The rumors were correct - Blanc turns over his starters

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

The starting line up:

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

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

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

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

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

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

France 1 - Romania 1
Benzema scores again for Les Bleus

Allez Les Bleus!

2 in a row...Les Bleus are back on track and sit atop Group D for the the Euros

Amazing what 2 wins in a row will do for a team...after a missed Euro qualifying start where France fell on a last gasp goal versus Belarus, Les Bleus have found success away to Bosnia and home against Romania. France now sits atop group D with six points:

Looks a lot better than 2 games ago

Clearly the table looks much more reassuring than it did a few games ago! So let's get into the game:

The Good:

• The win - it cannot be emphasized enough how important the full 3 points were to France. Not just for the qualifying campaign but for the team as a whole. With every victory the bitter taste of 6 years of Dumbenech as well as the failed South African campaign seems more and more like a bad nightmare. The primary goal is to qualify for the Euro in 2012 and being in first place after 3 games, albeit by 1 point, is still first place. The fact that your 2 closest competitors are 1 pt behind and consist of Albania and Belarus, should give France great hope to win the group. As I stated in a prior blog post, the win away to Bosnia gains that much more importance. I realize that Belarus got a famous victory at Stade de France, but a draw against Luxembourg means that advantage has been squandered...assuming Les Bleus do not fall into the same trap this Tuesday! Additionally, it was a breath of fresh air to see France not lose their composure against a team that was playing for the draw - and to get the vital goals in the last 10 minutes of the game.
• The coaching from Laurent Blanc played a major part in the victory. There is a reason why France was able to break down the Romanians late, intelligent substitution. Something that always seemed to be missing with Domenech, something I had long criticized him for. Bringing in Remy, another fast winger, for Valbuena who had done so much positive work on the right flank (really could have had a goal were it not for a desperation save and a cross bar!) to wear down the Romanian defense led to the first goal. Inserting Payet for Benzema, a change of pace striker, clearly broke down the Romanian defense for the 2nd goal, scored by the other substitute - Gourcuff. Until the goal, Gourcuff had not had the expected impact on the game but being able to run out one play maker Gourcuff, for another Nasri, ensured that there was always a "#10" on the pitch for Les Bleus. As Blanc stated, you win games with 14 players - the starting 11 and your 3 subs in case Domenech is reading and cannot do the math.
• I have to say that Clichy showed me something during the game, granted he had a counter that was too easily lost to Romania that almost led to a Romanian goal. Otherwise his pace and offensive minded runs created danger and opportunities all night for France. He worked well with Malouda and his desperation header in the 47th minute ensured that France keep their clean sheet. I will still ding him for his crosses, while improved still need to be more consistent and precise to take his game to another level.
• Mexes - Rami looks like a good central defensive duo that France can lean on for years to come. Surprise surprise, both are natural central defenders! Wow what a grand idea, play players in their positions. Once again both players compliment each other very nicely. Mexes even had a good occasion to score in the 51st minute forcing a good save from the Romanian keeper.
• The holding duo of M'Vila and ADiarra are also looking more and more like one of the pillars Blanc is looking to develop. It is amazing that M'Vila is all of 20 years old, he looks like a seasoned veteran. Strong in his tackles, great positioning and a calming presence. Diarra looks more and more like he wants to not only hold on to his starting role but also the captain's arm band. It was his clinical pass from deep that spring Remy in for the first goal.
• The newcomers - Remy and Payet - both demonstrated the quality they possess. I realize that Remy has been in the side in the past, but always on the fringe. Clearly both demonstrated some values that could prove important for France moving forward. In the 10 minutes Payet played he grab himself an assist and almost opened his goal account forcing a good save from the Romanian keeper. While Remy's change of pace and coolness in front of goal were decisive, granted he really should have done better on Malouda's 88th minute cross that found the Lyon winger alone on the far post with, what appeared to be, the simplest of headers to give him the brace. I guess in that area he resembles the player he is sometimes compared to - Titi Henry!
• Nasri also had himself a very strong game. He was unfortunate not to score when the Romania keeper made an emergency save with his rear end. Otherwise the Arsenal #8 was the maestro for the offense when he was on the pitch. Makes you wonder why he was left in France this summer.

The Bad:

• Defensive lapses, I realize that at the international level there is always quality opposing you, but there remains some lapses for France that against better quality sides could prove disastrous. There remains some work to be done when it comes to the fullbacks bringing the ball out from the defensive 1/3 as well organizationally ensuring that the back line does not succumb to the quick counters. I hope that these are things that will work their way out as Blanc gives the team more time to develop.
• French finishing, I realize they scored 2 goals, but they came late...still count...but France must find a way to do better with the chances they are afforded during the game. I realize that the Romanian keeper had much to do with the fact they could not score earlier, but with the likes of Malouda, Valbuena Benzema, Nasri et al there is ore than enough fire power to get a goal earlier than the 80th minute.

The Ugly:

• The Belarus game...sorry but dropping 3 points at home to Belarus remains ugly in light of the recent success. Les Bleus could be up 4 points on Albania rather than 1 point up on Albania and Belarus!

Overall I cannot be anything but happy after this match. Clearly France is starting something "new" and building something as Blanc and many of the players voiced.  There are players that are emerging as pillars - Mexex:Rami in central defense, M'Vila in the midfield, Malouda on the left to name a few. Unlike his predecessor, Blanc appears to have a much clearly strategy that he is actually sticking with! I will be curious to see if, ever, Ribery and Evra find their way back into this side.

Highlights of the second half, when all the action happened!



Of course all of this will be wasted if France do not take care of business this Tuesday against Luxumbourg! But for now all is starting to be right with Les Bleus.

Allez Les Bleus

Euro qualifying groups - Les Bleus facing Eastern Bloc

So the qualifying groups for the Euro in Ukraine/Poland have been announced and Les Bleus will face a very Eastern Bloc flavor of a group -

Groupe D :
Luxembourg
Albanie
Biélorussie
Bosnie
Roumanie
France

Clearly the teams to fear are Bosnia and Romania. France faced the Romanians during the last World Cup qualifying campaign earning two draws...the away match to Romania saw France go down 2-0 very early on only to see Gourcuff and Ribery rally the team back to a draw.



The return leg was marked by a horrible own goal from Escude, and an overall poor match by the Sevilla man to allow a clearly dominated Romania escape Paris with a point. Romania will pose a challenge but Les Bleus should fare better this time around, plus Romania will most likely be without their best player - Mutu - who once again faces a length suspension due to illegal substance abuse. Bosnia will also pose a threat. They missed out on the World Cup, although barely, losing to favorite Portugal in the play off round. Bosnia had hit a few posts late in their first match away to Portugal which could have seen a very different final result. Bosnia will be a dangerous team - with the likes of Dzeko, Pjanic and Misimovic. France have historically struggled with Eastern Bloc teams so this will be a test for Les Bleus.

The other nations should not challenge but will also not be push overs - see Luxembourg's 2-1 victory versus World Cup bound Switzerland this year (that match was in Zurich as well)!

France are the favorites to emerge from this group, however what will be crucial is how quickly the new France manager (rumored to be Laurent Blanc) will be to integrate a new generation of players. With the likes of Henry, Anelka and Gallas to name a few that are potential retirees from the national side, the new manager will have to determine who will take leadership of the squad as well as the formation and tactics for the squad.

The new manager will not have the luxury of time, the difficult task of international football is that there is no rebuilding for nations such as France. Les Bleus have the talent, hopefully the new manager will have the ability to create the proper chemistry and tactics quickly.

France 1 - Romania 1...same old story

I have no idea where to start....in a game that Les Bleus had to win, in a game that was crucial in order to make this weeks game in Serbia mean something, Domenech's band once again teased with world class talent and then disappointed with the tin man's heart. France had the better run of play and scoring chances, really no surprise there, but once again failed where failure was not an option and left 2 crucial points on the pitch.

Les Bleus started out the match and played the bulk of the first half with their hair on fire. They demonstrated a collective will to win the game that we would want to see every match from this side. The second half proved a tale of two cities, while they came out and scored rapidly after the restart, they seemed to play as if the hard work was all done after being up 1-0 only to see a terrible own goal. Les Bleus then just sat back and accepted their fate...ugh. Let us dissect the match:

The Good:

• I have to start with the Romania keeper, Coman he made big save after big save. Did the necessary on crosses. His save on Henry in the first 10 minutes set the tone for the match, while the shot was not a bullet, it was very well placed and came through a screen of players. Coman could have just as easily reacted a split second later allowing the ball to find the back of the net. He also made a finger tip save on an Henry cross which may have otherwise found its way to an onrushing Anelka, another save on an Henry header from a free kick, a solid save on Gignac's side volley, an aggressive on-rushing save into the feet of Ribery in the second half, as well as on numerous other occasions he saved his side. In hockey terms, he would be the #1 star of the game.
• Bakary Sagna played a solid match in his right side channel. He filled the right side flank with solid overlapping runs and defended very well. He even contributed with a bursting run into the box only to smash his shot wide, at the tail end of the first half. His energy and pace rendered, gave life to the right side of the French attack. He still needs to work on his understanding with Anelka or which ever right sided offensive player Domenech decides on. Sagna did have a moment of mis-communication, on a high ball, with Gallas late in the second half, somewhat surprising since they are teammates at Arsenal.
• The French captain, Titi Henry was also good, almost the Titi of old. He showed the pace and offensive threat that made him the world class striker we have enjoyed seeing playing at Arsenal and Barca. Playing in his preferred left channel he was dangerous all night taking on defenders, was not afraid to take the play to the Romanians and was even dangerous on two occasions with his aerial game (granted the second occasion where he scored a great goal from a Sagna cross was not allowed because Henry decided to walk back to an on side position...and was too slow in doing so....frustrating). Titi was unfortunate to not bag the brace. Clearly he still has some mazy runs left in his 32 year old legs.
• Lass Diarra, as he is known at Real, had a solid game. He was solid in defending, as we have come to expect, but what made him stand out was his nose for the offense. He attempted an ambitious long distance shot in the beginning of the match and had some fantastic passes all through out. He wears the #10 for Real, maybe that has given him a little extra in his game to play like a #10.
• The French fans in Stade de France. Much has been written and commented that the fans tend to sour on Les Bleus and do not encourage their team enough. While there is merit to this accusation, the fans were clearly behind their team this match, understanding the importance of the 3 points. Right from the beginning, they sang the anthem with much heart and feeling, and the chant "Allez les Bleus" constantly rang out during the match. Hats off to the fans, they did their part. A nice reminder of how the atmosphere can be -

The Bad:

• This might be a little harsh, but I need to call out Evra. Ok he was not entirely bad. Actually very solid offensively, making deep runs on the left side, taking on defenders, and offering a series of nice crosses into the box. Granted some of the crosses ended up falling harmlessly onto Romania defender's feet, but blame that more on the fact the French were not getting to threatening positions fast enough on the offensive end. So I cannot say he was completely in the bad category. Where I do have call out the Manchester United defender is in the fact numerous counters came from his side of the pitch. I realize he pushes high, but at times I felt he was not recovering fast enough therefore allowing his marker to latch on to through balls and really create serious threats to the French goal. In particular the first half, where at least 3 serious counter attacks came from his channel. Overall I would say his performance was superb on the offensive side, a bit lacking on defense.
• Again this too might be a little harsh, but I need to call out Toulalan as well. He has always given 110% for the team, making the hard tackles, doing lots of the dirty work in the midfield, and he gave this type of performance again this go around. But I will be critical since I felt it was not at the level we expect from the Lyon player. He appeared late on challenges, appeared to be chasing the play too much. He has some moments of brilliance with his passing, but just did not seem at his usual level.
• Gourcuff also did not seem to be at his top level. We have come to expect a lot from the young midfielder for both club and country. I will caution anyone who has called him the next "Zidane"to be very careful in that comparison. Zidane is arguably one of the top 5 players of all time, Gourcuff has a world of talent in his legs, but those are lofty comparisons. To me it appeared that some of that pressure and expectations were too much for the play maker. He had some solid run of play and worked well with his strikers. However he missed kicked a few solid opportunities in the first half. One was a sitter that he inexplicably tried to hit it with the outside of his foot and rather than simply putting it on goal it ballooned wide. He did strike a nice free kick onto the on rushing Henry, forcing yet another save from Coman. However I felt his corner kicks were always the same, and always fell harmlessly away. Maybe one should change their approach to set pieces when the 3rd fails to render the proper result. I think being taken out end of the game is what indicated to me that he was not at his usual best. I have no fear that Gourcuff will continue to grow and has a very bright future, but tonight was not one of those matches for him.

The Ugly:

• The French Keepers - Lloris and Mandanda - ok the OM man did not play in this match so why am I being critical of him? Maybe it is a cumulative effect of the matches between both keepers. Now what is ugly is not the lack of talent or ability at the keeper position for France, but the clear fact that neither player has successfully taken the #1 position. Both keepers have the talent and ability to claim to be the rightful owners of France's #1 strip, but neither have shown the mental toughness or leadership needed to earn this position. Why this has become ugly, is that France need to have this position solidified, and more importantly Les Bleus have been "messing" up the keeper position since the World Cup in Germany, and what do I mean by this? Domenech has, in my opinion, handled the keeper spot horribly during his tenure, not entirely surprising because he has demonstrated a lack of management with other positions as well. So here is how I see the errors - Coupet was clearly the #1 in Germany, he was having a world class year for Lyon and everyone, well almost everyone, felt he would be in goal for France. Instead, Domenech relied on a well-past-his-prime keeper in Barthez. This created strife during the preparation of the world cup. I would even argue that the playing of Barthez cost France the title. This snowballed - France should have had Coupet, Frey, and Landreau in Germany, giving the second two a chance to vie for the #1 job. During Euro qualifiers, it appeared as if Landreau was the #2 getting starts in a few games. Frey gets a start in the last match, gives up a poor goal but still holds his spot for the Euros, however Landreau gets canned in favor of Mandanda....which made very little sense. So now we all expect Frey to be the #1 after the Euros, but instead he gets the boot and we bring on two talented, but very green keepers - Lloris and Mandanda...what???? Had Domenech utilized some common sense, Coupet would have backstopped France during the last two major tournaments with Frey and Landreau deciding who was the next in line. Frey and Landreau would be your top 2 keepers now and you would be grooming Lloris and Mandanda, both of whom are still very young. Let us not forget that Lloris and Mandanda have high level Ligue 1 experience of only a few seasons. Frey should be the #1!!! He has bags of talent in his gloves, loads of experience back stopping Fiorentina (let us not over look that he captains the Serie A side), and is better prepared to shoulder the pressure that comes with these types of matches. Lloris and Mandanda will have their day, no doubt, but time is not on France's side.

• Escude, wow that was not pretty. I cannot fault him entirely for the OG, watching that play again, it was clear that Lloris needed to take ownership of the ball. The cross was slicing away from Escude and if it gets by him Lloris would be facing an impossible shot to save. The keeper had to come off his line and attack that ball. But back to the Sevilla central defender. Why his performance was ugly was the fact he appeared nervous, unsure of himself and those traits are deadly when it comes to a defender, let a lone a central defender. He was completely turned around end of the first half on a play that should have resulted in a Romanian goal. Marica completely had Escude tripping over his own feet and almost forced Escude to pull him down in the box. Terrible from an international defender,when you also know you have cover from Gallas behind you! He looked tentative in the air, heading back a ball in the first half that almost led to a Romanian break...again another French player who cannot translate his club success into performance for country. I question why he was chosen over his teammate Squillaci who had some good performances recently with Les Bleus, and again why Mexes is not there...could have done any worse?
• Ok I will save the ugliest for last...Domenech. This should come as no surprise to anyone who reads the Frog, but the French manager once again gave an ugly demonstration on many fronts. First, in not bringing a natural right winger, Domenech was forced to have essentially a 4-2-1-3 on the pitch to start. With Anelka on the right wing, Henry on the left and Gignac at the point you essentially had 3 natural strikers on the pitch. Not necessarily a bad thing, but when you are asking your team to have 3 offensive midfielders your formation means those two outside wingers need to come back deeper for the ball and play more defense than a traditional striker is accustom or desires to do. So what happens? At times there was a HUGE gap in the middle of the park. Diarra and Toulalan cannot be expected to cover that much territory, when the wingers do not fall back you leave a lot of room for opposing player to carry the play.It becomes even more dangerous when your wide fullbacks are pushing up, if they get caught up field you are in a pure man to man marking situation in the back and one of your central defenders/midfielders will have to drift to those wings, thereby leaving your center vulnerable as well. In addition, Gourcuff's tendency is to drift high to fill the gap behind the stiker opening up even more space behind the offense where the opponent can counter. Second, I really question his constant resilience to take out a defensive midfielder at the end of the game when you know you must win and your opponent is just packing in the defense. Why not take out Toulalan with 15 minutes to go? He has run hard and you need another goal...throw on a Remy who will give you a natural outside winger. Instead Domenech goes for 1 for 1 subs, taking out a striker for a striker, or an offensive player for another. How is that for creativity! Finally I just question his ability to manage and motivate, his teams have a tendency to look flat, show little creativity and lack imagination. Maybe he has a master plan, but he has had plenty of time to demonstrate it and no one has really seen it. Many, myself included, question Jacquet back in the day when he stubbornly stuck to his ideas and principles, jettisoning players like Cantona and Ginola to instead build from the back to the front. Aime knew what system he wanted to deploy and therefore ensured he has the players that would fit that system. He recognized that he has a world class player in Zizou and built a team behind him that would allow him to free lance and leverage his genius for the team. Granted Domenech does not have such a player, but the cupboard is far from empty. France is no longer the footballing nation it was up to the early 80s, a nation with some decent talent, from time to time world class talent (Kopa, Fontaine, etc). France has a world class developmental system, world class talent at the youth level, world class players at the senior level playing in the world's biggest leagues, yet a manager that appears to have neither the ability nor the capacity to put in place a system that will allow these talented players to succeed. I too pray, Raymond, that you figure this out sooner rather than later....alas I fear that time is no longer on our side.

Well at least France did not lose...how is that for being positive! France appears destined to fight to maintain its place in the second place play offs (Scotland is currently on 10 pts with 1 game to go, meaning they can only hope to have 13 total points and cannot be a higher ranked 2nd place team than France who is on 14 points with 3 games to go). Les Bleus face a tough match against Serbia in Belgrade this Wednesday, a win is crucial to maintain any hope of finishing first, but more realistic France need at least a draw to stay ahead of Austria for the second place in the group. Short of a monumental melt down, France should be secure in second place. France could lose this Wednesday, then face Faroe Islands in France where they should....uhhhmmmmm....get the full 3 points and at worst head into the final game against Austria, at Stade de France, 1 point ahead of Austria (assuming Austria wins their two next matches against Romania and Lithuania).

So the math is in France's favor...barely...let us not forget it was in France's favor when they were qualifying for World Cup 1990 as well....and we all know how that turned out. So Les Bleus hold on to their chances. Up to them to seize the moment....albeit a fleeting moment.