Last game...no surprises please France!

Les Bleus head into the last group game in a position they have not enjoyed the last two tournaments - with one foot in the 1/4 finals! Granted at the Euros in 2008 and World Cup in 2010, they were not mathematically eliminated heading into the final game but the odds were against them...kind of like the famous scene in "Dumb and Dumber"...





This time around, France sits on top of their group and all they need is a draw to get into the next round, could even loss the game and get in...but let's keep it simple. France need to win this game. Period. Sweden is already out of the tournament, only they and Ireland were eliminated before the last group game. Sweden have nothing to play for but pride. Sweden will pose a good challenge for Les Bleus.

Let's face it, France has won one game in major tournaments in 9 tries and it was against Ukraine. Nothing against the co-hosts, but this is their first European Championship ever...and they are ranked 52nd. If France expects to do anything beyond they 1/4 finals they must show that they have overcome the malaise that has struck them the past few years. Additionally, Sweden will test one area of France's game that has been lacking for a few years - defending set pieces.

Another aspect - France has three players on a yellow card - Mexes, Debuchy and Menez. I debated whether or not Blanc should look to protect these players, but I realized that if he tried to get too cute and France do not go through...well it will turn ugly. I expect Les Bleus to start a formation looking to win, looking to go forward and build on what they have done so far.

Look for the Rennes MF to get higher up the pitch

The one change could be M'Vila and Diarra partnered together in a more beefy midfield. I could see Blanc looking to a hybrid 4-3-3 slash 4-2-3-1. Looking to snuff out Ibra in the midfield and hit Sweden on the wings with his wide players. This could also be what Blanc wants to look to if France do progress and have to face the likes of Spain or Germany.

How I see the starting line up -

Lloris
Clichy, Mexes, Rami, Debuchy
Diarra, M'Vila, Nasri
Ribery, Benzema, Menez

Look for Nasri to have the freedom to roam wing to wing as well as play a higher line or drop deeper. M'Vila will play more like he does at Rennes in a traditional Relayeur role - linking up between the back 1/3 and the attacking 1/3. Diarra will continue to hold on to his role as midfield destroyer. The Marseille man will be tasked to keep an eye on Ibrahimovic, much of Sweden's offense goes through the big man who plays a 9 1/2  type role almost a traditional #10. I would look for Benzema to try and play a higher line, pushing the Swedish defense deeper and getting service from the wings. I would hope to see Clichy get a start again, he gives France more of a threat from the left back than Evra did in the game against England. He partners well with Ribery and opens up the diagonal run for the Kaiser. On the other side, Menez showed that he can keep his discipline by staying on the right wing, while he does drift inside at times, he is holds his channel better than Nasri who's natural instinct is to drift more to the center of the park. I also think that the first half of the Ukraine match, Menez had some jitters (it was his first action in a major tournament), but getting the goal in the second half should boost his confidence and I look for him to be more clinical from the start.

France needs to play for the win, while minding the players on a yellow. Meaning - if France go out to a lead and have the luxury look for Mexes to get some time on the bench with Koscielny getting some run as well as Reveillere on the right. If the game is tight until the end, Blanc might still look to afford himself this luxury.

Prediction - France 3 Sweden 0. Brace from Benzema and goal from Rami.

Allez les Bleus!!!

France secure the essential - 3 points - style points do not count!

Les Bleus come out of their match versus Luxembourg with the essential - 3 points. What matters is the score sheet, unlike Olympic figure skating, there are no points for beauty and style! Thankfully. Not that France played an ugly game, just could have been expected do to more with what they had. Les Bleus secure their spot on top of their group, but much work remains:

The highlights:




The Good:

• 3 points....yes that is simplistic but that is the most important take away for France. Did anyone harp on the fact France defeated Andorra 1-0 in the 2000 Euro qualifiers? For those who have forgotten, France went on to qualify and win Euro 2000. After a poor start to the campaign, Les Bleus have won all their matches and have secured themselves at the top of Group D.



Le President thinking about tactics

• It was refreshing to see the manager adapt his tactics to the opponent, what do I mean by this? Unlike Domenech who always stuck with 2 holding midfielders, Laurent Blanc was open to trying a more offensive side versus a nation he knew would park the bus in front of their goal. Granted Gourcuff was slotted deep, similar to a holding midfielder next to M'Vila, but that tactic had offense in mind much more than another midfield destroyer to slow down the opponent's attack. Similar to when France traveled to Bosnia and Blanc rolled out a 4-3-3 with 3 holding midfielders, completely snuffing out the oxygen for the Bosnian midfield. I understand a manager wants to find his tactics and stick to them, but being able to have some adaptability is also vital. You build on a core of players and allow the tactics to revolve around them depending on the situation.
• Mexes and Rami, once again demonstrated how vital they are to France's aspirations and showed again why Blanc has given them the keys to the central defensive pairing for Les Bleus. Mexes added a goal as well and Rami was very present on free kicks putting on two decent headers on the Luxembourg goal. Unlike Domenech, Blanc understands the importance to allowing your central defensive pairing to take form and build. So far so good, keep it going. Les Bleus need to continue building on this success, it really is the key to how well they could do next summer.

The Bad:

• Kick and run....even with a more offensive and technically aware line up, I felt that Les Bleus tried to mirror an old style England or Scottish team....thump the ball high and far and hope your striker latches on to the ball. Luxembourg played 9 players behind the ball, at times backing off deep into their own end not even pressuring at the half way line. This allowed the likes of Mexes, Rami and M'Vila to move the ball up from deep. Rather than look to string some short passes - on the ground - they would too often look to thump deep balls to Benzema or Ribery or Malouda. Too often these would go long, fall into harmless areas or find themselves in the arms of the Luxembourg keeper. France had too much technical talent on the pitch to revert to such tactics they should have looked to play short passes - square passes - keep probing the defensive shell. It is incredibly difficult for any team to consistently defend. At some point openings will show and diagonal passes will open up. Look at what Barcelona does....they are not afraid to knock the ball around, play keep away and once you show a seem put a through ball in for Villa or Messi. 
• Because of the kick and run, the wingers did not get involved enough. Malouda and Ribery seemed invisible for much of the game. The full backs were also not as active as I would have liked it - Evra and Sagna did have some forays up the pitch, but more was required. The pace on the wings should have been better utilized.
• France finishing, a 2-0 score line versus the 117th ranked nation would not be seen as a huge offensive success. It was not so much the lack of chances, granted there were few, but on the occasions France did have in front of goal they did not show the clinical finishing one would hope. Case in point, Benzema makes a de-cleating move on a Luxembourg defender to find himself 1v1 versus the keeper but shots poorly allowing another defender to come back and counter the shot. Must get that ball through to goal...and finish!
• I am starting to wonder if Gourcuff will ever regain the promise he had a few season ago. The Lyon play maker was slotted deeper, which I think could work for him, but he seemed tentative and forced the game. Granted he did tally another goal and he did some interesting things. But he still seemed to be forcing his game. What made him integral to France a few years back was he was one of the few players with the vision and guile to try the last pass or flick on...now it feels like he is looking to do this too often rather than allowing the game to come to him. He did the same against Brazil where at one point he tried to take on 3 defenders and step over himself to get through...rather than protect possession and look to recreate. In this match he tried too often to launch long through balls, looking to spring an offensive strike from 35 meters rather than contend himself with simple triangle passes, square passes and even back passes to reset. He still has the potential and talent, but must stop forcing his game.

The Ugly:

• The Ribery effect...the first game back for Ribery and Evra after the South Afrian fiasco. So why ugly? The debate of where Ribery should play reared its ugly head again. Starting the match the Bayern winger was on the right and Malouda on the left. The last 20 minutes of the match Ribery found himself on the left, his preferred spot, and clearly his game moved up a level. It was his run that led to the second goal. He was very dangerous making runs at the defense whereas in the first part of the game it was almost invisible. So once again we have the ugly debate of where should Ribery play? Malouda seemed firmly entrenched on the left, but that is where the Kaiser does his best work. With Remy, Valbuena and Menez, Blanc has solid right sided wingers he can leverage...unlike Domenech and Gouvou, so there is no need to shoehorn Ribery on the right as a stop gap. Blanc could even opt to slot Nasri out to the right. I realize it is a good problem to have but it will force Blanc to wrestle with what is his best formation, and can he afford to have Malouda on the bench?

Les Bleus are sitting in a good position. They have not dropped points since they lost to Belarus to start the qualifiers. They won one of their tougher matches, away to Bosnia. However much work is to be done, France cannot afford to drop any points to the likes of Albania or Romania, neither will be easy. Especially considering they must travel to both - they also have to go to Belarus who already defeated France at Stade de France. They do have the last match against Bosnia at home, and they remain the biggest threat to France. But I hope that by then France have secured the top spot of the group.

Group D

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

Bosnia and Romania have a game in hand so the standings will look very different once those matches are played. Assume Bosnia win that match they are only 2 points behind Les Bleus, if that holds until the final game, France will not be assured of qualification until then...like I said - Much work to be done.

Allez les Bleus.

Blanc will announce his captain before end of the year.

Mexes, Malouda and Diarra have all worn the captain's arm band for Laurent Blanc's France squad. However there is not a clear cut favorite to carry the arm band long term. Blanc did come out and said the captain will be named before December. Question is, who is the favorite? The three players who have previously worn the arm band are all in the conversation. How about Sagna? Or Gourcuff? I know the latter has always stated he is not ready for the responsibility. The former might have a case to be made but he has always struck me as a quiet leader not someone that will speak up. With regards to ADiarra, is he an unquestionable starter? Blanc also stated he is still searching for his core for Les Bleus, the undisputed group of players that he will build around - son noyau. I am sure once Blanc has more clarity with regards to this he will be prepared to give the arm band to one of these players for the long term.

Here is a name that might be a dark horse - Rami. He has shown very well since the Norway game, a pillar on the back line. To me he is one of the players that is on the very short list of being one of Blanc's noyaus. He was also not part of the World Cup nor the Domenech era so would give a fresh start to the role.

Who do you think Blanc might look to as his captain?

Breath of fresh air for Les Bleus - France can truly begin the healing

Le President can finally smile

France scored a famous victory today in Sarajevo defeating Bosnia 2-0 in a game that could have easily been 3 or a 4 goal victory. The win gives Blanc and France a huge oxygen boost. After two consecutive losses under Blanc, and 4 straight losses for France...the first time this has happened to Les Bleus in 73 years! SEVENTY THREE years!!!! If you go back further France have lost 5 of their last 6 games - against the football powers such as China, Mexico, South Africa, Norway and Belarus. France did draw against eventual World Cup 4th place team Uruguay 0-0!!!

So we can start rethinking that Les Bleus might be slowly turning the ship back to the proper direction. Such a victory could not come at a more crucial time for France. Heading into the hostile environment of Sarajevo and coming out with a dominate 2-0 victory can only be seen as an important victory and giant morale boost. As I stated in my previous post, I felt this match was going to be the most difficult on France's qualifying calendar and after dropping all 3 points against Belarus it only became that much more difficult. Bravo for Les Bleus to attacking this match with a level of concentration and urgency that it called for. So what to take from the game:

The Good:

• The full 3 points - I cannot reiterate this enough. France headed into this match desperate to not lose the game, the draw and 1 point would have been seen as a moral victory. Due to the other results of the day Albania and Belarus are leading the group with 4 points - no team was able to grab 2 victories from the first 2 days. This places France right back in the chase to win the group. The next match for France will at home against old friend Romania - a vital match for Les Bleus to continue building on this success with Luxembourg as the second match, France head into these next 2 games with a great opportunity to take a commanding position in the group. Something I could not imagine 24 hours ago.
• The 4-3-3 and the French pressing - After playing with a 4-4-2 against Belarus, Blanc demonstrated what the former French manager could never do...strategic flexibility. Blanc knew he could not afford to drop any points and due to his shortage in the offensive sector he decided to "beef" up his midfield and to defend first and foremost. With a defensive midfield of Diaby, ADiarra and M'Vila, Blanc clearly sought to snuff out any oxygen and space for the Bosnian midfield. France came out from the first minute looking to pursue every 50-50 ball, shut down passing lanes and pressure the Bosnian team into mistakes. With Malouda and Valbuena doing their defensive work back tracking and latching on to Bosnian lost balls, France showed a gear that we have been waiting to see for a few years. Blanc gave us a glimpse of what he brings to the table - tactical flexibility and an understanding that has been lacking for the past 6 years.
• Rami and to some extent Mexes - the central defensive pairing was very strong in this match. In particular Rami demonstrated once again his quality. His personal battle with Dzeko was one sided, in favor of the French central defender, as one article noted he put Dzeko in his pocket. Not a simple victory when you realize that Dzeko is probably one of the best strikers in Europe that no one knows about - let us not forget that the Special One has been in hot pursuit of the German based striker. I have heard some French pundits criticizing both players for their showing against Belarus. However I would caution that these two have played 3 games together, and they will need more time to develop a working relationship which is crucial as a central defensive pairing. What I have seen so far is very promising in my eyes, but they still need time to continue to develop. Aside from Mexes' aggressive play sometimes giving away silly free kicks I am much more encouraged by this pairing than what Domenech had always rolled out on the pitch.
• Le Petit Velo - Valbuena brought a tremendous amount of energy and creativity to the right side of the pitch. Hmmmm too bad Domenech never allowed Valbuena to showcase during the World Cup. The OM play-maker was very active on the pitch. He made sure the French attack was well balanced but also allowed himself to come back to the center of the park and at times to the left allowing Malouda to drift back to the middle as well. He created himself a wonderful chance to score in the second half forcing a save from Hasagic in the 78th minute.
• Benzema - the much maligned Real Madrid striker came to play today against Bosnia. Basically slotted up front as the lone striker, Valbuena and Malouda were more offensive midfielder/wingers. His goal was a glimpse of his talent - controlling a pass in the penalty box surrounded by 3 Bosnian defender, a nice drag back with a quick release from his left foot - not the most perfect shot but the pure goal scorer's strike. He
  
  
  could have had a brace off a cheeky chip from Matuidi that forced a point blank save from Hasagic. Overall the Real striker had 6 shots on goal - including a sizzler in the 11th minute where he beat two defenders forcing a strong save and a free kick that beat the wall but could not dip in time. His showing was exactly what we have been waiting for from the former Lyon prodigy. The only question is can he string a few of these together for France? If so the question of who will take over the offensive duties for Les Bleus has found its answer. I am cautiously optimistic. His talent has never been questioned, just his desire and will. Maybe Blanc and Mourinho can get this type of effort out of Benzema on a regular basis, now that would be something truly special.
• Speaking of maligned players, Diaby also showed very well for himself. In the 4-3-3 he was given the freedom and space to show off his talents. He was sharp on his passing and dribbling. He even gave us a little school ground trickery on the second goal with a deft little back heel to Valbuena. Were his touch a bit on the softer side could have scored a goal on a text book give and go with Malouda putting the Arsenal #2 thru alone on the keeper, only to have his first touch let him down. After a maddeningly quiet match against Belarus it was good to see the Arsenal man shine in this match. Much like Benzema, I hope that he too can string more of these together for France!
• France's ability to finish strong. I do not take this lightly, that Les Bleus kept a clean sheet and finished strong after going up by 2 goals. They kept their composure and the insertion of Matuidi (his first cap, good for him) in place of Malouda was a clear signal from Blanc that he meant to preserve the clean sheet and that even up 2-0 with 10 minutes to go, the game was not over. The Saint-Etienne midfielder showed well for himself with a cheeky chip to Benzema that could have made it 3-0 as well as a diagonal cross to Diarra that the Bordeaux man could not tap in...his play was an example of the team concentrated on properly closing out the game. In past matches...Serbia in Paris during WC qualifiers in particular, France went up 2-0 only to give away a silly goal when they clearly thought the game was over. Or even the match against Romania during the same campaign at Stade de France - after going up 1-0 they seemed to take their foot off the accelerator only to see the Romanians come back and get the equalizer off an Escude own goal. If history is any indicator, every point counts, ever goal for and against is crucial, therefore nothing should be given away cheaply during qualifiers.

The Bad:

• French finishing in front of goal, okay I realize they did score 2 goals which away to Bosnia should be seen as a positive however Benzema should have had a brace, Diaby's heavy touch let him down, Valbuena tested but should have done better with his effort in the second half...Every goal is vital in qualifiers and there were at least 1-3 clear chances for another goal that France should have capitalized on. Against strong quality opponents, Benzema will not get 6 good looks at goal, so he must be more clinical on those he gets, same goes for the rest of the team.
• Sagna's crosses - I realize this is a pet peeve of mine, but for all his ability I constantly get frustrated with Sagna's poor service on crosses. Clearly he is a world class defender and does get up well into the offense but that does no good when his crosses fall sheepishly into the keeper's Nike clad mitts or fly harmlessly into touch. He must improve this part of his game for both club and country.

The Ugly:

• Dropping the full 3 points to Belarus! I realize that match was last Friday, but after this victory those lost points loom large for France. Had they just drawn that game...then again maybe losing that match was what they needed to give us this performance.
• Fans throwing fire crackers onto the pitch. At least Mexes could laugh about it, but it could have caused some serious injury...stupid. For a second there I thought I was watching a PSG game!

A great win for France. Of course I cannot get too far ahead of myself. While Bosnia is a very solid squad, especially playing at home, France did not just go into San Paulo and defeat Brazil 2-0. But a victory and a full 3 points on the road is crucial for France. There remains a lot of work ahead for the squad and Blanc. But France can head into their next match at home against Romania with much needed confidence, they will also have the return of Gourcuff and most likely Nasri.

As I stated before the healing from the disaster that was Domenech would not start in earnest until France won on the field. Les Bleus final have the breath of oxygen so desperately needed. France can leave this international break with a positive view and hope for the matches in September. Something that seemed like a futile wish only 24 hours ago.

The match highlights:



See you in September against Romania! 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.

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:

No Vieira for Lithuania

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Good:

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

The Bad:

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

The Ugly:

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

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

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

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

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