the starters will play a role in how much of an advantage France can take with regards to their talent offensively. I would argue that Keane is a wash with any of the strikers France will throw on the pitch - it is the second and third striker options where the gap becomes apparent. Advantage - Les Bleus.

On paper France clearly have the more talented squad. However that does not always guarantee a win...

Group play is over...now the real work begins for Les Bleus

France ended their World Cup qualifying group stage campaign, and are now awaiting to learn their fate with which of the following nations - Slovenia, Ireland, Bosnia or Ukraine - to play a tense home and away series to determine which nation will head to South Africa next year. The fact that Les Bleus need an extra 2 matches to reach South Africa is an indicator that the qualifying campaign was not a success. Not a massive failure...that would have been had France ended 3rd or lower. So let us first look at the match against Austria:

The Good:

• Once again, Benzema had a solid match. Maybe he continues to be motivated by his small verbal skirmish he had with his manager. Clearly he has demonstrated a willingness and desire to battle these last two games when wearing the blue kit. He scored a superb goal with the head early in the match, latching on to former Lyon teammate Malouda's cross. He was lethal making charging runs on the left wing (why does it seem all of France's offensive players gravitate to the left - Henry, Ribery, Malouda, Benzema...). He also razzled with his footwork, not hesitating in his one on one challenges of the Austrian defense. At times showing footwork that somewhat resembled another France #10 with Algerian roots. If Benzema can consistently demonstrate this drive and ability, it must make Domenech reconsider having him act as a substitute for Les Bleus.
• Speaking of strikers, Gignac also showed something in this match. The Toulouse striker scored a wonderful goal from outside the box, once again with his right foot, but the ability to strike from long distance is something that Les Bleus are missing.
  
• Malouda also impressed me. He was almost acting as the #10 for much of the match, drifting around the pitch, springing attacks, linking up the defense to the offense, and not being afraid to take his chances. He almost scored on a screamer in the second half only to see it go just wide of the far post, had a brilliant run end of the first half where he was able to deflected the ball from one foot off the other to ease around 2 Austrian defenders.
• The French defense was placed under too much pressure, however Fanni demonstrated that he has some strong talent in those boots. He tackled well, was very active offensively not afraid to fill in the space to support the offense and was not afraid to use his pace and dribbling to take on defenders. Even when he made mistakes, midway through the second half he lost a ball in his defensive 1/3 but used his pace to recover and smother the shot. I am not ready to say he should start ahead of Sagna, but I think there is talent and depth at that post.
• Ok this might be a first, but I will say that Domenech for once was good...barely. What do I mean by that? I am happy to see he did not simply run out the same team he has in the past. This match meant nothing in terms of the standings, but it was a great opportunity to see some players - the entire back line was different: Fanni, Squillaci, Escude, Clichy. The holding midfield - Sissoko and ADiarra. Offensively Malouda, Gouvou, Benzema and Henry. The playing of Henry and Benzema to me, signaled a test to see how the two could function together, could France head back to a 4-4-2 with Ribery and Gourcuff in the offensive roles in the midfield? Bringing in Gomis and Gignac was good, see what they can do offensively, because I am sure that during the playoffs you will need to, in at least one of the games, bring in some offensive substitutions late to try and get a goal.

The Bad:

• I hate to pick on him, but Escude looked terrible! The Austrian goal I place squarely on his shoulders. It was too easy for the Austrian striker to nudge him off the through ball which lead to an odd man attack on Lloris and Squillaci. He did not look at ease defending or positioning himself defensively. He did not inspire confidence in the center of the French defense.
• I praise Domenech, now I need to call out some bad! Why save his last substitution? Get another player out on the pitch. Maybe change your keeper, why wasn't Carrasso the back up? Get him in there to give him some experience, see how he plays for 45 minutes. What about Diaby? It would have been nice to see him on the left side, see if he and Clichy can carry over some of their work with Arsenal to Les Bleus. If you are selecting these players when you get the chance...play them! I would have been interested to seeing a diamond midfield with Sissoko the defensive base, Diaby on the left, Gouvou on the right and Malouda at the offensive tip - with Gomis and Gignac as the tandem strikers.
  

The Ugly:

• The idiot fans that invaded the pitch late. Not good people, come on let's grow up. That cannot be good either for France as they bid for an upcoming Euro tournament.
• The fact Les Bleus need to play 2 more matches. Let us face it, this qualifying campaign has not been a thing of beauty. Starting with the ugly 3-1 loss to this same Austrian team, followed by lackluster draws against Romania and the brave but wasted effort in Belgrade. Throw in there 2 difficult victories against Lithuania and you have were France is today - heading to the 2nd place playoff. France might still make it to South Africa next year, Zidane thinks so, they might even do something other than site seeing while there...France have the talent as well as the depth - how many nations can leave a Mexes off your squad? I am still not convinced...no surprise...that Domenech knows what he is doing, what system really works for his talent pool and how to ensure he gets the most out of this collection of players. Making the World Cup or European Cup is no longer the goal for France, they need to contend at this tournaments, nations like Germany and Brazil, even when they are "down" know that getting to a 1/4 final or 1/2 final is the least of their expectations. Les Bleus are getting to that level, but with that comes the mentality that such success is the rule not the exception. The campaign was ugly and is far from over, however sometimes the ugliest qualifying campaigns lead to the best results - similar to Euro 2000 when France struggled mightily to qualify, doing so by the narrowest of margins - and we all know how the Euro 2000 ended.

So France lives another day...we will see next week who they will get in the November 2nd place play off. For now we can ponder what could have and should have been, but more importantly think about what might be with Les Bleus. Do you think it will be good or bad???

France qualify!!!!! for the second place play offs.....

Well what we all have accepted is now official - Les Bleus have qualified for the second place play off for the World Cup, with a rather easy 5-0 victory over the 185th ranked team according to FIFA. Sigh. What could have, should have, might have been...so let us look at the last match from Les Bleus:

The Good:

• The win - ok the result should never have been in question, but the fact that Les Bleus have not been shining during these qualifiers - only getting a simple 1-0 win away to the Faroe's - and the fact the Faroe Islands just secured their first win of the campaign over Lithuania 2-1. There was a undertone of nervousness heading into the game, even some of the French players were questioning if they could some how find a victory having to play on the smaller pitch at Guingamp. So France secured the essential, getting the 3 points, scoring goals, and assuring themselves that the game against Austria is a friendly...albeit an important one with the 2nd place playoffs looming.
• Titi Henry once again demonstrated that he will lead this side. His work rate in the second half was outstanding, he was basically playing the role of the #10 for Les Bleus. He was not afraid to use his pace to take on defenders but was also clearly seeking his teammates out with a number of clinical passes. His free kick at the end of the first half should have resulted in a goal from Gallas, who tried to make his attempt too perfect only to see his header skim off the cross bar. He did find Gallas again later for the third goal. In the second half, the Barcelona man was at the center of most of the offensive action. While he still attacked mostly from his preferred left side, he drifted to the middle truly looking like a #10.
• Scoring a brace means that you did something well...Gignac clearly likes playing this nation, since he opened his account with Les Bleus when France first met the Faroe Islands in August. The first goal today was a true predator's goal, getting a nice square pass from Anelka, he pivoted and fired a shot that caught the Mikkelsen wrong footed. The second goal was a pure individual effort, after a long distribution from Mandanda, Gignac took on, what appeared to be, the entire defensive back line, raced to the 18 yard box and hit an unstoppable right footed shot that nestled right inside the far post. He had a few opportunities to get his hat trick only to have the Faroe keeper make some solid saves. Has the Toulouse man solidified his place in the hierarchy? I think that to Domenech he has...meaning Benzema is condemned to being a super sub. Does he deserve this? To me Gignac is a solid stiker but I am not sure he has the ability of a Benzema. Gignac has a deadly right foot...but not sure he trusts his left foot or has enough of an aerial game. I read a statistic that all but one of his league leading goals he scored last season for Toulouse was with his right foot! I do like him playing for Les Bleus, but I have to see him doing this against more formidable opposition. But for this match...very good.
• Speaking of Gignac and Benzema, the young Real Madrid striker responded well to the clouds that were gathering in the press between himself and Domenech. Once again coming in late in the match, to replace the above mentioned Gignac, Benzema played with pace and power that we have come to expect from him when he plays for club. In the last quarter hour he played he had an assist and a goal. However more than these statistics, Benzema was very active on the offensive end, clearly wanting to show his desire and ability. Maybe wanting to give Domenech something to think about!
  
  
  
  

• One Faroe player to point out was Mikkelsen, the keeper. Yes he gave up 5 goals, but made a number of outstanding saves to keep the score line where it was. He made emergency saves on Gignac on a first half break away, against Anelka one on one in the second half, on a point blank effort from Henry in the second half, just to name a few. Without his heroics the game might have ended 7-0 or worse.
• It was good to see Malouda and Sissoko getting time on the pitch. The former used to play for En Avant Guingamp, so being able to play for Les Bleus on his old pitch was a well deserved honor. The latter made his first appearance for the A side. A much deserved honor. He did not have much to do, so was not able to show of his skill set, but I hope this match is the first of many for him under the Blue kit.
  

The Bad:

• From France's point of view nothing bad...other than this offensive punch should have been seen earlier in the World Cup qualifiers!

The Ugly:

• Even when Les Bleus win by 5 goals...I must point out Domenech's lack of managerial ability. What do I mean by this? I realize without a true #10 (no Gourcuff, no Nasri, no Ribery) that the team went back to a 4-4-2 formation...but why have TWO holding midfielders in that formation? I realize that Toulalan played a solid game, but neither he nor Lass were really needed to "stem the tide" of Faroe attacks! What was telling was watching Gallas dribble at the Faroe defense, in their own 1/3 of the field on more than one occasion...if one of you center backs is pretending to be Messi, then do you need 2 holding midfielders??? France were basically playing a 4-3-3 at the end of the match, with Henry-Benzema-Anelka up front, being supported by Gouvou-Diarra-Sissoko, clearly the Faroe Islands had no answers to that formation. One might argue that it was the 70 minutes of defending they were forced to do that allowed this formation to have success, to which I would say...BS....if France had employed this formation it might have been 5-0 at half time...there is no way this team could have defended against those three French strikers up front. However, once again Domenech demonstrates a complete lack of vision. I am sure some might say - they did win 5-0 so he was doing something right. But to me this is a reflection of what is wrong with the French manager, and inflexibility and unwillingness to change his style even though the players at his disposal may warrant such a change.

Anyways, Les Bleus head to the playoffs, and based on what could happen, it would appear they will face Bosnia, Ukraine, Slovenia, or Ireland (as of right now and having not looked at the latest FIFA rankings) Of which either Ireland or Ukraine would be the most difficult, heading to play in those nations would not be a cup of tea. An expected win by Les Bleus, now need to get ready for the play offs.

How playstation gave me the idea for Les Bleus

Ok I will admit that I have been playing Fifa 07 on my PS2 to feed my footie fix (my team had an off day on Sunday due to Labor Day) and as I was playing I came to realization that Domenech or hopefully the new manager...wink wink....post Belgrade should learning something from one of the formation that I like to use in Fifa - the 4-1-2-1-2, basically the 1-2-1 plays in a diamond formation in the midfield, see the figure below:



Here is why the new manager...wink wink....should think about this formation:

• Do we really need 2 holding midfielders? Diarra and Toulalan seem to be overkill. I realize that some would argue, well Zidane played with THREE holding midfielders - Petit, Deschamps, Karembeu - however I would state that first Zidane was a special talent (understatement alert) and was able to function with this time of freedom and space. Additionally, Petit and Karembeu were, what I would consider, hybrid holding midfielders. Both had a high work rate, both were not afraid to push up and help offensively, while both were not goal scorers (7 total goals between the two under the France jersey) they had the ability to pressure the opponent's penalty box. Petit of the two, had a decent shot from distance. Toulalan is much more in the Makelele role - work hard, tackle, and win the ball -but offensively lacking. This worked well when Makelele was shouldering Vieira, a player that can score and does score. I think that Diarra has the chance to be more like Vieira than Makelele - more offensive than the tackling machine that is Makelele. However in the current form, I do not see why Les Bleus need the additional holding midfielder.
• This formation calls upon your right and left fullback to make deep runs offensively to bring width to your formation...Evra/Clichy/Sagna/Fanni/Abidal all the options at full back have the ability to bring width to the offense. One thing I noticed during the Romania game was the ability for Sagna and Evra to jump into the play offensively offering crosses and offensive pressure when need be. With the diamond formation, there should be more space on the wide channels for Evra and Sagna to push up the field.
• The top of the formation, top of the midfield diamond and the 2 strikers, gives Les Bleus greater flexibility to have more of their talent on the pitch - Gourcuff sitting behind Henry/Anelka? Or Henry/Benzema...or Gignac/Henry....the ability to have a striker tandem up front allows for more offensive talent on the pitch.
• Allowing to have Henry slot higher, but still on the left, allows Les Bleus to slot a Ribery back on the left side of the midfield, or have Malouda on the left and Ribery on the right, but with more room to work with. With a player like Malouda, who came up as a full back, you have a player that understands the importance of defending and back tracking. There are also options to have Ribery on the left and a Remy or Luyindula on the right side of the diamond.

Granted, this formation takes some muscle out of the midfield, but with more offensive talent on the pitch it should pressure opponents and score more goals than in this current formation. Players like Lass will have increased responsibilities defensively, however also more freedom to push up the pitch, similar to what he did with Portsmouth and now with Real Madrid. Ribery and Malouda would have more room to be creative in the midfield, and Gourcuff would be pushed higher with 2 offensive options at his disposal.

Just an idea for France's new manager....

Olympique Lyonnais, let the rebuilding truly begin

So this has been quite the season for OL, they did not win the French League title for the first time since 2001 and they might have finally sold off one too many players in seeing their 21 year old star striker, Benzema heading off to Real Madrid. I was reflecting on the team that Lyon had become and was during the amazing run of 7 straight League 1 titles.

Lyon were at their peak the middle of the decade when the teams made 3 straight Champions League 1/4 finals, losing once to eventual champs Porto, cruelly falling to PSV Eindoven when they should have advanced, and finally being 15 minutes from the 1/2 only to see Milan score a flury of goals to advance to the 1/2 finals. Lyon deserved better in Europe, and based on the players they had and lost should have been a bigger force in Europe. Alas, that team is now history, and the rebuilding truly begins. While Lyon have brought in some large sums of money via selling of players, I just do not see players on the roster or rumored to be heading there that will allow them to find the dominance they so enjoyed.

First, they have one striker - Piquionne - currently, not exactly sure where the goals will come from. Second, their midfield has no more "conductor" with Juninho leaving (granted he was done) and Lyon have no natural replacement. Pjanic and Mounier are expected to one day be the offensive midfielders to carry the game, but they are still young, plus Mounier is rumored on his way out as well! Defensively is where there is the most "stability." Cris, Reveillere, Clerc and yes Boumsong remain, Grosso most likely on his way out. With Lloris in goal, this is the one area that Lyon can build from. The question becomes, how will Lyon compete next season with a revitalized Marseilles, defending champs Bordeaux, as well as others such as Lille, Rennes, TFC and even PSG.

I am not sure that Gignac is the answer for Lyon, while the striker had a fantastic season for TFC, I am not convinced he will fill the boots of a Benzema. Another rumored move is Remy from Nice, a nice player indeed, but they had someone as talented even more so, granted more of a head case, in Ben Afra who they allowed to walk last season. They are also supposedly on the trail of one David Trezeguet, which would be a nice addition, however not sure who would get him the ball since the midfield remains a bit light with no one on the horizon. I think a lot will be expected of the likes of Kallstrom, but not sure he can carry the creative burden of the side. I think Lyon will look very different next season, what a bold prediction that is! They will play a much more defensive style of game, looking to beat teams on the counter. With workman Toulalan and a veteran defense they should be able to defend well, depending on which offensive options they can find - Remy, Gignac, Trezeguet, or unknown - they could be a solid club, but challenging for the title might be, for the first time in a long time, not realistic.

Just for fun, here is a team that you could assemble from the players OL have lost recently, I will play a 4-2-3-1:

Goal - Coupet
Defense - Grosso, Squillaci, Abidal, Essien (playing at left back)
Holding Midfield - MDiarra, Tiago
Offensive midfield - Malouda, Juninho, Ben Afra
Striker - Benzema

Bench - Fred, Kanoute, Baros, Carew, Wiltord, Luyindula, ADiarra, Clement (very offensive minded I realize)

Not a bad side to line up....

Merci Ribery.....again

Oooof, once again Les Bleus secure the essential, the full three points against Lithuania and once again it took a late match score from Ribery. Unlike this past weekend at Lithuania the strike was much simpler, but the build up was very encouraging. Let me jump into the game:

The Good:

• Once again the full 3 points, I realize that when playing the 52nd ranked team in the FIFA world rankings securing the full 3 points should not be difficult, but this Les Bleus being led by Domenech.
• Ribery - What can you say, he saved France's bacon once again with a much simpler strike.
• The other nice surprise was Gignac. Granted he can off the bench late and was not exactly facing the back line of Argentina. But his work rate was encouraging. He commanded the right side of the pitch and was always looking to challenge the defense.

The Bad:

• Um only one goal again, late in the game? That is bad. No more excuses, this was Lithuania in Stade de France, so no potato patch to blame. France needs to be able to score more than 2 goals over 180 minutes against teams such as Lithuania. With the likes of Gourcuff, Ribery, Henry, et al one would expect greater scoring prowess.

The Ugly:

• Ok I need to rail on Domenech once again, I realize this is a common theme for me, but I cannot help it. Once again I feel that the lack of any tactical ability to think outside the box is driving me crazy with the manager. Why not start a Nasri along side Diarra? Why not try to play a real "point" like Benzema? While France was never really threatened by Lithuania, they also did not win convincingly. I fear that France will eek its way into the World Cup and once again fall flat, allowing Domenech to somehow hold on to his role and waste another generation of French talent.
• The other ugly, is the time it took me to put up this post...life sometimes gets in the way of the blog!
  

No Vieira for Lithuania

Domenech announced his list of players for the upcoming double confrontation versus the Baltic nation of Lithuania, who is also sitting atop of the group with 5 points on top of Les Bleus. So first the list -

Gardiens
Cédric Carrasso (Toulouse)
Hugo Lloris (Lyon)
Steve Mandanda (Marseille)

Defenseurs
Gaël Clichy (Arsenal)
Rod Fanni (Rennes)
Patrice Evra (Manchester United)
William Gallas (Arsenal)
Philippe Mexès (AS Rome)
Adil Rami (Lille)
Bakary Sagna (Arsenal)
Sébastien Squillaci (FC Séville)

Milieux
Alou Diarra (Bordeaux)
Abou Diaby (Arsenal)
Lassana Diarra (Real Madrid)
Yoann Gourcuff (Bordeaux)
Samir Nasri (Arsenal)
Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich)
Jérémy Toulalan (Lyon)

Attaquants
Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea)
Karim Benzema (Lyon)
Jimmy Briand (Rennes)
André-Pierre Gignac (Toulouse)
Thierry Henry (Barcelone)

Nothing shocking, Gignac and Rami a bit of a surprise but when you peel the onion back not that much of a surprise. So lets dive in:

The Good:

• As I mentioned, Gignac was a bit of a surprise. However he fully deserves the call up. He is the leading scorer of Ligue 1 (17 goals) and allows Domenech some options offensively. He is strong in the air and can play out wide, and could operate as the lone striker up front if need be. Additionally he has been on quite a roll as of late, scoring a bundle of goals in recent matches, more than can be said for . Of course I am not sure if the Toulouse man will even see the pitch for either match, but it will be good to have him at Clairefontaine. I just hope he has more of a chance than did other strikers who were given a "cup of coffee" such as Savidan (granted Gignac is 7 years younger than Savidan so has more time ahead of him to cement his spot with Les Bleus).
  
• The other "surprise" is Rami from Lille. Well not entirely a surprise, I have been calling for him to be part of the squad well ahead of donkeys like Boumsong, and Rami had been called for an A game for Les Bleus. Thankfully the Lyon central defender is injuried otherwise I am sure Domenech would have found a way to include him in his list. The Lille central defender has already been approached by Lemerre to play for Morocco, his parent's native land, but turned down the offer hoping to earn a full cap with France. It would appear he might achieve that goal by next month. Rami might have a decent chance to see the pitch based on the injuries that plague the central defenders for Les Bleus.
• Another Gunner is back in the mix, Diaby, is playing very well for the Goooners and deserved to be in the mix. The issue for Diaby is where does he play for Les Bleus? While everyone likes to compare him to Vieira, their games are very different. Pat is more of a tackler, defender, hard man at the midfield, while Abou is more offensive and potentially more of a wing player. Not sure if he has the discipline or game to be one of the two that sits in front of the back 4. However, based on his play, and to some degree on his potential it is good to see him in the mix. The nice element as well, Diaby gives Domenech a natural left footed player.

The Bad:

• While I do not have too much critique with regards to the list, I think that not having Landreau in the mix is bad. I recognize that Carrasso has had a solid season with Toulouse, but the PSG keeper is having, arguably a top 2 performance in France. He is clearly one of the main reasons PSG is contending for the title and not for maintenance in Ligue 1. What I think is bad is more, once again, Domenech's completely asinine way to manage his keepers. I am not saying that Mandanda or Lloris are not deserving of battling for the #1 strip...but neither has translated their club success into success with Les Bleus. That should at least mean that Landreau should and needs to be considered for the roster. Don't get me started on Frey...who is the clear #1 for France.
• Hourau, it is not bad that he was not selected but bad that we constantly hear a drum beat about the tall PSG striker needing to be included on the list. First I am not saying that Hourau's recent form for PSG does not give him legs to stand on with regards to being called up, he, like Landreau are some of the main reasons PSG is contending. However, his game does not match with how Domenech has decided to run his squad. Hourau is tall striker that is a "pivot" a player where the offense will pivot on leveraging his height to play high crosses and through balls. He can also shield defenders so can receive passes and distribute off to players filling the channels. This style is, however, very static, not what Domenech has apparently wanted for Les Bleus. To me Hourau is a taller version (potentially) of Trezeguet, granted Trez can pick up the ball much deeper. If Trez has no role with Les Bleus, not sure Hourau will either. Maybe he can be a joker, come into a game late and change the dynamic, very similar to what Trezeguet brought to France early in his career. But let us please stop with the constant drum beat that Hourau is the answer for the French attack.
  

The Ugly:

• Again nothing that is ugly, other than the fact injuries are hurting Les Bleus. Speaking of injuries, the fact that Pat Vieira is not on the list is not ugly, he does not deserve to be on the list based on his recent action for Inter. What is ugly is that we might never see Pat done the #4 shirt for Les Bleus.

Overall this is a good list, there are not too many players I would have switched for another. Based on Domenech's prior statements I would expect we see the following line up -

Mandanda
Sagna - Mexes - Gallas - Evra
Toulalan - Diarra
Ribery - Gourcuff - Henry
Anelka (or Benzema)

I think Henry is playing very well for Barca and has found his place on the left, Ribery is the best player in the Bundesliga, what worries me is Gourcuff. No doubt he is the key to much of the French offense but I fear he is hitting a wall. I hope that Domenech would consider slotting Nasri on a wing and sliding Ribery into the middle. Up front I am not sure either Anelka or Benzema are lighting up the scoreboard right now, but both should be more than adequete against Lithuania. LDiarra is a no brainer as holding midfielder. I might actually look to play Diaby there, knowing that he might be more offensively minded than Toulalan, and more importantly brings more size to the line up. That will be crucial. Why? France struggles on set pieces and the one way I see the Balts drawing or even defeating Les Bleus in one of these matches is via the set piece. Finally I think the back line is fairly straight forward. Maybe Sagna sits in favor of Fanni and maybe Clichy and Evra split the matches. Mexes and Gallas should be the central defense short of an injury to either one. Mandanda is the best keeper in France right now, hopefully he carries it over to Les Bleus.

Just based on this list, France has the fire power and talent to expect the full 6 points from these upcoming matches. Unfortunately this is Les Bleus of the Domenech era so who knows which team will show up. Lithuania have nothing to lose and have played very well. I think both matches will be much more difficult than anyone would otherwise think....let us hope Les Bleus don't get ambushed.