Les Bleus kick off World Cup preparation with classy showing

Well I guess my prediction of a drab 1-1 draw was slightly off...France kick off their World Cup preparation with a thrilling 4-0 win over Norway. And the score line could have been worse for the Scandinavians.

The Good:

• Four goals...nothing to sneeze at. Les Bleus have struggled with scoring goals in the past, but seems that they found a key to unlock their goal scoring account, at least for 90 minutes today. Something to build on. It was encouraging to see the goals coming on some solid crosses from the flanks as well as some pacey play by the likes of Remy. It was also encouraging to seeing France's #2 striker, Giroud, score a brace. His second was from a wonder strike from the edge of the penalty box. He could have had a hat trick had his powerful header in the opening minutes gone in. Remy showed why he is on the team and could play a valuable role being used as a substitute where he can leverage his pace to break down a tired defense. He was a terrific reflex save away from getting his own brace. Scoring the 4 goals and having the offensive flow they had bodes well for the French offense confidence.
• Le Petit Velo - Valbuena, has taken the role as the #10 and run with it. The Marseilles midfielder was at the center of the action against Norway. Acting as the creative fulcrum for the French. His high work rate, dribbling, passing and willingness to take chances on the offensive end really kept Norway off balance. His 3 assists are a reflection of his value to the offense for Les Bleus. With the likes of Pogba, Matuidi and Cabaye acting as the muscle in the midfield, it allows Valbuena to roam freely in the midfield. What will be interesting is to see how he continues to interact with Ribery. Giroud's style usually has him on the last defenders' shoulder, while Griezmann added pace on the left but didn't roam too much. This gave the space that Valbuena enjoys on the right, center and left of the park. Served the team well...but might be an issue...more on that later.
• The midfield trident of Pogba, Matuidi and Cabaye. This is clearly the strength for Les Bleus. And the driving motivation for DD to lean on a 4-3-3 formation to ensure you get these three players on the pitch at the same time. Pogba is an absolute beast. It is amazing to remember that he is only 21. He scored a cheeky goal and controlled the midfield with his pace and size. Partnered with Matuidi, who seems to have a very high motor, and you have a powerful engine room for Les Bleus. With Cabaye doing a lot of the dirty work, and who can also bring a threat from distance, you have a powerful trident in the midfield. One that will determine how far Les Bleus can go in Brazil. 
• Getting one of the reservists onto the pitch. Giving Cabella his first international cap was a shrewd move for DD. The 7, now 6, reserve players should view this as added motivation (Ruffier was part of the 7 and due to Mandanda's injury is now the #2 keeper). They all know that short of injury they will not be heading to Brazil. But there is 2016 to think about and this clearly gives them a taste of what they could work for post World Cup. And for DD, it gives him some time to blood some of his prospects and heaven forbid one of his 23 get injured, he already has vetted some of his prospects. Look for DD to do this again the next two matches, as he should.

The Bad:

• Balance...even without Ribery on the pitch, France leaned heavily on the left side of the pitch. Yes Valbuena is on the right side of the pitch. But his tendency to roam, and he does a lot of that, means he sometimes vacates that right channel. And sometimes seems to be too often! It felt as if too much of France's offense was left dominant. This will only become more apparent with Ribery on that side. DD has to figure out a way to make sure that with Ribery and Valbuena on the pitch, that Le Petit Velo keeps in mind his role to support the right side of the attack. It is fine and recommended that the wingers switch sides from time to time, or even drop deeper. But, the right channel remains something that needs to be addressed.
• The central defensive pairing. After keeping a clean sheet it is difficult to criticize the defense. But I am a little nervous at what Sakho showed. I am not saying he was bad, but there were some glimpses at his bad habits. Losing the ball in dangerous areas, making some rash challenges and some risk taking. In a way with Kos he can do that, since the Arsenal man is a good stay at home defender who can clean up such errors. But if Sakho makes some of these errors against the likes of Shaqiri or Valencia it could prove very costly.

The Ugly:

• Nothing ugly about this match...maybe ugly for Norway.

So DD and France get their first preparatory match out of the way.  The 4-0 win will do the team a lot of good, they need to continue to build on this and will face a much more stern test against Paraguay. It will be interesting to see how things change if we see Ribery and Benzema find their way back into the starting line up, especially with the interactions with Valbuena.

France v Norway: The Blanc era starts with a 2-1 loss, but lots of positive to take from the match.

The Laurent Blanc era started...unfortunately with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Norway. Then again Norway is ranked 22nd and France 21st so not a huge upset! There were some encouraging aspects of the match, some usual problems but overall a better outlook than when we last saw Les Bleus. Some thoughts:

The Good:

• Fresh faces - Once Laurent Blanc decided to leave the World Cup 23 at home we knew there would have to be an infusion of new talent. With Ruffier, Rami, M'Vila, Hourau, N'Zogbia, Menez, Cissokho and Cabaye getting their first caps it was refreshing to see a team with the drive and effort that comes from new blood. A much better site to see than what we last saw from Les Bleus. Maybe the World Cup 23 can learn something from this match in terms of what it means to put on your nation's jersey.
• Speaking of fresh faces, the central defensive tandem of Mexes and Rami was very promising. The Lille central defender was solid in the back and was very strong in the air clearing a number of crosses and high
  
  
  passes into the box. He also brought an aerial threat on offense. What was most refreshing about watching him play was his lack of fear when it comes to sticking his cranium in hazardous places, a skill I am sure his manager respects since that was a strength of Laurent Blanc when he played. The pairing with Mexes worked well with the AS Roma player showing his quality bringing the ball out of the defensive end of the pitch for France. On many occasions Mexes was used as a launching pad for the offense, and he was very comfortable pushing into the offensive side of the pitch to bring his support to the attack. Mexes is at time overly aggressive on defense, but in the end he gets the job done. 
• Mexes as captain. While I am not sure this is a long term solution, the fact Blanc gave the arm band to Mexes was brilliant. To me it was a statement to Mexes who has long lived with the label of great potential for France but not living up to the hype. Blanc sent the message: "Act and play like a captain and you will have a chance to build with this team, now is your chance, seize it." Clearly the message resonated with the AS Roma player, and it might be the very thing he needs to take the next step with Les Bleus.
• The generation 87, since winning the U17 Euros in 2004, much has been expected of this generation. For whatever reason, Domenech could not find a way of building around the likes of Menez, Benzema, Nasri and
  
  
  Ben Arfa. It was encouraging to see all of them on the pitch together for the senior France team. Each brings his individual skill set that Blanc and Les Bleus can lean up. The qualities of Benzema and Nasri are well documented - although the Real Madrid man needs to demonstrate he is back on the path we saw when he was at Lyon as a pure goal scorer. Menez demonstrated his ability to play on the wing and bring width and pace to the attack. While Ben Arfa demonstrated his pure dribbling talents, breaking down the Norwegian defense and creating his own shots. Now up to them to demonstrate their value and worth for the national side. 
• M'Vila, the Rennes central midfielder and U21 France captain provide a glimpse at his vast talents and potential. He played better in the first half as the lone holding midfielder, more on that later, but overall gave a slight glimpse of the potential he possess. He was strong in his tackles and linked well with the attack. At 20 years old the future for him is very bright. 
• No more Domenech!!!!! All together now "The Domenech era is OFFICIALLY over!!!" Even suffering through a loss the fact that when the camera panned to the side lines I saw Laurent Blanc standing there and not inspector Clouseau, made me feel good. In just the past 3 days I feel a breath of fresh air has been infused into the FFF. You can see the difference in the press conferences, interviews, the tactics and the in game management. I saw a Laurent Blanc that took advantage of every minute he had with this squad, understanding that for him to do his job well he cannot afford to waste caps on players, waste a practice or a game. This is no more evident in the fact Blanc clearly wanted to work two systems in the Norway game, he wanted to allow his back 4 (especially the central pairing) to get as much real game action as possible and he wanted to ensure he used his substitutes wisely to have the combination of players on the field in the system that would allow him the most information. Unlike Domenech who in one of his last games in charge prior to the World Cup called up some new faces, but rather than put them on the pitch to at least see what they could do in game situations used the same old tired tactics that had gotten him ... nothing. What a novel idea, if you call up players...play them. Of course, and I am sure Blanc is well aware of this, France cannot afford to lose games come September 3rd otherwise this good will towards Blanc will rapidly evaporate.

The Bad:

• France lost 2-1. That is bad. No game should be seen as a throw away, where the result does not matter. Clearly Blanc is of the same opinion. France had their chances: a great 50 - 50 ball won by N'Zogbia in the 17th minute which he then put a perfect left footed cross on the head of a diving Remy, forcing an emergency save from Knudsen. Had the OGC Nice striker hit his shot a foot either direction it would have beaten the keeper. 13 minutes later the Toulouse midfielder Sissoko forced another strong save on a volley destined for the upper 90. Ruffier did make a strong save in the first 15 minutes to keep the game level. However overall the first half belonged to Les Bleus. Unfortunately the second half saw the Norwegians take advantage of two defensive errors leading to the 2 goals for the victory. Never good as a manager to start your tenure 0-1, but I am sure Blanc will build from the positive we saw today.
• 4-2-3-1 formation. Just when you thought the favorite formation from the Domenech era would be long gone...it makes another appearance. Blanc switched from the 4-4-2 diamond to the 4-2-3-1 in the second half. Clearly it was not a formation that fit well with the French side. Granted they held the lead briefly through a laser from Ben Arfa, but overall the formation seemed to cause more problems. First, it put Diarra and M'Vila together. M'Vila quickly seemed out of sorts compared to what he showed in the first half. And not sure what Diarra brought to the table. M'Vila was doing more than an adequate job in the first half as the sole holding midfielder, with a partner on his shoulder it appeared to stifle the young Rennes' game. He was not as free to roam as he had been in the first half. Second, Menez and Ben Arfa's tendencies at times were to drift too far into the center, thereby clogging up the lanes and the midfield. Couple this with the fact Hourau and then Benzema, as the lone strikers, drifted back to try to pick up the ball. This created at times, 3 players to be right on top of one another with little spacing. While I am sure this formation can work, Blanc, if he wants to use it, will need to make sure the personnel he runs out there is more appropriate. 

The Ugly:

• Defending set pieces. Well this problem has been around Les Bleus for a few years. Some teams just seem to have trouble with set pieces (see Arsenal). Rami seems to bring one element that could change this - his
  

  

  The Norwegian bagged his brace

  command in the air. But Ruffier did nothing to solve this, especially end of the match when he appeared lost on a few corners. The first goal from Norway was on a set piece, where Hourau was inexplicably defending on Huseklepp and was easily turned by the striker. This has been France's Achilles heel for a few years now, hopefully Blanc can find a solution.
• Huseklepp's second goal. Not ugly from his stand point as the Norwegian striker bagged his brace, but what was Diarra doing? A botched pass at the center circle led to the Norwegian striker waltzing in one on one against Ruffier. My one area of nit picking is that I think the Monaco keeper should have held his ground for a split second more. Why? Rami was sprinting back to try and close down the break, had Ruffier forced Huseklepp to either shoot or take another touch it might have allowed the French central defender to get back into the play. Instead Ruffier went to ground quickly trying to guess where the Norway man was heading and instead allowed himself to be easily side stepped and the ball gently tapped into an open net. Again, nit picking I realize.
• Lack of finishing for France. Any game you approach 20 shots on goal, granted less than half were on net, and only show 1 goal for your efforts you need to consider getting some goal scoring lessons. The silver lining is that there were some quality chances and it was good to see players taking their opportunities. Too often you see teams try to pass and wait for the "perfect" shooting chance. However, France will have to improve on this aspect. Question is what striker or striker combo to remedy this? With Henry retiring, Anelka out in international Siberia, no Trezeguet and who knows if Cisse can replicate his scoring form for Les Bleus there are a lot of up and coming strikers - Hourau, Benzema, Remy, Briand to name a few - but no established international caliber striker. Of course it is difficult to fill the boots of both Henry and Trezeguet when you consider both are top 3 goal scorers all time for France, with Henry being #1. This will be an ongoing quest, it will be interesting to see how it gets resolved. The talent is there, but what is the right system and combination.

Overall I think what Les Bleus showed to me was encouraging, then again after 6 years of Domenech almost anything would be better! Next steps will be how Blanc integrates some of the World Cup 23 back into the side. The players I think scored the most points to stick around - Rami, M'Vila, Hourau, Mexes, Sissoko, Menez and Ben Arfa. I did like what I saw in spurts from N'Zogbia, but he falls victim to the depth France have on the left - Ribery and Malouda stand in front of him, or even Diaby. To me Rami-Mexes could very well be the central pairing we see on Sept 3rd against Belarus for the Euro qualifier opener. I am not sure Gallas will figure back in the picture and not sure Squillaci slots in over Rami and he does not have the ball carrying skill of Mexes. Neither Cissokho nor Fani did enough to move ahead of Evra/Clichy/Abidal when it comes to Cissokho nor Sagna when it comes to Fani (although Fani had some quality crosses early in the game, not sure Sagna would have made those). Nasri might slot out to the right allowing Gourcuff to hold the central midfield slot, regardless Nasri demonstrated he has the quality to be the #10 for Les Bleus. Ben Arfa is the one pure dribbler and deserves consideration moving forward. Finally M'Vila showed a lot of promise and at 20 years old has a great future ahead - could make the holding midfield role one of the most competitive on the French roster.

Good to see Les Bleus back on the pitch, rather have seen it end in a win. But we can truly put the Domenech era behind us! Let the healing begin. Let us just hope the winning shows up...and soon. But the signs point to a brighter future than a few months back.

The French goal, Ben Arfa shows why he can be so frustrating at times, so much talent yet needs to find the consistency:

Equipe de France - Blanc leaning towards a 4-4-2 to start against Norway

Based on the rumors coming out of Clairefontaine, it would appear that Laurent Blanc will look to a 4-4-2 "en losange." Basically means the midfield drops to a diamond shape with a deep lying holding midfielder, an offensive midfielder and a right and left midfielder - technically not wingers since they are not expected to play as wide as they might in formations such as 4-2-3-1 or 4-1-3-2...

4-4-2 Diamond: notice the side midfielders are not as wide

Based on the formation, the midfield diamond is much more compact than a flat midfield 4. Therefore in this formation, the wide full backs are asked to bring width to the attack. They are to make overlapping outside runs to the midfield and provide crosses to the strikers. This formation should give the fullbacks channels to attack since the opponent is expected to defend more compact in the middle of the park. Therefore it is crucial that the wide runs from the fullbacks lead to quality crosses. Blanc did practice with a more familiar 4-2-3-1 formation at Clairefontaine...back to the future...but it would appear that he will lean on the 4-4-2 diamond.

So who are the players? It would appear that the keeper and the back 4 are the same regardless of what formation Blanc has been using in practice -

• Ruffier in goal no brainer, I think he has a legitimate chance to become the France #2 keeper. I am still not convinced that Mandanda nor Carasso are unquestionably the #2 and #3 keepers for Les Bleus.
• Fanni - Rami - Mexes - Cissokho as the back line. I think Sakho had a chance, but due to his age I think Blanc wanted to lean on a more senior central defense. This is the same back 4 I thought Blanc would use. I think the player to watch is Fanni. Why? As I posted before, I am not convinced that Sagna is the clear cut right back for France. If Blanc goes with this formation moving forward, the full backs must be able to consistently provide offensive support through good crosses and runs. I am not sure that Sagna's crosses will meet those requirements, he certainty has not made us forget Sagnol. Cissokho will have a chance to show something on the left, but that position is so deep for France it might be a steep mountain to climb. In the middle, I think it is anyone's place to win, I doubt that either Gallas or Abidal will be back in the picture any time soon.

The real question is who does Blanc play in the midfield and up front. Based on the latest Blanc seems to be leaning on the following formation -

Ruffier - Fanni, Mexes, Rami, Cissokho - Mvila - Sissoko, N'Zogbia - Nasri - Hoarau, Rémy

Sending Benzema, Ben Arfa and Menez to the bench. Of course this could change at least 4 more times before tomorrow's game. The real question is does Blanc leverage N'Zogbia/Sissoko/Remy or Benzema/Ben Arfa/Menez to start? My sense is you will see all 6 of these players during the game, just depends on who starts and who will most likely come in at the half. I am leaning towards on the former to start, mainly because 2 of the 3 already started their season with Ligue 1.

I am looking forward to the match see some fresh faces and how Blanc runs the squad. The other big test for France is how they defend the set pieces - Norway brings a lot of height and size - let us face it France under Domenech has never been stellar when it comes to defending set pieces. Something to watch for.

For those that cannot watch the match on television, it will be available on ESPN3 at 3:15pm EST.

Allez les bleus.

Blanc announces his first list. 6 new faces - looking towards a bright future

So this morning Laurent Blanc announced his first list for France's August 11th match against Norway. No surprise but the list leans heavily on players from Ligue 1 and the encouraging fact is the list encompasses many young players - and does not even take any of the current U19 European Champions which means there is an even deeper reserve of players at Blanc's disposal moving forward. That is encouraging.

The list:

GARDIENS : Stéphane Ruffier (Monaco), Nicolas Douchez (Rennes).

DÉFENSEURS : Rod Fanni (Rennes), Adil Rami (Lille), Philippe Mexès (AS Rome/ITA), Mamadou Sakho (Paris-SG), Benoît Trémoulinas (Bordeaux), Aly Cissokho (Lyon), Mathieu Debuchy (Lille).

MILIEUX : Lassana Diarra (Real Madrid/ESP), Moussa Sissoko (Toulouse), Yann M'Vila (Rennes), Samir Nasri (Arsenal/ANG), Yohan Cabaye (Lille), Charles N'Zogbia (Wigan/ANG), Blaise Matuidi (Saint-Etienne).

ATTAQUANTS : Hatem Ben Arfa (Marseille), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid/ESP), Loïc Rémy (Nice), Jimmy Briand (Lyon), Jérémy Ménez (AS Rome/ITA), Guillaume Hoarau (Paris-SG).

Not too different that the list the BeanTownFrog put out a few posts ago! Some things to note:

• 16 Players from Ligue 1. 
• 7 players that have never been selected for France A: Mathieu Debuchy, Mamadou Sakho, Benoît Trémoulinas, Yohan Cabaye, Blaise Matuidi, Charles N'Zogbia et Jérémy Ménez.
• No surprise but the noted return of Nasri and Benzema
• A number of players from the France Espoir team - Sakho, M'Vila and Sissoko.
• Neither Ciani nor Chalme, who were in the pre-selected list, both from Bordeaux, did not make the final cut.
• The depth France have at holding midfield - Matuidi, M'Vila,  Sissoko, LDiarra...add to this the World Cup players -  ADiarra, Toulalan, Diaby - as well as those not selected - Cheyrou, Mavuba, Flamini, Pedretti - and it is amazing to me how France can generate so many players that can play this role, while a nation like England cannot seem to produce one...other than Hargreaves who is Canadian and always injured.
• Some surprise exclusions, other than the 2 Bordeaux players mentioned - Koscielny the Arsenal man has received a lot of praise and accolades, I am sure his time will come. I was a little surprised no Gameiro, the leading scorer from Ligue 1 could have offered some interesting offensive options.

Snippets from Blanc's press conference:



During the Blanc's interviews he pointed out a couple of notes of interest:

• Sakho being a natural left footed player and playing for one of the big Ligue 1 sides has a real chance to cement himself at central defense, possibly with Mexes. 
• Benzema remains a very important player for France and has the chance to be one of the pillars. 
• Another note is that Blanc did not consider any of the U19 players, saying he wanted to watch them but that they needed some more time with their clubs before he would consider them for the senior side, interesting. 
• Finally, Blanc pointed out that even though this is a friendly, France is heading to Norway for a win and the players need to take advantage of this selection to show him something.

There is a good blend of veterans and newbies. I think this will give Blanc a great opportunity to gauge how hungry and ready some of these new players are for the big squad. Early thoughts on the starting 11, based on prior discussions I see a 4-1-3-2 formation for Blanc's first game.

Ruffier: The #1 shirt is firmly on Lloris' back, but there remains room for his understudy, the Monaco keeper is a rising star in goal, someone to watch.
Cissokho - Mexes - Rami - Fanni : I think Blanc will work Sakho in practice with Mexes/Rami but will start with a more experience central defense tandem. Tremoulinas has a chance to earn some points, even though France have depth at left back - Abidal, Evra, Clichy...Cissokho also has a legitimate chance to earn some points at that spot. I see the Lyon player getting the first 45 minutes and Tremoulinas the second half. Fanni will get a chance to slot back on the right. Sagna should be the starter however he still needs to improve his crosses, I think Blanc will expect his fullbacks to add more offensively than prior regimes. Something Fanni can score some points with Blanc.
LDiarra : I see Blanc leaning on one true holding midfielder. If he decides to go with 2 I would see Sissokho as the natural partner to shoulder that responsibility with Diarra.
N'Zobia, Nasri, Menez:  N'Zogbia will hold down the left flank, while Nasri and Menez can interchange in the center of the midfield and out on the right. Alternatively, Blanc might look to Ben Arfa to fill in the role of Menez.
Hourau - Benzema: While I could see Briand or Remy in the place of Hourau, what the PSG man brings is a target man who can hold the ball as well as give some threat in the air. I think Benzema is better suited to play with a strike partner of this profile allowing the Real Madrid man to make runs from deep and to have more space as Hourau forces the defense deeper.

Many of these players will play a major role for Les Bleus as they embark on qualifiers for Euro 2012. There are some interesting players at the U19 and Espoir level that could also make some hay - Ait Fana and Kakuta - to name 2 players. It should be a very interesting week...

Allez les Bleus!!!