In, out and on the fringe - Les Bleus for the Euro

Laurent Blanc will start unveiling the list of the players he will be looking at for the Euros over the next week (starting tomorrow). With that in mind the Frog wanted to weigh in on who should go, who is on the fringe, who is out and who might be a surprise.

I think that Blanc will lean on a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation, he might even look to apply the "christmas tree" and go with a hybrid 4-3-2-1 that would morph from his 4-3-3. Blanc might also have his group games in mind, with the tasking of facing some physical strikers - Crouch/Carrol and their height or Ibrahimovic combination of height and power. France has always had problems with set pieces and international football is becoming a set piece type game.

Les Bleus will most likely take 3 keepers, 8/9 defenders, 8 midfielders and 4 strikers. There will be some players that could be mid/stk or play defensively or in the midfield.

Goalkeepers:

This is the one position where I think we know who will be heading to Poland/Ukraine.

Lloris is the undisputed #1 and team captain so fairly certain he is going.
Mandanda and Carrasso have done nothing to lose Blanc's faith. Look for Ruffier to get a pre-selection but I think that will be more for Blanc to get some competition and get a look at the keeper.

Defenders:

Rami, Mexes, Evra, Debuchy to me are all locks, and very likely going to be your starting back 4 with Debuchy slotting on the right and Evra on the left. Debuchy will be able to animate the right channel and re-balance the attack that has been very left sided in recent games for France. As I stated in my last post, I think that the Sagna injury, while terrible for the Arsenal man, might be a good thing for France. Makes Debuchy the likely right back, a more offensively skilled player than the former Auxerre right back.

The tricky question becomes who is the cover for the above 4?

Surprise selection for Real youngster?

Blanc will have to pick two amongst the following center backs: Sakho, Koscielny and Kaboul. The PSG man has been relegated to the bench in recent matches and his showing against Lille reminds us why he can be so maddening - poor positioning leads to his foul, red card and PK for Lille. Koscielny has shown well for Arsenal while Kaboul has not be consistent for Tottenham. I think the two center backs from London have the upper hand to get the call.

Now what about the outside backs? There is noise for PSG right back Jallet to get the call but I think that Blanc will reward Reveillere to play second fiddle at right back. On the left side look for Clichy to regain his spot with Les Bleus. Mathieu could make a last minute push, especially because of his ability to also play on the left side of the midfield in a pinch. Another wild card - the youngster from Real Madrid Varane. However, if Blanc had to leverage Varane, at center back I am not sure that he would want to put that responsibility in the hands of a 19 year old. Varane will be invited to Clairefontaine, but will not go to Eastern Europe.

Midfielders:

This is where it gets tricky...let us look at the holding spots first:

M'Vila and Cabaye are in. I also think that Matuidi and Diarra are the other holding players that will be called up. Blanc should lean on the Rennes and Newcastle midfielders to be the steel of the midfield. Matuidi and Diarra used as cover and tactical substitution. Mavuba and Gonalons might get a call to Clairefontaine but again not heading to Eastern Europe. The one big loss will be Diaby, a player that gives Blanc what he would want, a midfielder to link defense and offense.

Offensive midfield: Ribery will man the left...other than than not sure. Nasri will get the call up, whether he is the center midfielder or slotted out right will remain to be seen. That also means, who will called upon to animate the right channel? Menez or Valbuena? Both will be at Clairefontaine, but it might be where Blanc determines which player is given the right side. Ben Arfa should not only get the call but head to Eastern Europe. He is one of the few players that can turn a game on his ability to dribble and score. Also, his understanding with fellow Newcastle teammate Cabaye is something to leverage...





Players that have to prove themselves - Martin who has been a bit on the down side after strong showings for Les Bleus, Malouda who will most likely make it as 2nd fiddle on the left side, Amalfitano would offer more creativity...the big question is Gourcuff. The player that Blanc leaned on while at Bordeaux has not found that form...he has only started playing regularly again for Lyon. He has an outside shot...more because of Blanc's knowledge of the player not from what he is showing currently on the pitch. I would vote for leaving him home, but Blanc might surprise us.

Strikers:

There are some locks here as well - Benzema, Giroud and Remy are all heading to Poland and Ukraine. The question becomes does Blanc look for a 4th striker? Or does he push a Ribery or Menez higher on the pitch if he needs another offensive player? Gameiro and Hourau have been struggling with both form and health, for those reasons I think they are long shots if Blanc selects another striker. Gomis has had a decent season but also long shot. A youth player like Lacazette might make a surprise appearance as well.

We will find out more over the next week. Blanc's core will/should not be a surprise, what will be interesting is who he will take - Valbeuna or Menez? Gourcuff? Who will pull the strings in the midfield? Will there be 4 strikers?

Allez les Bleus!

France out of the Euros...and the England game isn't for another 4 months

Ugh, just when we thought that France had some sanity with the national side and some stability with Laurent Blanc, all seems to be crashing around the team. And the tournament has not even started! All signs point to Le Graet wanting to move on from Blanc once the tournament comes to a conclusion. What happened???

This situation became dicey when the FFF did not want to commit to Laurent Blanc beyond the Euros (that is when his contract runs out). Since he took the role, Blanc has fed the media and others the line that he understood the situation and implied that he should not continue if France fail to show well in Poland/Ukraine. Le Graet recently reiterated that he wants Blanc, but will have to see what happens this summer before committing long term. Of course this has all degenerated in recent days and now it appears that Blanc and Le Graet have reached an impasse. The FFF is now claiming that Blanc is not working with the federation, that he has too big a staff, that Blanc is a prima dona with his own PR team etc...and that since no one (supposedly even Blanc) think France will do anything this summer, maybe not even get out of the group stage, it is time to think ahead. Again...WHAT IS GOING ON!!! After going through the disaster that was Domenech that we endured for THREE tournaments, the fact we finally have someone who commands respect, has the team on the right track and is giving some promise why are we looking to sack him before we have even reached Valentines Day?

From the outside it appears that La Graet wants to put his stamp on the FFF and Blanc is not allowing him to stamp what he wants. Does Blanc have an ego? I am sure he does...what manager at this level doesn't...Mouinho anyone, Wenger, SAF, Klinsmann, list goes on...

Barthez is being paid 90,000 Euros a year, if that is the problem tell Blanc to get rid of him, don't cut your nose to spite your face. Blanc has a PR person. Again is that a fire-able offense? Blanc certainly appears responsive to all the FFF press demands, if his ego needs his own PR then so be it, maybe he is just a good businessman. I understand that no one should be bigger than the federation and nation, but these are fixable issues. Don't leverage these as reasons for telling your manager to take a hike in July!

If Le Graet wants to put his stamp on the FFF, give Blanc a vote of confidence - allow him to be prepared for the Euros by knowing he has a contract to get through to the World Cup. France need to focus on a two tournament strategy, with Brazil 2014 as the main objective for this cycle (with Euro 2016 being in France). A nation like France cannot "take off" any Euro, but it cannot also be so myopic as jettisoning a successful manager at the first sign of "issues."

Beware what you wish for - Les Bleus draw host nation again

Ooof oooof ooooof, so France avoided the really big fish in the shapes of Spain, Holland and Germany. They even missed the likes of Portugal and Croatia...so why does this group still make me nervous? It might be the fact that France head into the group as a co-favorite if not the favorite to finish top of the group. Gasp. Remember when France was drawn in what appeared to be an "easy" group for the South Africa world cup? Too bad the ended up in dead last of that group, after scoring one goal and securing one whole point...

So the French will face the following group and schedule:

Monday 11 June 2012
#7: FRA v ENG, 18.00CET, Donetsk
#8: UKR v SWE, 20.45CET, Kyiv

Friday 15 June 2012
#15: SWE v ENG, 20.45CET, Kyiv
#16: UKR v FRA, 18.00CET, Donetsk

Tuesday 19 June 2012
#23: ENG v UKR, 20.45CET, Donetsk
#24: SWE v FRA, 20.45CET, Kyiv

In a good way, facing their historical rival England in the first match will force Les Bleus to be on top of their game from game 1. Based on France's recent history as well as the fact England will be without their best player - Rooney - gives Les Bleus a decent chance to come out with at least a point. Facing the host Ukraine in the second game will be tough, it is never easy to play a host especially in the caldron of Donestek (Ukraine's heart of club football). Sweden will not be an easy opponent for the final game.

France have played well against all three nations they will face - defeating England 2-1 last year, won 4-1 in Kiev and lost to Sweden oh wait that was in the woman's world cup. Les Bleus have a winnable group, but at the least need to finish second. Granted I would be simply happy to see France win a group game after going 0-4-2 in the last two major tournaments. Lloris has already "punted" and put all the pressure on England saying they are the clear cut favorites. Good move Hugo! Deflect the attention!!

Belgium game ... for how many places?

Unfortunately I was not able to watch the US - France game, the irony is I was in Paris on the 11th, but flew home that afternoon. Went through London...where the plane had technical issues therefore sat in London for an unexpected evening. I was hoping the game would be on, but understandably Sky Sports carried the Portugal v Bosnia and Ireland v Estonia from the first round of play-off. I did see the highlights of the France match, but did not see enough to provide any deep comments. Hopefully I will get a chance to watch it on ESPN3. Of course there is another match this coming Tuesday against a bigger fish - Belgium. I am sure Blanc will look to get as close to his A side as possible against a talented but underachieving Diable Rouge side. Of course the biggest question becomes which players get more time to make a statement ahead of next year's Euros?

Getting ready for a tour of Eastern Europe

So squads will carry 23 players to Poland/Ukraine, I am sure that Blanc has a list for his "core." But there remains a handful of spots open that will be up and this game will go a long way for certain players. First those players I think are part of the core:

Keepers, this is cemented. Short of injury or massive drop in form the three keepers heading to the Euros: Lloris, Mandanda and Carasso.

On defense, I think the following are assured a spot - Rami, Mexes, Abidal, Evra and Sagna.

Midfield will include - Nasri, M'Vila, Cabaye, Ribery and Malouda.

Up front look for Benzema, Gameiro and Remy to be heading to the Euros.

So that means 16 spots assured, 7 to fill.

• Defense: Assuming Mexes - Rami is back in form, Abidal will slot left and Sagna back on the right (although I think that is not 100% certain) regardless, Sagna will be on the roster. Evra will be the second choice left back. That leaves a right back and most likely 2 central defenders:
• For me Debuchy has a leg up on Reveilliere for the second RB slot. The Lille fullback gives a more offensive option for Blanc.
• Sakho and Kaboul will find their way on the roster, the Gunner Koscielny will be odd man out, but could come down to him and his Tottenham rival Kaboul for that last center back slot.
• Mathieu might have an outside shot at getting back into the squad - especially if Blanc decides to take one less CB and lean on Abidal as an option for center back, so having another natural left back would be cover in that situation, and one that could also play left midfield.
• Outside looking in - Clichy and Koscielny
• Midfield: M'Vila and Cabaye look very likely to be your holding/defensive midfielders, Ribery and Malouda will share left winger duty with Nasri either centrally slotted or playing wide right. So there remain a number of questions to answer - playmaker, holding midfield and right sided player:
• Central/creative midfielder looks like it will fall on Martin's shoulders, since his explosive debut, he has steadily shown an ability to animate the game when on the pitch.
• Right side to me will still be Menez, even though Valbuena has an outside shot. Menez can be maddening, disappointing at times and other times slicing through defenses with ease.
• Gourcuff will make his come back, I was debating on whether or not the pretty boy of France football would be left at home. But I just do not see other options for the play making role. Now the OL player might not find himself in the starting line up, but having him available might be too valuable to leave at home.
• I think Blanc will lean on his former captain - Diarra - over Matuidi as his last midfielder to provide some length and defensive acumen.
• Outside looking in - Matuidi, Valbuena, N'Zogbia, Payet, Diaby (will we ever see him healthy enough?) and Gonalons
• Stikers: Benzema is clearly top of the pyramid, with Gameiro and Remy apt understudies. Remy gives Blanc the flexibility of slotting him on the right side. However Blanc will need one more striker - the likes of Ribery and Menez could also be labelled as strikers.
• Blanc will surprise and bring freshly capped Giroud to the Euros. I think there is a reason why Blanc gave the co-leading goal scorer of Ligue 1 a look friday - he is not convinced that his other options are that great: Cisse, Gomis, Hourau and the like have not excited Blanc. Hourau has not started training again, so difficult to see him get enough time to prove himself. Gomis has not seemed to give enough the few chances he has been granted with France and Cisse is maddeningly inconsistent.
• Outside looking in - Gomis, Hourau, Cisse and Anelka (he has served his 75 game suspension!)

Of course all this depends on health and form. The game on Tuesday will give those on the bubble more time to convince Blanc they deserve a spot on the plane next summer to Eastern Europe.

Allez les Bleus.

Lloris the captain...by default

Laurent Blanc has long avoided the question of who will become the captain for France. Instead he has rotated his captains amongst - Lloris, Mexes, Diarra, Abidal and Malouda (I might have forgotten one...). The latest to get the arm band on a regular basis is Lloris. The Lyon keeper does not necessarily fit the profile. His talent is unquestionable, but he is a quiet leader. It does appear that he is becoming the choice for captain, a but by default.

• Malouda - he is one of the players that experienced the Berlin final in 2006, but he is not a clear starter (Ribery offers competition for the left wing slot).
• Diarra - Blanc's captain while at Bordeaux but also not a clear starter for the French, plus his form has dipped as of late. Difficult to give him the arm band when you do not always pencil him in to the starting 11.
• Abidal - some lingering South African clouds hang over the Barcelona defender. When healthy, he is a clear starter either on the left or in the center of the defense. But cannot seem to entirely shake that legacy from South Africa.
• Mexes - I believe that the former AS Roma defender could have a strong case for wearing the arm band. In a strange way the manner in which he was handled by Dumenech makes him a great candidate - a player who has great ability but who understands what it means to fight through adversity. Unfortunately with his knee injury he has been sidelined allowing others to gain ground.

For the time being it appears that Lloris is the choice to wear the arm band, I think that he is a reluctant captain and the reality is he is holding the role until a true team leader emerges - M'Vila?

France v Bosnia, comes down to this...

 Okay maybe I am being a bit dramatic...but it really should not have come down to this. When France went to Bosnia and came out with a 2-0 victory, I was convinced that Les Bleus would be in the drivers seat going into Tuesday's last game of qualifiers. I realize that France is not in danger of pulling a "1993" when they had two home games, only needing a point and lost both matches thereby eliminating a solid team from going to World Cup 1994 (they had the likes of Petit, Ginola, Cantona, Papin, Deschamps, Desailly and a certain Laurent Blanc...looking back that was a stacked team). I think it would have been interesting to see Cantona/Papin on the US pitches during the tournament, alas we will never know what could have been.



Painful to watch....and what WHAT was Ginola doing crossing the ball??? Just dribble to the corner and look for Bulgaria to foul you!!! I also love the fact Bulgarian TV had the wrong score on the screen....even more painful!

But back to the present.

France did the necessary by defeating Albania last Friday ensuring at least being able to head to a home-away against another second place team, but do we really want to go there? I certainly do not. France head into the match knowing they only need a draw and they will win the group. But I think this might be disadvantageous for Les Bleus. Bosnia have nothing to lose, if they draw or lose they go to the knock out round, France finish first of the group. So why not go for the win, throw caution to the wind, you are playing on the road put the pressure on the hosts. This is why this match is going to prove to be a stern test for Blanc and his team. Can he ensure his players stay aggressive, focused and within the situation? If the games is level late will the French try to milk the clock looking for a draw?

I think that Blanc and the team are up for the task, they know that they do not want to open the doors to any comparison to the Domenech side that got to the World Cup via the back door and in dubious fashion. So how will Blanc approach this match, he appears to have Gameiro back in the fold as well as Abidal. Might he revert back to his usual 4-2-3-1, giving his midfield more defensive muscle? Or go back to a 4-3-3 which worked very well away to Bosnia where he actually put out 3 holding players - Diarra, Diaby and M'Vila. Based on what is reported from Clairefontaine it remains a mystery.

The man to watch for Bosnia

From what appears coming from training session, we can expect the back line to have Evra on the left, Reveillere on the right with Abidal and Rami in the central pairing. Of course Lloris in goal. The trick now becomes the rest of the formation. I think that Blanc will revert back to his 4-2-3-1, he will look to stabilize the midfield, try to choke off the service to Dzeko who is the main threat for Bosnia. Clamp down on the likes of Pjanic and co. I see M'Vila and Diarra having the holding responsibilities and Cabaye preferred to Nasri, even though the former had a stellar game against Albania. With Malouda left and Remy right, Gameiro or Cisse up front. I would see the former up front over Cisse...why? Because this formation can quickly morph into a 4-3-3 with Cabaye dropping deeper, Malouda and Remy pushing up high to work in tandem with the striker - Gameiro who is better in this system than Cisse.

This would allow Blanc to have 3 midfielders who can work the midfield, maintain possession and look to spring the wingers, with Gameiro ready to pounce in the penalty area. If Blanc is chasing a goal, he can insert Nasri to take up the right side, push Remy higher, or even have Nasri slot in the middle and have Valbuena come in for the right.

What Blanc fears, and rightfully so, is the Bosnian midfield getting the space needed to feed Dzeko who can be an absolute handful.

I look for a tense match, both teams will not want to back down. Bosnia will score first, but France will counter and find a late winner. France 2 (Malouda, Nasri) - Bosnia 1 (Dzeko)

Allez les Bleus!

France v Albania...some thoughts...a few days late!

I am remiss to have not had the time to post some thoughts on the France v Albania match from last Friday. It turned out to be a relatively easy victory for Les Bleus: 3-0, a score that one would expect when teams such as these meet. Some quick thoughts:

The Good:

• Have to start with Samir Nasri, the Citizen has come under tremendous criticism as of late for his showings wearing the French stripe, and they have been deserved. He has not been able to replicate his Premier league form for France. Even being benched for the match away to Romania. However a new and apparently more at ease Nasri showed up this time around. He openly joked with the media about the scrutiny he was being placed under. Clearly this new attitude served him well as he played one of his better matches for France. He appeared more comfortable given the responsibility to manage the right channel.  He frequently cut back to the middle, dropped deep when he needed and even lend a hand defensively, no better image of that than seeing him at the top of the French penalty box late into the game when France were already ahead 3-0 working hard to win a ball. The goal by Remy was created by Nasri who shed no less than 4 Albania defenders who all were trying to take down the Manchester City player, he broke into the penalty area gave a neat little fake to draw the defenders before laying off a sumptuous little through ball on the running Remy. Blanc expressed his happiness with the way Nasri played, now it is up to the former Marseilles and Arsenal midfielder to build on this showing - if he does that is great for Les Bleus.
• 14 caps and he is only 21, clearly M'Vila is one of Blanc's core players that he mentioned when took over Les Bleus. He was the metronome for France, sitting comfortably infront of the back 4, providing an outlet for the midfield when they found themselves in trouble and being a defensive rock when need be. With M'Vila, Blanc might have the luxury of playing with only one pure holding/defensive midfielder, similar to what Spain did in 2008 with Senna.
• Remy is starting to come into his own as a footballer. His pace on the flank was something Albania had no answers for, he created the first goal by simply running by the defense event thought they were giving him a very healthy cushion. His goal was cheeky as he nutmegged the keeper and his work rate on the flank kept Albania on their back heel. One has to wonder what will happen with Ribery returns healthy, will Blanc look to unleash Remy on the right wing and Ribery on the left? 
• Scoring early...cliche I realize, but one cannot overstate how vital it was for France to score early in this match. Against a team like Albania, you always get a bit concerned if you take too long to score that first goal. The longer the underdog keeps a clean sheet the greater their confidence grows and more stern their defending...and you can always get the "hold up" as we saw earlier in these qualifiers as Belarus sprung a late goal to take the full 3 points from France.
• The crowd at Stade de France, recently the crowd at the Stade de France have been fickle, and with reason. They have booed the team and when Dumbenech was still there chanted requests for the coach to resign (something I wholeheartedly supported!). But this match there was something different the supporters backed up the team, the enthusiasm reverberated through out the stadium - even giving Cisse many standing ovations (he used to get booed!).

The Bad:

•  French injuries, you never want to see them but you know they will occur but seeing Evra and Cabaye having to sub off due to injury is not good. With a big match coming up you want to keep what you have intact, especially since France are already "under - manned" due to injuries. Something to keep an eye on, especially since Evra and Abidal might be out, interesting to see who could be slotted in at left back.
• Speaking of Belarus...coming down to the last game with qualification riding on the line is BAD, especially considering France dropped FIVE points to Belarus! A draw at home and a loss on the road are nothing but BAD BAD BAD...border line UGLY. I realize that France and Bosnia are both guaranteed to "play on" one will win the group the other will be put into home and away fixtures against another group runner up.  Now granted, France would go into the #1 Pot if they fail to win the group and therefore most likely miss potential opponents such as Belgium/Turkey, Croatia or Denmark (based on current standings)...but why go through that stress...remember France v Ireland to get to World Cup 2010?

The Ugly:

• Did anyone get the number of that Albanian tackling machine? The Eastern Europeans clearly lived up to their reputations as a tough side, but some of their tackles were border line criminal. 
• The Albanian keeper - Ujkani - did not cover himself in glory. Granted his defense at times let him down and trying to stop point blank shots isn't always easy. But he was beaten between the legs and to the short side...granted I have given up my fair share of goals in this manner but I have never represented my country! Ugly goals...

Overall happy to see the win, Les Bleus did what they should have done - beaten Albania with relative ease. Now onwards to the "mini final" against Bosnia...

No surprises - Blanc leans on a 4-4-2

France will come out in a 4-4-2 against Albania with a very offensively minded midfield. With injuries to the likes of Benzema, Gameiro, Abidal, Mexes, Ribery and Sagna, the team will have a very different look. Something that might be somewhat concerning heading into two matches that must be won.

The line up:

Le onze tricolore : 
Lloris (c) - Debuchy, Rami, Kaboul, Evra - M'Vila, Cabaye, Nasri, Malouda - Rémy, Gomis

Remplaçants : Mandanda, Cissé, Martin, Ménez, Réveillère, Diarra, Koscielny

Lloris once again gets the armband, more by default in this line up, he himself has admitted he is not the type to seek being the captain. Overall it is a very offensive minded line up, with the likes of Evera and Debuchy likely to push high up the pitch giving the team some width. It will be interesting to see if the formation morphs at times to a 4-3-3 with Malouda pushing higher up the field and whether or not Nasri will have some free reign to slide more to the center of the park.

Les Bleus should win this game, setting up the final match against Bosnia for the #1 spot in the group.

France 3 - Albania 0
Nasri (2), Gomis

Allez les Bleus!!!!

France going with a new right back...surprise surprise

The latest news from Clairefontaine is that the LOSC right back, Debuchy, will be slotted to start at right back, over Reveillere (Sagna is out injured). It is a bit of a surprise that Blanc will go with a player earning his first cap to slot him in a big game, granted it is against Albania, but there is no room for error.

Otherwise it appears the starting line up will resemble what has been reported for the past few days. Question becomes does the formation look like a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-3 or even a 4-2-3-1...will Remy stay high on the pitch to shoulder Gomis or drop deeper, and will Malouda slot high to give 3 across the top? The final question is does Blanc go with a more attacking midfield with Martin or stay defensive with Cabaye or Diarra? If you see Martin in the midfield then we are looking at a very offensive minded 4-3-3 with Martin, M'Vila and Nasri in the middle, Remy, Gomis and Malouda up top.

I think Blanc should opt for such a formation, we are playing Albania...France should be able to win and do so easily at home, get out and there and put the offensive pressure on the Eastern Europeans from the start!

The rumors were correct - Blanc turns over his starters

5 of his starting 11 will be different this afternoon when France face Romania. Granted, two of the changes are due to players returning from sickness in the case of Sagna or from suspension in the case of Rami. The other 3 are strategic changes made by Le President.

The starting line up:

Le onze français :
Lloris – Sagna, Rami, Abidal, Evra – Cabaye, M’Vila, Martin – Valbuena, Benzema, Ribéry
 
Remplaçants :
Mandanda, Koscielny, Nasri, Réveillère, Malouda, Diarra, Rémy

Not a big surprise in seeing Nasri sit, he has been given his chances but failed to impress, now it is Martin's turn to see he can finally find the maestro Les Bleus have been missing. Question becomes what happens if and when Gourcuff returns to health and form? Or has the train left the station when it comes to the Lyon play maker?

Cabaye with M'Vila is interesting as well, not that the Newcastle midfielder does not warrant a chance in the midfield, but more the fact Blanc starts his former Bordeaux captain - Diarra, and gives him the arm band, and then sits him. One would hope that the player that most readily gets the arm band would also be one of the core players on your roster.

On the right, I am glad to see Blanc giving "Le Petit Velo" his chance again. I feel every time Valbuena has been given a chance for France he has taken full advantage of it. The fact he is a natural right winger doesn't hurt either!

One aspect to watch is without Diarra on the pitch, Blanc has sacrificed some size, this might play a role on set pieces in particular defending them. Something France have not been very good at as of late.

Les Bleus escape Romania with a draw. France have trouble with the Romanians and they will be inaugurating a new stadium as well giving the home team and crowd a huge boost.

France 1 - Romania 1
Benzema scores again for Les Bleus

Allez Les Bleus!

The right wing - why so many problems for France?

Against Albania, Laurent Blanc decided to slot one of his left wingers on the right side. Unlike during the 2006 World Cup where the new kid on the block Ribery was slotted right with Malouda left, Blanc flip flopped these two against Albania. But why? Unlike under Domenech, Blanc has placed natural right wingers on his roster - Valbuena, Menez and Remy. So why do you have to try to force a left winger on the right side?

Valbuena strikes in Wembley

Blanc needs to put the best line up and the best players on the pitch. Is Malouda better than the likes of Menez, Valbuena or Remy on the pitch let alone out on the right side? Not sure. When all three mentioned right wingers have been given time on the pitch they have all shown what they can do - all positive. Is Blanc trying to placate the old guard? Is there a fear of an undertone of rebellion? I hope not. My sense is that Malouda is a professional and if he has to site and watch Ribery on the left then he will be fine. If he is not, then drop him from the squad.

Blanc could even slot a Nari on the right, give the central midfield baton to Martin, might make the Manchester City player more at ease with less "responsibility" of being the French #10. Heading into the Romania match I would like to see the following -

Slot Abidal back to the left, insert Rami back with Kaboul in the center of the defense. M'Vila deserves to start, he is rapidly becoming one of the core players for Blanc. Diarra can shoulder him again, if Blanc decides to continue with his "muscled" midfield. The three attacking midfielders - Ribery on the left, Nasri in the middle (give him another shot at pulling the strings) and Valbuena on the right. I think the "petit velo" should be allowed to run at Romania on the right, with his pace on the right it would be a scary compliment for the pace of Ribery on the left. With Benzema up front and of course Lloris in goal, another 2 key core players for Blanc.

Let's stop trying to tinker with the right wing and just start one of the many true right winger options Blanc has at his disposal!

Allez les Bleus.

Blanc plays it safe - 1 nil to Les Bleus?

The biggest concern for Le President is who will be his right back, as Sagna is recovering from an infection. The Gunner cannot go, then the Lyon right back  - Reveillere will most like slot in on the right side of the defense. Not a big drop off since the Lyon player has regularly seen action for Les Bleus.

The other news for Les Bleus is that it appears Blanc will opt for "ole faithful" the 4-2-3-1. With the following:

Lloris
Evra - Kaboul, Abidal - Reveillere/Sagna
Diarra - M'Vila
Ribery - Nasri - Malouda
Benzema

Malouda will apparently slot to the right wing, which is a bit of a surprise to me considering Blanc has three natural right wingers on his roster - Menez, Valbuena and Remy. His two left sided players will be on the pitch at the same time - Ribery and Malouda. It would appear that starting both might limit his options or perhaps he assumes he will take out Ribery and slot Malouda on the left and bring in a right wing or just swap Malouda for a right wing. It just appears a bit forced to me that he has moved Malouda to the right side. Now it could be that with Reveillere as the right back, Blanc will hope that he and his former Lyon teammate, Malouda, have some degree of understanding. Couple this with the fact Malouda has greater defensive discipline that the other options at right wing, and Revelliere tends to push high on the pitch, Blanc maybe looking for a more defensively disciplined right side.

I am a bit surprised at the very defensive minded formation - 2 true holding midfielders - that Blanc appears to be favoring. Granted he might be thinking that if he can play this formation and score a goal on Albania, that he then has options to switch to a more defensive formation later on to protect the lead, or just rotate offensive players, knowing he has a strong defensive core. Alternatively, if he is chasing a goal after 60 minutes he could easily bring in a Martin for one of the holding players and switch to a hybrid Spanish: 4-1-4-1. Or even swap out Malouda for a Gameiro and push up higher on the pitch.

Les Bleus should win this match regardless of a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-1-4-1, but I do not think the match will be easy. France have never found away trips to Albania to be picnics. Assume the pitch will be heavy, the supporters boisterous and the competition tough.

France 2 - Albania 0
Goals from Ribery and Benzema

Allez Les Bleus!!!

Les Bleus get ready for Euro qualifiers - the home stretch

Ok maybe not the home stretch, but these next two games will go a long way in determining if France will be present next summer at the Euros. France are sitting in a good position, but they should not assume the qualification is in the bag at all.

Group D

			Home			Away			Total
	Teams	P	W	D	L	W	D	L	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	Pts
1	France	6	2	0	1	2	1	0	4	1	1	9	2	7	13
2	Belarus	7	2	2	0	1	1	1	3	3	1	6	2	4	12
3	Bosnia and Herzegovina	6	2	0	1	1	1	1	3	1	2	8	7	1	10
4	Romania	6	2	1	0	0	1	2	2	2	2	8	6	2	8
5	Albania	6	2	1	0	0	1	2	2	2	2	4	6	-2	8
6	Luxembourg	7	0	1	2	0	0	4	0	1	6	1	13	-12	1

France are a point up on Belarus, but with a game in hand. Bosnia still remains a threat, only 3 points back and with the last game of qualifiers in Paris, any slip up by Les Bleus and Bosnia could pull to the head of the pack. Forcing a decisive last game in Paris. With away matches at Albania and Romania upcoming, how France fare will determine whether or not we will have to sweat out the remaining matches or whether Blanc will be able to leverage those matches as preparation for the Euros.

First the the list from Blanc:

Lloris, Mandanda, Carrasso
Abidal, Evra, Kaboul, Rami, Koscielny, Rami, Réveillère, Sagna
Cabaye, A. Diarra, M’Vila, Malouda, Martin, Matuidi, Nasri, Valbuena
Benzema, Gameiro, Hoarau, Ménez, Ribéry, Rémy

No real surprises. As Blanc stated these are qualifiers, so not the time to start tinkering with the roster or adding players who are seen in better form than others.  What Blanc also spoke of, was to expect these two games to be tough, physical matches. Similar to what France went through against Bosnia. Does this shed some light on what could be a 4-3-3? Considering Blanc will also be without his central defensive pairing of Rami-Mexes. Mexes remains on the shelf recovering from injury and Rami is suspended for the Albania match. He might look to add even more muscle to his midfield and protect his back 4.

Based on the Chile match, I think we will see Sagna, Kaboul, Abidal, Evra on the back line. A 3 man midfield - ADiarra, Martin and M'Vila. A three man attacking formation - Malouda/Ribery on the left, Benzema up front and Remy on the right. Might also be seen as a 4-2-3-1, but I think Blanc will look to have Martin play much deeper. Without a healthy Diaby, I do not think Blanc can slot 3 holding midfielders in the 4-3-3.

Blanc must expect to deal with two physical teams and will need to counter with his own tougher midfield and look to get goals on the break or from a deep counter. We will be able to get a sense as the team starts to train ahead of the matches.

Allez les Bleus

Les Bleus opting for an attacking formation for Chile match

Surprise surprise, Blanc announces what appears to be a very offensive minded formation! What appears to be a 4-3-3 could really be seen as a hybrid Spanish formation: 4-1-4-1. A very offensive midfield.

The line up: Lloris - Sagna, Kaboul, Abidal (cap.), Clichy - Mvila, Martin - Rémy, Nasri, Malouda - Benzema.

No surprise at the back, with the absence of France's first choice central defensive pairing, Blanc opts for what appears as his most steady combination. Sagna and Clichy are natural choices on the flanks, especially with Abidal being asked to slot in the center and Evra having sat out.

Also no surprise that we see Benzema up front, based on his recent form as well it should be interesting to see if he can find some goals for Les Bleus. Here is the surprise for me - Martin, Nari, Malouda and Remy with only M'Vila as your natural holding player. That quartet of offensive midfielders looks to do what Spain does so well - keep possession. While I realize you can line up Martin deep, next to M'Vila, he is really more offensively geared. Now his talents can be leveraged to spring counter attacks from deep as well as be a late runner into the offensive actions. The formation could also swing to a 4-1-3-2 with Remy pushing up high on the right flank to shoulder Benzema.

It should be interesting to see how the game and team evolve during the match. Clearly Blanc is not afraid to try new formations and look to get his best players on the pitch, good for him. Unlike the previous regime, who stuck to one formation whether in the middle of a World Cup game, qualifier or friendly.

This should be very insightful.

Allez les Bleus

La Rentree, back to work - Blanc calls up his 23 for the Chile match August 10th.

Laurent Blanc has called up 23 players for next week's friendly against Chile. Not too many surprises, the list:

GARDIENS : Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Cédric Carrasso (Bordeaux).

DEFENSEURS : Eric Abidal (Barcelone), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Younès Kaboul (Tottenham), Adil Rami (Valence), Mamadou Sakho (Paris-SG), Anthony Réveillère (Lyon), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal).

MILIEUX : Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle), Alou Diarra (Marseille), Yann M'Vila (Rennes), Florent Malouda (Chelsea), Marvin Martin (Sochaux), Blaise Matuidi (Paris-SG), Samir Nasri (Arsenal).

ATTAQUANTS : Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Kevin Gameiro (Paris-SG), Guillaume Hoarau (Paris-SG), Jérémy Ménez (Paris-SG), Loïc Rémy (Marseille), Dimitri Payet (Lille).

The one "surprise" is no Ribery and Payet is back in the line up. Ribery is slowly recovering from an ankle injury so not really a surprise that he was left at home. Blanc has called up a number of players that work the wide channels on the pitch - Malouda, Menez, Remy and Payet. Arguably Nasri can also play on the wide side, and really only one pure central offensive midfielder - Martin. with Gourcuff still on the shelf, this is really the Sochaux play makers time to make his mark on Les Bleus. Also there is no Mexes due to injury, so it will be interesting to see how Blanc navigates his central defensive pairing.

It will be interesting to see how Blanc works his formation, I have a feeling we will see Blanc lean on the 4-2-3-1 and look to place Martin in the middle of the formation. Blanc will have to be thinking ahead to the start of qualifiers with tricky away ties against Albania and Romania. Blanc will need to focus on the following 3 potential problems prior to the Euro matches:

1. Central defense - with Mexes recovering from knee surgery who will shoulder Rami? Kaboul? Sakho? The PSG captain was seen as the natural replacement, however his last few matches for France have not infused tremendous confidence while the Tottenham man has surprised with his form.  I am sure that Blanc will give both players 45 minutes with Rami to see who makes the most sense.
2. Who will be the playmaker - the natural choices are Martin or Nasri, or will Blanc look a particular formation that will dictate where the play making comes from? Might he go back to a 4-3-3 and look for 3 more defensive minded midfielders and look for his wide players to provide the offensive creative play? The 4-3-3 worked well in Bosnia but Blanc has not looked to play this since that match.
3. Where will the goals come from - Benzema appears to have the lone striker role sewn up, especially since reports are he is the best shape of his playing career. However Gameiro was very influential in the last matches for France and could offer a different look up front. Les Bleus and Blanc still need to work out the front of their formation and where they will get a regular stream of goals.

For the match against Chile I see the following: Blanc will go with a 4-2-3-1 for part of the match. Look for the following starting line up:

Lloris - Abidal, Rami, Sakho, Sagna - ADiarra, M'Vila - Malouda, Nasri, Menez - Benzema

I see Kaboul getting 45 minutes for either Rami or Sakho, but I have a feeling the Tottenham man will spend a good part of his time partnered with Rami. I would also expect to see Martin spend some time in the middle of the formation as well as a potential 4-3-3 with a front line of Malouda - Benzema - Menez and a midfield where Martin might slot deeper or Cabaye partnered with M'Vila and Diarra. Finally, look for Gameiro to get some time up front either as the lone striker or in the high line of three in a 4-3-3.

Chile will prove to be a good challenge for Les Bleus. The South American side will be a stern test and will be interesting to see how they line up after a Copa America  and will the likes of Sanchez line up?

I do fear a rather bland game, most players will be still in the middle of their preseason training. But this match and its lead up will be vital for Blanc as he gets ready to finish out Euro qualifiers. Another interesting note - 5 players from PSG! That was usually the case back in the 1980s, but such a strong showing from PSG has not been seen a long time (granted 3 of those players just signed with the club - Gameiro, Matuidi and Menez)

Allez les Bleus.

France v Poland: Welcome to some new faces

No surprise, but Laurent Blanc announced that the players he has not used over the past 2 matches will start for the final friendly before the summer break: Carrasso in goal, N'Zogbia and Valbuena in midfield and Hourau at striker. Question remains who else will start and what formation with Blanc look to leverage?

I have a feeling he will lean on a 4-4-2 or a 4-2-3-1. I am not sure he wants to have Hourau as the lone striker so look for the former to be employed. N'Zogbia wide left with Valbuena on the right, the central midfield I could see Martin coupled with Matuidi, M'Vila or maybe even Cabaye. The front two will be Hourau and Gameiro, with the defense similar to the last match. Get Sakho another run out in the center of defense with Kaboul as his partner. Reveillere and Evra holding the wide roles. Finally Carrasso in goal. A more offensive leaning formation, which will place an increased amount of pressure on whomever is the holding midfielder.

It will be interesting to see how Martin does after his coming out party against Ukraine. Let us hope he can build upon his showing.

Allez les Bleus.

Les Bleus head to a week of friendlies

So Les Bleus will head into the two matches this week limping into the summer break. After a lackluster 1-1 draw away to Belarus, I will admit I was not able to watch due to travel but I will do so and provide a write up later this week, Les Bleus still sit atop Group D. With a 4 point lead over second place Belarus, and 6 points over Bosnia (the nation most likely to push France, they also have a game in hand so really that is a 3 point lead over Bosnia), France look like their path to the Euros remains on strong footing. Granted Les Bleus still face tricky ties home and away to Albania, away to Romania and home to Bosnia.

With two matches against Euro co-hosts Poland and Ukraine, it will be interesting to see how Blanc plays these matches. Based on his comments we should expect some turn over of his roster allowing fringe players to be granted an opportunity to show what they can do on the pitch as well as giving the starters some much needed time off.

What can we expect from the line ups? I full expect to see the likes of Kaboul, Gameiro, Matuidi, Sakho and Cabaye given every opportunity to show to Le President what they are capable of. Players such as Menez, Remy and M'Vila will also be given time, however there roles with Les Bleus I believe is clear to Blanc. Also look for Mandanda and Carrasso to get time in goal.

For today's game versus the Ukraine, look for the following formation:

Mandanda - Réveillère, Kaboul, Sakho, Evra - Cabaye, M'Vila, Matuidi - Rémy, Gameiro, Menez.

An entirely new defense, it will be interesting to see how Kaboul-Sakho works out in central defense, there remains an open competition for who will be the second pairing after Rami-Mexes. Koscielny will also remain in the wings. If Blanc does go with this 4-3-3 it will be interesting to see how the midfield trio of Cabaye-M'Vila-Matuidi perform: you could consider all three as "box to box" midfielders, high work rates, great engines - question becomes which one assumes a more offensive role? Or will Blanc look to his wide players, Remy and Menez, to drop deeper and provide the offensive link between the back and Gameiro? I could see this formation looking a bit like an old Italina "Christmas Tree" or a 4-3-2-1. Gameiro on the last defender with Menez and Remy dropping deeper when need be, the midfield trio destroying any Ukrainian offense. The wide backs will also look to push up the pitch and provide extra width.

It will be interesting to see, if this is the formation that Blanc goes with today, who will play end of week against Poland. I would not be surprised if we saw Blanc going back to a 4-2-3-1 for that match, looking to roll out N'Zogbia on the left, Martin in the middle and Valbuena on the right, give Gamerio another match at the top of the formation, select two of the three defensive midfielders from the Ukraine match (probably Matuidi and M'Vila) and roll out a similar back line.

Speaking of Matuidi, a nice piece of goal scoring from the ASSE midfielder.



The players are on the verge of a much needed break, I hope we get to see the new faces for Les Bleus, two good matches and no injuries!

Allez les Bleus!!!

Les Bleus sticking with old faithful

Ahead of tomorrows game versus Belarus, it would appear that Laurent Blanc will go with old faithful - the 4-2-3-1. His statements around Cisse shed some insight into his leaning towards using just a single high striker. First the expected starting line up:


Lloris - Sagna, Rami, Sakho, Abidal - A. Diarra, Diaby - Malouda, Nasri, Ribéry - Benzema.

No surprise in goal or at the striker role. What is interesting, and nothing short of amazing is the fact Abidal will be on the pitch. A few months after having surgery he will be taking his post on the left for France. The other surprise is the inclusion of Diaby who missed much of the end of the Arsenal season. With the likes of M'Vila, Matuidi or Cabaye available, it was interesting to see Diaby tapped as a starter. I have never hidden my support for Diaby, but I will admit that he is maddeningly frustrating as a player both due to his constant injury bug as well as his sometimes apparent lack of progress in his game. Like Benzema he seems to have found his stride under Blanc. The other aspect to watch - how will the midfield function with Ribery on the right? The Kaiser has apparently tempered himself when it comes to constantly lobbying to be on the left of the formation. However, based on his past performances, he is clearly better and more dangerous coming off the left wing. With the likes of Menez and Valbuena available, I am a bit surprised that Blanc would force fit Ribery on the right.

Could we see a tactical move in the second half, take off Malouda, slot Ribery back to the left and bring on a fresh right winger - Valbuena or Menez to run at the Belarus defense? Which makes sense, but why not put in a Menez on the right from the get go? Keep Malouda or Ribery on the bench as an option late for the left, gives you more substitution flexibility.

Finally, it will be good to see the PSG center back Sakho get some run.

Blanc might have a last minute twist for us, but the above line up would seem to make sense based on his recent outings.

Allez les Bleus

Blanc comments on Cisse and Payet - sheds some light into potential formation

Laurent Blanc made some comments on the likes of Gourcuff, Payet and Landreau. Basically stating that none of these players have been written off for Les Bleus. The most interesting comment came around Cisse:

«On suit également ses performances. Mais il faut un équilibre. On a déjà deux buteurs, dans un système qui n'en utilise qu'un seul. On ne va pas l'appeler juste pour lui faire plaisir. Mais la porte n'est pas fermée.»

"We already have two goal scorers, in a system that only requires one..." I guess that means we should see Les Bleus evolving in a 4-2-3-1!

Blanc announces his list for upcoming internationals - Martin the new face to the mix

This morning, Laurent Blanc announced his list of players that he will leverage in France's upcoming matches. France will face Belarus in Euro qualifiers and then play 2 friendly matches against Euro 2012 hosts: Poland and Ukraine. It will give Les Bleus an Eastern European test to go into the summer break!

First of all the list:

Gardiens : Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Cédric Carrasso (Bordeaux)
Défenseurs : Eric Abidal (Barcelone/ESP), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal/ANG), Adil Rami (Lille), Mamadou Sakho (Paris-SG), Patrice Evra (Manchester United/ANG), Anthony Réveillère (Lyon), Younes Kaboul (Tottenham/ANG)
Milieux: Alou Diarra (Bordeaux), Blaise Matuidi (Saint-Etienne), Yohan Cabaye (Lille), Yann Mvila (Rennes), Florent Malouda (Chelsea/ANG), Abou Diaby (Arsenal/ANG), Jérémy Menez (AS Rome/ITA), Samir Nasri (Arsenal/ANG), Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich/ALL), Marvin Martin (Sochaux), Charles N'Zogbia (Wigan/ANG), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille)
Attaquants : Kevin Gameiro (Lorient), Guillaume Hoarau (Paris-SG), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid/ESP), Loïc Rémy (Marseille)

France's next play maker?

The biggest surprises - the play maker from Sochaux Marvin Martin gets his first call up to the senior squad. The leading assist man from Ligue 1 gets a well deserved inclusion. There is no Gourcuff, who is injured, so this might open the door a bit for a player such as Martin to create a bit of a presence as France's #10. Interesting to also see N'Zogbia included in a squad that seems to have a number of options on the left flank: Ribery and Malouda.

As usual Blanc has a deep set of players to lean on for his holding responsibilities: Diarra, Matuidi, MVila, Diaby and Cabaye. He has options on the left, see above, and some decent depth for the right - Menez and Valbuena, even Nasri in certain formations.

What makes me nervous are his options up front. France seem thin when it comes to true world class strikers. Benzema will most likely be the starting option, but I am not convinced that the secondary options can be relied upon. I am not saying there is not some quality there, but just not the level that inspires confidence.

I will be interested to see what formation Blanc looks to lean on, the game in Belarus may look very similar to the one in Stade de France: Belarus defending 10 men behind the ball and looking for a goal on the counter and set pieces. Knowing that, Blanc might opt for a more offensive formation. Maybe a 4-4-2 diamond, play one holding midfielder, two wide flank players and an offensive midfield player sitting right behind the two strikers. It will also be interesting to see who Blanc turns to in central defense, Mexes is out due to knee surgery.

LLoris
Abidal-Rami-Sakho-Sagna
MVila (or Diarra)
Ribery Menez
Nasri
Hourau - Benzema

I can see Blanc leveraging Hourau, looking to get control of the Belarus' 18 yard box and allow him to get crosses from the wide players. Nasri would tuck in behind the strikers, Ribery and Menez will provide the width. Much will be expected of Diarra/M'Vila to do the work cleaning up any loose balls in the middle of the park. Sakho will be expected to find his bearings quickly with the other defenders.

It should be interesting!

Allez les Bleus.