No surpise - DD leaning back on his 4-3-3

Heading into the friendly tomorrow against Brazil, word out of Clairefontaine is that Deschamps will roll out the formation we have grown accustomed to seeing France play - the 4-3-3. Makes sense with the French strength being in that middle three. Even with their engine room midfielder, Pogba, being out for the match, Les Bleus have plenty of talent and depth at that position.

The possible line up -

Mandanda - Sagna, Varane, Sakho, Evra - Sissoko, Schneiderlin, Matuidi - Valbuena, Griezmann, Benzema

No surprise in goal, with Lloris having to drop out of the squad after picking up a knock playing for Tottenham. The outside backs are back to the future, not sure I expect to see these two being the pillars for the Euro campaign. But we shall see. As for the center back pairing, looks like Sakho's club form has put him back in the good graces of the manager. I will be surprised if Kos doesn't get some time this game or next. Varane seems to be the constant in that central defensive pairing, who partners with him remains in flux.

The midfield trident shows the depth DD has at his disposal. Without Pogba, he can still turn to the

Is that DD calling me??

likes of Schneiderlin and Sissoko. Matuidi is a regular. Question becomes - will Cabaye ever regain his position? His main issue is that for his club - PSG - he is stuck behind a number of talented midfielders. Maybe he should have stayed in northern England! Up front, no surprise either. With Griezmann seeming to cement his role out on the left side of the formation, Benzema as the lone striker and Valbuena. The main issue, once again, will be to see how France's right plays. Yes Valbuena should be "slotted" to play in that right corridor. But we all know he has license to drift and often does. Raises a question - does Menez have a role on the national team? Anyone noticed his form in Italy? He has been on a tear for Milan AC. Could be something to keep in mind.

Brazil is always a tough opponent, don't let their last two World Cup games lull you into complacency. I expect a balanced and cautious game from both sides. I am a little nervous about France's outside backs, I am not sure they can keep the Brazilian wingers and fullbacks in check. There will be a lot expected of the midfield trident to slow down Neymar et al.

I look for a 2-2 draw. Benzema with a brace.

Allez les Bleus

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

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

The Good:

One of the few bright spots for Les Bleus

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

The Bad:

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

The Ugly:

No repeat...yet

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

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

France v Spain...preview of World Cup 2014

For those of you not aware, France and Spain are in the same qualifying group for the World Cup 2014. So the match tomorrow is a nice little preview for those games...hahahahaa. First things first, France have backed into the 1/4 finals to face the defending World Cup and European Cup champions. Neither team emerged from the group matches without questions. The biggest are swirling around Les Bleus. Spain, however, do have their own concerns. I spoke with some folks yesterday who stated that Torres is back in form...uh not sure. Yes he scored a brace...against Ireland. Against Croatia he was invisible and was taken off the field. Unlike Gemany, I do not think that Spain is clicking on all cylinders. Let us not forget that had Croatia won the game, and they very well could have, then Spain would be home right now.

France's issues smacked us right in the face against Sweden. Lack of on field leadership, in fighting, lack of heart...general disinterest. Question...the big one...can Blanc reverse this before heading to the game tomorrow? I do not think that Blanc will magically find an on field leader - one of the likes of Vieira, Platini or Zidane in 24 hours. However he can get his troops ready and have them play like they did the past 23 games.

Can he bring joy to Les Bleus?

Les Bleus have a puncher's chance versus Spain. How so? I look for France to play the counter attack style they leveraged for success against Bosnia in qualifications and again in Germany in a friendly. Look for Les Bleus to go to a 4-3-3 again, with a more muscled midfield - Cabaye, Diarra and M'Vila. The three will look to absorb and disrupt any Spanish attacks coming from the midfield. With Cabaye back on the pitch, look for the Newcastle man to continue to act as the link between the back line and the attacking side. The three at top will be Ribery - Benzema - Menez...yup Nasri on the bench. Why Menez? His discipline of staying wide and keeping width to the formation is necessary to keep Spain honest. With Ribery who likes to drift, but really does his best work on the left wing, Les Bleus must have a player that is more natural on the right. This should also provide some cover for Debuchy and allow the right back to get some deeper runs knowing that the right side will not be vacant of a player. France could potentially catch Spain on the counter, force La Rojas to defend deeper.

Of course France will need to get the ball, which is a challenge when playing the Spanish. The last time these two nations met, it was an easy 2-0 victory for Spain.  I do not think we will see the same. Spain has suffered not having a top form Torres nor a healthy Villa. I think France will surprise many with their resilience and with their ability to put Spain back more than others. Les Bleus will be able to get the ball and possess it more than some might expect. But one thing for Spain, they are more clinical in their finishing and that will be the difference.

Spain 2 - France 0.

Unfortunately the 23 game streak will end as it started...with back to back losses.

Allez les Bleus!

France makes 2 changes...not the ones expected

Interesting, Blanc makes some interesting changes to his line up. The formation is more of a 4-2-3-1

Diarra keeps his place over M'Vila. Clichy is in on the left over Evra, a surprise and Menez makes his way on the right to the detriment of Malouda. This makes sense since Les Bleus seemed to forget the right side of the attack at times against England.

I am surprised Evra gets switched out...should be an interesting attacking formation, with more width than against England.

Allez les Bleus

France v Iceland: De l'audace, encore de l'audace, et toujours de l'audace

Well well well. "Le President" must have read my post about the Christmas Tree...of course my Christmas Tree is more to act as defensive base with three holding midfielders protecting the back 4 and acting as the destroyers in the midfield. Blanc's Christmas Tree is one that is all about moving forward. France's line up:

Le onze tricolore :
Mandanda - Debuchy, Rami, Mexès, Evra - Cabaye, Gourcuff, Nasri - Ben Arfa, Benzema, Ménez

Reunite again

The top three are really more of a 2-1, with Ben Arfa and Menez expected to animate the wings with Benzema up top as the striker. The midfield three of Cabaye, Gourcuff and Nasri are not going to be mistaken for the likes of Karembeau, Petit and Deschamps, three very defensive minded midfielders. Much pressure will be placed on Cabaye, playing somewhat our of position, as the only true holding player. This formation could rapidly evolve into a 4-1-4-1 with Gourcuff and Nasri pushing higher on the pitch filling the space behind Benzema and between the two wingers. They can also stay deeper allowing the wingers freedom to roam in the offensive zone.

While I would be shocked to see this formation showcased on June 11th, it is interesting to see Blanc think "outside" the box for these friendlies. I am sure Blanc has his system in mind, but wants to allow some of his players an opportunity to showcase themselves before he has to cut two more. This game will be key for the likes of Ben Arfa and Gourcuff. For the former I think Blanc will look to see if he can animate either wing and even slot to the middle supporting the high striker. For the former Bordeaux midfielder, he must demonstrate that he can bring some creativity from the midfield as well as being able to keep up for the majority of the match. Another player to keep an eye on is Debuchy, can he build upon his good showing against Germany? The right back role is wide open. While I do not think he is at risk of not going to the Euros, he must still show progression in his play to warrant, what I believe will be, his starting at right back for the tournament.

I like this strategy by Blanc, it will give him a sense of what he has offensively and allow the likes of Gourcuff and Ben Arfa to showcase immediately.

Prediction: France 3 - Iceland 1

Goals: Benzema, Ben Arfa and Menez...with assists from Nasri to round out the 87 Generation!

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the 4-2-3-1...surprise surprise

So Blanc springs another surprise on us - goes back to a 4-3-3 and gives us a new formula with regards to the players...the biggest surprise is to find Menez in the starting 11 and Remy as the point of the attack...

France : Lloris (cap.), Réveillère, Rami, Abidal, Evra, M'Vila, Cabaye, Nasri, Ménez, Malouda, Rémy. 

The back line is not a surprise as Abidal returned to fitness and Evra recovered from the knock he picked up. M'Vila and Cabaye also no surprise, Nasri earned another start and it will be interesting if he slots right or starts in the middle of the park. Up front is where things become interesting. Remy can play as the point, but with a fit Gameiro I thought he would be first option for that role. Menez on the right and Malouda on the left seems like a normal fit; however, I wonder if France have all of sudden become "right leaning." I do not mean voting for Le Pen and the FN, I mean with the likes of Menez, Remy and Nasri might the offense lean to much to the right channel? Could we see Remy drift into Menez's corridor? Will Nasri have the freedom he had during the Albania match to stay wide right and drift back in to the center? Could this right leaning formation allow Malouda more room to operate on the left flank and give Evra space to make runs from fullback?

An interesting formation to say the least, in addition this is not a very big line up, that could prove dangerous on set pieces trying to defend the likes of Dzeko.

Once again Blanc tinkers with his formation and strategy, so far he seems to have pulled the right levers, let see if that is the case again today.

Allez les Bleus!

PSG - Manchester City on the Seine

I will say that the Gooner called PSG, MCFC south, but I prefer calling PSG - Manchester City on the Seine! Why this new name? With the cash infusion from new Middle Eastern backers, PSG has started to spend like the Citizens did when they also received a cash infusion from wealthy middle eastern backers. Yet, I would say the parallels stop there. Why?

Let us look at the recent purchases by PSG.

• Gameiro - leading scorer in Ligue 1 for the past few seasons. He was playing for small side Lorient but always one of Ligue 1's most sought after transfers. In the past, players such as Gameiro would either go to Lyon or head to another league. PSG finally did what a club of their stature should do - secure the best players from within your league. Gameiro will add another element to the PSG side, with Hourau struggling to regain his consistent scoring touch and recent misses at the striker level - Erding and Kezman. I would not be surprised if Gameiro became PSG's #1 striker from day 1. Solid signing.
• Menez and Matuidi - I lump these two players together because they signed close to one another but they also slot in nicely to fill in for Giuly and Makelele. Menez will slot in on the right channel while Matuidi will become the anchor at the holding midfield role. Matuidi is like Gameiro - one of Ligue 1's best players being acquired by one of France's largest clubs. Menez was a minor coup, getting a player in his prime to leave one of the bigger leagues and clubs: AS Roma to come back to Ligue 1. 
• Sissoko and Sirigu - As two players from Serie A I will also lump them together. I am luke warm on both signing, warmer on Sirigu, always need quality keepers and last season proved that you will most likely need to use both of your keepers. The Sissoko signing I understand for depth, but not sure I would have gone over this Sissoko, I would have preferred the one from TFC. Regardless I think he will be in the defensive midfield rotation with Bodmer and Chantome, so in the end it could prove a good move for depth.
• Douchez - This was a free as the former Rennes keeper was at the end of a contract. The fringe national team keeper was an easy choice for PSG as Coupet was retiring and let's face it, Edel was not going to be the answer long term. Coupled this move with the recent signing of Italian #3 keeper Sirigu and you have the makings of a good tandem of keepers for PSG. The question becomes does the #2 keeper become disgruntled, but if so, you can always sell him and make back some of your money. 
• Bisevac - The Serbian international was brought in to add depth and talent at central defense, and some insurance as the rumors of Sakho being lured to a larger European club will not go away. Again, another player from within Ligue 1, who was reasonably priced and a know entity.

All these signings are what PSG should have been doing for the past few seasons. As one of France's largest and richest clubs (even before the new investments) they should have always been more aggressive with the talent within Ligue 1. What makes them creep into Manchester City territory is the bid for Pastore. The Argentine is also a target of Chelsea. The latest is that he has signed of PSG for a whopping 38m pounds. This is the one signing that I feel is a "Manchester City" type signing. Get a new cash infusion and spend it like a Russian Oligarch. But unlike some of these other spenders, this move makes sense for PSG. They need a playmaking midfielder, I realize the have also purchased Menez but he is creates from the right flank. Ever since PSG sold Sessegnon to Sunderland they have not had a true attacking midfielder, now they do.

All in all very good signings for PSG. Unlike Chelsea or Manchester City, they have not gone out and signed players just for their names and then wondered where they fit in the system. PSG have acquired pieces that were desperately needed to either replace players leaving or bolster areas that needed addressing.

Call them what you want, I, for one look forward to seeing them on the pitch with all these new assets!

Equipe de France - starting XI for Ukraine match, no surprises

No surprise from Laurent Blanc and his announced starting XI.

Le onze tricolore :
 Mandanda – Réveillère, Kaboul, Sakho, Evra – Matuidi, Cabaye, M’Vila – Rémy, Gameiro, Ménez

As mentioned in an earlier post, this 4-3-3 could easily evolve into a 4-3-2-1 with Remy and Menez dropping deeper in the park. I could also see Menez dropping behind Remy and Gameiro, acting like a 9 1/2 with Remy playing wide, Gameiro as the high striker and Menez pulling the strings just in front of the midfield 3 and behind the strikers. With this formation, it will be important to see how the wide fullbacks an support and provide offensive width to the team.

With Matuidi, Cabaye and M'Vila patrolling the midfield, I believe we will see a similar game as to the one France had against Bosnia when they rolled out a 4-3-3. The heavily leaning defensive and holding flavor for France's midfield should snuff out much of Ukraine's creativity and offensive space in the middle of the park. Should be an interesting match with regards to tactics and how the newbies play.

Prediction: France 1 Ukraine 0, goal by Menez.

Allez les Bleus!

Dunga's influence on Brazil still evident.

After the World Cup one of the biggest criticisms of the Brazilian manager Dunga was that he was playing too defensive a brand of football, not allowing the Samba Boys demonstrate their flair and creativity. Upon his ouster it was hoped by many fans of La Selecao that they would return to a style of yesteryear. Surprise surprise, what appears to be the line up for today's match will feature a 4-3-1-2. 

L'équipe probable contre la France : Julio Cesar - Daniel Alves, Thiago Silva, David Luiz, André Santos - Elias, Lucas, Hernanes - Renato Augusto - Robinho, Pato

In form with Brazil

3 deep lying midfielders? That is more of a Catenaccio of Italian fame....with 7 players lined up deeper on the pitch. Granted, the Brazilian fullbacks are really much more oriented to pushing forward than in defending - Daniel Alves being the more offensive oriented of the pair. Watch him play for Barca and at times it appears Barca have a 3 man back line with Alves constantly pushed high into the opponent's 18 yard box. However this is necessary if you are playing with a 3 man holding midfield - the fullbacks are expected to provide the width and flanking attack that wold usually be assumed by wide midfielders or wingers. Of course the front pair of Rohinho and Pato are lethal enough on their own, with Pato on quite a goal scoring run as of late for Brazil. Yet without Kaka to anchor their midfield, will the two front men be able to get the service necessary to spring the French defense? Of course Menezes could push up Augusto and play a more offensive 4-3-3 formation, however that might make Brazil very vulnerable in the midfield and open up a lot of space for Malouda, Menez and Gourcuff.

The key for France will be how does Malouda and Menez deal with the marauding Brazilian fullbacks and will they force the French fullbacks - Sagna and Abidal to hold deeper for fear of the Brazilian flanks coming in from deep? With Brazil lining up two high strikers it will most likely force the French back line to also hold a deeper line - Rami and Mexes will need to look for Diarra and M'Vila to shadow one of the Brazilian striking tandem to allow a French center back some freedom to cover. Offensively it will be interesting to see how France will be able to get the space necessary for Benzema to create and hopefully put necessary pressure on the Brazilian goal. I could see the Real Madrid striker drift wide at times to take the space most likely vacated by Alves and look to make some runs from these angles, force the Brazilian center backs to have to move wide to cover. This could open some diagonal channels for the likes of Malouda and Menez to run into, and hopefully have a Gourcuff that has found his passing boots.

Should be an interesting tactical match. I see it ending 1-1, goals from Pato and Diarra.

Allez les Bleus!

Blanc and Les Bleus look to a 4-3-3 to take on Bosnia

Seems as if France will go back to a 4-3-3 to confront Bosnia:

France : Lloris - Sagna, Mexès, Rami, Clichy - Mvila, A. Diarra, Diaby - Valbuena, Malouda, Benzema. Sélectionneur: Laurent Blanc

Clearly if Blanc goes with this line up he is announcing his intent to beef up his midfield, play to stifle the Bosnian attack and is looking to not lose. Of course he could change his mind and insert Menez in the place of Diaby and shifting to a 4-2-3-1 looking a bit more offensive in the process. My gut tells me he will opt for the 4-3-3 more "muscular" midfield. With the likes of Valbuena - Malouda - Benzema up front, I think Blanc feels he has enough potential offense to steal a goal from Bosnia. Also, Diaby will be able to give some offensive punch from his deeper role. In addition, with Mexes, Rami, Diaby and Diarra there clearly an opportunity to try and get a goal off set pieces - as well as hopefully ensure strong defense on Bosnian set pieces.

It will be very interesting who comes out of the tunnel for France to start the game. Is Blanc going to be overly cautious to get 1 point or will he look to throw enough offense on the pitch to give France an outside chance at the full 3 points?

France v Bosnia - opportunity for the new France to show itself or more malaise?

Less than 24 hours until Laurent Blanc and Les Bleus head into what will surely be a charged environment of Sarajevo to face Bosnia. This match is proving to be as close to a must win game as has ever faced Les Bleus. After dropping 3 points last week against Belarus while Bosnia took care of their business beating Luxembourg 3-0 away, could have been a heavier victory since Pjanic and Bosnia were up 3-0 after 15 minutes. If Blanc and France leave Sarajevo with no points from 2 games it might be time to focus on securing the second place spot and hoping for a favorable draw for the home and away play off! Not what you would want after only 2 days of qualifying.

Blanc still searching for answers

When the draw was made it was clear that Bosnia would be one of the favorites to win the group with ahem France...the match in Sarajevo always figured to be one France's biggest challenge (the other one away to Romania). During the draw I figured France would hope to take a point away to Bosnia and win on the return leg. Of course I also expected Les Bleus to get at minimum 4 points from their 2 legs against Belarus - victory in Paris and at least a draw away. The situation has only gotten more difficult and challenging for Les Bleus. Add to all these challenges the fact Blanc has lost the majority of his offensive options - Hoarau, Remy and Saha out. Much will be expected of Benzema with regards to carrying the offense. Since we know France and Blanc cannot afford to leave without at least a point, will we see a France more focused on holding off any Bosnian threats. Look to stifle Dzeko, Ibisevic and Pjanic by leaning on a heavily defensive midfield - going back to a 4-2-3-1 formation? Two holding midfielders: M'Vila and Diarra. 3 offensive minded midfielders - Malouda, Menez and Valbuena with Benzema up front. Blanc might look for Malouda to drop deeper to help with defensive duties. Or could Blanc leverage Diaby in the middle 3 - more defensive than Valbuena or Menez...

As Blanc stated, the first goal is for France to defend and ensure at least 1 point from the match. So France find themselves as the underdog heading into this match. Bosnia smell blood in the water and know if they can knock off France they will strike a devastating blow to one of their primary rivals and put themselves in pole position to win the group. We will see if the saying is true - a cornered wounded animal is at its most dangerous. France has been backed into a tough corner, let us see how they react. I think France will defend defend defend to start the match and look to hit Bosnia on the counter. Much will depend on Benzema and if he can carry the offense to Bosnia, he has the ability to do so question remains can he regain that ability that he show cased for Lyon.

This feels like the games away to Romania and Serbia during last qualifying campaign - both France found the intestinal fortitude to fight back and secure a draw in a hostile environment. I expect the same this time. Les Bleus will lean on their strong holding midfield players - Diarra and M'Vila to stifle the Bosnia midfield. Look for Mexes and Rami to counter Dzeko and Ibisevic. Set pieces will be vital for France to defend cleanly and successfully. If they can do so they could keep a clean sheet, but expect France to have to score at least a goal or two to secure the draw or even hope for a win. In the end I think we might see a similar game as to the one played against Serbia. Bosnia will come on very inspired by their home crowd and look to overwhelm France early. I see Dzeko scoring in the first 30 minutes. France will settle down and turn the tide in the second half. Menez - Valbuena - Benzema will be too much for Bosnia to stop for 90 minutes. Menez scores late in the game to grab a vital point for Les Bleus.

Bosnia 1 - France 1

Allez les Bleus

Blanc moving towards a 4-4-2: Menez on the right?

Without the services of his 3 "natural" play-makers - Gourcuff, Ribery and Nasri - it would appear that Blanc is moving towards leveraging a normal 4-4-2 with a flat middle 4. Opposed to the 4-4-2 diamond that was leveraged during the Norway game where M'Vila sat at the base of the diamond as the solo holding midfielder and Nasri at the top of the diamond as the play-maker. 

Blanc will apparently lean on his wide players to carry the play making role, with Malouda on the left and Menez potentially on the right. The other option for the right would be Valbuena. Remains to be seen how Blanc goes with the

right side of the midfield. ADiarra and Diaby will hold the middle 2 slots in the midfield providing cover for the back 4,  wonder if M'Vila will slot in rather than Diarra? Up front, it appears that Hourau and Remy will once again get the nod to start, partially due to Benzema picking up a knock and I am sure Blanc wants to see the tandem on the pitch again.

Finally the back will have the same center back partnership (Mexes - Rami) with the return of World Cup players on the wings and in goal: Sagna, Clichy and Lloris.

It will be interesting to see if the two wide midfielders can carry on the play making for France. The formation might make Clichy and Sagna less free to push high up the pitch. With a striker like Hourau the crosses from the wings will be crucial to unlocking the opposition allowing Remy to play off his position. If Malouda and Menez can carry the game and allow the wide channels to be opened at appropriate times permitting the fullbacks to push higher and send in crosses, this might create the necessary offensive push to bag a few goals.

Probably line up:
Lloris - Sagna, Rami, Mexès, Clichy - A. Diarra, Diaby - Ménez, Malouda - Rémy, Hoarau.