Merci Sylvain!

Sylvain Wiltord announced his retirement from football this week...a quiet story in the shadow of the Euros. Wiltord was one of those players who had a great career, yet does not get the recognition of other players of his generation. He was part of the invincibles with Arsenal, won the FA Cup, the Premiership and Ligue 1 at the club level. For France he won the Euros in 2000, 2 confederation cups and world cup runner up.

Of course what he will always be remembered for was the equalizer against Italy...the Trezeguet volley is what is remembered from the match. But without the Wiltord equalizer we never would have gotten to that kick!



Merci Sylvain, best of luck in retirement you had a great career.

Where have all the French forwards gone?

Henry, Trezeguet, Anelka, Cisse, Saha...an impressive list of strikers. And before you mock the inclusions of Cisse and Saha let us not forget what Saha was doing with Fulham and then Manchester United or the fact that prior to Cisse suffering horrific leg breaks he was one of the most sought after strikers in the world. Some of the goals he scored for Auxerre were absurd and he has lead two domestic leagues as top scorer. What is interesting is that Henry, Trezeguet and Anelka all came up together. The first two making the 1998 World Cup winning squad with the latter being a late cut from the squad.

And since 1998, France have had the luxury of being able to call on this talented pool of strikers. However today it appears Les Bleus have the opposite problem. With the international retirement of both Henry and Anelka, the age of Trezeguet and Saha, and finally the off again on again form from Cisse, Blanc does not appear to have options that Les Bleus otherwise took for granted. Players like Le Tallec, Sinama Pongolle, Aliadiere and Gomis were suppose to provide some fresh blood to the strike force. All have shown some potential but none have come close to the hype.

Even the supposed new golden boy - Benzema - has failed to impress recently struggling at both club and country level to approach the expectations that he established while at Lyon. He is still young - only 22 - so all is not lost. But one has to say that so far he has not lived up to what is clearly enormous potential. It is somewhat disconcerting that your #1 striker is a 10 - 15 minute substitute for his club.

None of the other strikers would be mistaken for Henry or Trezeguet in their prime:

• Gameiro - nice player with good pace. But not sure he is a world class international level striker.
• Hoarau - won a Ligue 2 scoring title had a great first season with PSG but has struggled with injuries and form. His recent showings for Les Bleus have been useful, but not top notch.
• Remy - always compared to Henry, which we should stop doing. A nice player with great pace and good finishing, a real option coming in from a wide position. But again, not sure he has become a top class international striker.
• Payet - The inform striker in Ligue 1, although he and St Etienne have cooled off recently, another good striker with pace but appears to better fit the late game substitute than a 90 minute striker.

All of these strikers are young - under 26 - and bring different strengths to the table, however none stand out based on form for either club nor country. Interesting that all 4 listed above still play in Ligue 1....

This is what makes international football so interesting, or frustrating to some like Gooner. Unlike at Arsenal or PSG or Real Madrid, you cannot simply go out and acquire players to fill needs, you have to do what you can with the available national talent. Clearly Les Bleus have the opposite problem when it comes to defensive midfielders: M'Vila, ADiarra, LDiarra, Matuidi, Toulalan, Flamini and Mavuba - have all been called upon to hold up the defensive responsibilities for Les Bleus. Clearly a wealth of options. Even left back - Abidal, Evra and Clichy. Or look at Argentina - Messi, Higuain, Tevez, Milito and Aguero were the striker options at the World Cup - ridiculous depth and talent, yet they could not find serviceable right and left fullbacks!

Clearly international sides have to deal with the talent that comes through the ranks and cannot simply purchase for need. France is dealing with this right now, how to replace the likes of Henry and Trezeguet up front. The cupboard is not bare by any stretch but when you no longer have the services of two of Les Bleus' all time scorers, the task is much more daunting. There is some help on the horizon in the likes of Kakuta, Sunu and Griezmann who have all shown great potential for the U19 squad. However players like N'Gog and Obertan will need to step up soon and integrate with the current crop of forwards waiting for the Kakuta generation to fulfill their potential.

A bright future, but still questions remain for the near term.

Trezegol back for Les Bleus???

A recent report states that both Domenech and Trezeguet might bury the hatchet opening the door for the Juve striker to come back to Les Bleus. Interesting. I have always been a fan of Trez, it was unfair that so much blame was pointed in his direction after he missed his PK in the World Cup finals, he was a crucial cog in France's 1998 World Cup success as well as the 2000 Euros, paired up with Henry with Zidane sitting behind them, the tandem was arguable one of the deadliest strike tandems the game has seen. There was a friendly in Germany where the duo was unstoppable, drilling Germany 3-0.

The question becomes, does France need David? To me the French system under Domenech does not lend itself to Trezegol's style. Since for the most part Les Bleus play with one striker and that is not Trezeguet's strength. He needs a partner up front that can draw attention away from him, allow him to be a "fox in the box." He is the best when there is a striker such as Henry that can run at defenders, take the ball deep and carry the game into the offensive end, allowing Trezegol to position himself for crosses, weak side runs, tap ins, headers, and all the usual goals that come from a "fox." As much as I think Trezeguet deserves a chance to wear the blue kit and retire from the international game the way he wants, I fear that France have moved to a style that will not suit him...unless Domenech leaves as well....

Benzema does not feel right with Les Bleus...hmmmmmm

So the latest from Madrid is that French star, Karim Benzema, does not feel at ease with Les Bleus. Shocking! Well really not. When you have a manager such as Domenech who is quirky and changes ideas as often as he changes his briefs, it is difficult for players to gain confidence and more importantly understand where they fit in overall system. Let us look at the Domenech and his actions of the past:

• Takes Trezeguet to Germany for the World Cup. But seems to favor Saha as the first striker off the bench. Has to use Trezegol in the finals since Saha was suspended (I believe that the yellow card against Portugal in the semi finals was one of the underlying reasons Les Bleus did not win the WC. Saha would have come in for Les Bleus rather than Trezegeut and I believe that Petit Louis' game would have lent itself to a goal in extra time for France...). We all know that Trez missed his PK, and somehow Domenech appears to have punished him for that post WC. Trezegol then goes into international exile...but gets called up for a match...he did not even have his boots with him since he never expected the call up, and then he is never to be seen from again.
• What about Malouda? He inexplicably fell off Domenech's radar and now is back on. Was it due to Malouda's lack of first team play with Chelsea? Maybe but when he was first ignored he was still getting in some good run with the London Blues.
• How about the keeper situation? I have ranted about this many times but the handling of the keeper situation from day 1 has been HORRENDOUS!!!! Goalkeeper is the one position in footie that needs special attention, they are creatures of habit, need to know the heirarchy and at times need coddling (this is coming from someone who wears the reusch gloves for his club on sundays!). From Barthez to Coupet to Mananda to Frey, Domenech has shown a complete lack of managerial skills when it comes to his keepers.
• Then there is Mexes, who is an absolute star in Italy, but for France looks like a second division hack.
  
• The "old guard" now I am firm believer that a footie manager, whether for the national team or club, needs to be firm when it comes to turning over his club. There needs to be a balance of experience and youth, and the hardest decision at times is when to replace the experience with youth. However a manager needs to do this while still allowing the old guard to save face and to have the recognition it deserves...neither of which Domenech was able to do with the likes of Pires and Giuly.
• Finally the way he handled Makelele, not allowing the veteran to retire from the international game as he had wanted. Rather threatening to fine him and his club if did not accept the France call ups...of course this had the "special one" saying that Domenech was treating Makelele as a "Slave." While Makelele did return to play for Les Bleus, and clearly gave all he had for France. In the end it was all for naught. Maybe Domenech should have looked for a younger player to fill in that spot rather than force an aging star to continue to battle for club and country.

So what to make of Benzema's comments? While I agree that sometimes these players whine and seem too shy away from responsibilty when they are not performing, I also think one only needs to look at the track record of Domenech to see a manager that instead of getting the most out of his talent, appears to some how take talented players and reduce them to average footballers. I have no problem with managers that are not loved by their players, as long as that manager also puts those footballers in a position to be successful. I have yet to see Domenech being able to do that with what is a very talent pool of players, and I fear that he will have wasted the likes of Ribery, Evra, Diarra, Benzema, Nasri, Mandanda, Lloris, Sagna, Clichy, Gallas, etc. Too bad the French FA does not have the brains to do what is right.

Olympique Lyonnais, let the rebuilding truly begin

So this has been quite the season for OL, they did not win the French League title for the first time since 2001 and they might have finally sold off one too many players in seeing their 21 year old star striker, Benzema heading off to Real Madrid. I was reflecting on the team that Lyon had become and was during the amazing run of 7 straight League 1 titles.

Lyon were at their peak the middle of the decade when the teams made 3 straight Champions League 1/4 finals, losing once to eventual champs Porto, cruelly falling to PSV Eindoven when they should have advanced, and finally being 15 minutes from the 1/2 only to see Milan score a flury of goals to advance to the 1/2 finals. Lyon deserved better in Europe, and based on the players they had and lost should have been a bigger force in Europe. Alas, that team is now history, and the rebuilding truly begins. While Lyon have brought in some large sums of money via selling of players, I just do not see players on the roster or rumored to be heading there that will allow them to find the dominance they so enjoyed.

First, they have one striker - Piquionne - currently, not exactly sure where the goals will come from. Second, their midfield has no more "conductor" with Juninho leaving (granted he was done) and Lyon have no natural replacement. Pjanic and Mounier are expected to one day be the offensive midfielders to carry the game, but they are still young, plus Mounier is rumored on his way out as well! Defensively is where there is the most "stability." Cris, Reveillere, Clerc and yes Boumsong remain, Grosso most likely on his way out. With Lloris in goal, this is the one area that Lyon can build from. The question becomes, how will Lyon compete next season with a revitalized Marseilles, defending champs Bordeaux, as well as others such as Lille, Rennes, TFC and even PSG.

I am not sure that Gignac is the answer for Lyon, while the striker had a fantastic season for TFC, I am not convinced he will fill the boots of a Benzema. Another rumored move is Remy from Nice, a nice player indeed, but they had someone as talented even more so, granted more of a head case, in Ben Afra who they allowed to walk last season. They are also supposedly on the trail of one David Trezeguet, which would be a nice addition, however not sure who would get him the ball since the midfield remains a bit light with no one on the horizon. I think a lot will be expected of the likes of Kallstrom, but not sure he can carry the creative burden of the side. I think Lyon will look very different next season, what a bold prediction that is! They will play a much more defensive style of game, looking to beat teams on the counter. With workman Toulalan and a veteran defense they should be able to defend well, depending on which offensive options they can find - Remy, Gignac, Trezeguet, or unknown - they could be a solid club, but challenging for the title might be, for the first time in a long time, not realistic.

Just for fun, here is a team that you could assemble from the players OL have lost recently, I will play a 4-2-3-1:

Goal - Coupet
Defense - Grosso, Squillaci, Abidal, Essien (playing at left back)
Holding Midfield - MDiarra, Tiago
Offensive midfield - Malouda, Juninho, Ben Afra
Striker - Benzema

Bench - Fred, Kanoute, Baros, Carew, Wiltord, Luyindula, ADiarra, Clement (very offensive minded I realize)

Not a bad side to line up....

Congrats to Manchester United...and now on to the business of transfers

Ok, I need to grudgingly congratulate SAF and Manchester United for winning the clubs 18th league title and matching Liverpool's record. Manchester United was the best club this season in England...sigh. Ok enough with that, now on to what Arsenal need to do if they hope to contend for any silverware next season.

Arsenal needs, as I have stated for so long, to add some steel and some veteran leadership to the squad. They have an abundance of young talent but need some veterans to add to this roster. A great blog entry from Martin encapsulates this - http://arsenal.theoffside.com/team-news/lightweight-soft-and-fundamentally-flawed.html - While I do not entirely agree with his assessment of Diaby, I agree with his points concerning Gilberto. So let us look forward to this summer's transfer window and for a moment suspend reality and make some suggestions for Wenger.

• De Rossi - The AS Roma midfielder is right in the prime of his career. He is a tough tackler, has great vision, is a fierce competitor, and has matured as a leader on the pitch. He is a vital cog to the Italian national team. He has a bit of a temper, any fan of the US national team will remember his little flare up during the Italy - US game in the last World Cup. However this would not be unwelcome on the pitch for Arsenal. Wenger's men could use a little nastiness on the pitch. De Rossi would fill the role vacated by Vieira - a tough tackling midfielder with an ability to push up the pitch. He would be a good partner to Cesc being able to take on more of the dirty work in the midfield. While this might be a long shot, since he is a native of Roma and has worked his way up the ranks at Roma, he maybe interested in taking on new challenges, and what better venue than northern London.
• Mexes - Speaking of Roma, the best defender in Serie A would look quite good anchoring the back four at the Emirates. While Mexes struggles to find first team football with his national side.....which I think is more due to the person running the team than the player, he is clearly a star for club. Wenger had been rumored to be interested while Mexes was playing for Auxerre so he is a known entity for the professor. With the rife rumors that Gallas is on his way out, why not replace him with another French central defender.
• Trezeguet - Ok I am sticking with Italy and French national players. But Trez has fallen out of favor at the Old Lady. Granted he is coming off injury so his season has not been a normal one. With the rumors of Adebayour leaving Arsenal, adding another talented striker might be just what Arsenal need. Trezeguet would fit in well with the Gunners. He is a great target man up front, can score in the air, does not need a lot of space, and is a true "fox in the box." With the likes of Walcott and Archavin on the wings, the field would open up for Trezegol to find his way to the net. I think that based on where he stands at Juventus he and the club might be very open to selling the player and the change of scenery as well as being reunited with his former AS Monaco manager may do David a world of good.
• Villa - Villa is a world class talent. While his compatriot, Torres, gets a lot of the press, it is the emergence of Villa that has made the Spanish national team such a machine and a huge favorite for next year's World Cup (sorry Jose I do not mean to jinx them). Villa would look great for the Gunners. You could rotate him with Walcott and Archavin on the wings, play him up top with Trezeguet (again I said suspend reality) or have he and Van Persie play the tandem striker roles, or you could even play him alone up top with an offensive midfield of Archavin, Walcott, and Cesc. De Rossi and Denilson as the deep lying midfielders. Valencia are in huge financial difficulty, so he may be had for far less than in a normal season. Villa has been rumored to want to head to England, maybe North London would be a good place for him to stop. Hey maybe we can also get Joaquin and Silva from Valencia, to add some depth to the roster!
• Benzema - Ok like I mentioned earlier, please suspend reality. The young Lyon striker had a bit of a drop off in his game this season. Lyon appears to have lost its grip on the French league title and the young #10 has struggled to dominate the scoring sheet and has become a bench player for Les Bleus. While he is said to not want to leave the gastronomic capital of France the year of the world cup, playing for Wenger might make him change his mind. As Manchester United demonstrated, you can never have enough talented strikers if you hope to earn silverware in England. I think that Wenger would be able to find room on his team if he had Trezeguet, Villa, Benzema, Van Persie and Eduardo to choose from. Similar to Rooney, Ronaldo, Tevez, and Berbatov....ok granted more strikers but again let us suspend reality. And maybe with this much talent Wenger will take the Carling Cup more seriously so Arsenal can at least try to win that trophy!
• Toure - Not the one Arsenal already have, but his talented brother who does the dirty work in the midfield for Barcelona. This rumor has been around for ages, and Wenger has been rumored to always have had an eye for the player, but imagine a midfield with him and De Rossi in it....talk about adding some steel to your team.

Ok I realize I put out there some big names, some of which are firmly entrenched in their existing squad, all of which would cost Arsenal some cash with Wenger claims he has none of again. However, this no silverware, not really contending for a title is getting a little old. I agree that Wenger has, as usual, amassed some amazing young talent, however titles are won with a combination of youth, talent and veteran leadership. Arsenal have an abundance of the first 2 but are severely lacking in the 3rd category. Adding any combination of the mentioned players would bolster that.

Quick Champions League Predictions

Yes the next leg of Champions League footie is upon us, so some quick predictions:

• Bayern Munich v Sporting (agg 5-0) - Um not sure anyone has come back from a 5 goal deficit...so the easy prediction. Bayern through to the next round.
• Juventus v Chelsea (agg 0-1) - This is a tasty tie, heading back to Italy with the Old Lady needing to come out and find a way to over come that goal down. The intrigue for me is how Trezegol will have an impact on the game. However I think that Chelsea is starting to click, and Drogba is becoming the beast he once was. It is also clear that having Hiddink in the bench has some how calmed the egos on the Blues. Chelsea goes through after a 1-1 draw.
• Liverpool v Real Madrid (agg 1-0) - Oh now this is an interesting match up, my good friend Benitez is already whining about being "picked" on by the press, that he has a good track record in the Champions League...just disregard the futility in England. Liverpool has the huge away goal and are going to force Real to come to Anfield. Face the following.
  
  
  
  If one thing Benitez has shown is an uncanny ability to manage for one game matches. I think he got exactly what he wanted from his trip to Madrid and will now build his line up to sit deep and absorb the Real attacks and look to counter via Torres (assuming El Nino passes his match day fitness test). I just do not see the Real player that will be able to solve the Reds. Liverpool head on with a boring 0-0 draw.
• Panathinaikos v Villarreal (agg 1-1) - The Greek side has a good chance, heading back home with a precious away goal. Their manager Ten Cate is well experienced in European football so knows how to manage his squad and with veterans like Gilberto I can see the Greek side coming out of this tie. Granted Villareal cannot be underestimated, with Rossi, Senna and Pires they have the necessary veterans to overturn the tie in a hostile environment. However, I think Panathinaikos is this years Fenebache - the Greek side goes through with a 2-1 victory (3-2 agg).

It does pain me to predict Liverpool goes through...oh well.

Merci La Generation 1998

So the fall out continues from the horrible Euro campaign. I have not even had a chance to put my thoughts down about the continuation of the Domenech era.....needless to say I am not thrilled. However what I want to highlight today is the latest news of another 1998er that will be retiring from international football as well as the great Lilian Thuram.

Lilian Thuram: The iron man of Les Bleus with a record 142 caps. He has a World Cup title, World Cup runner up and European cup title to his name. Thuram was arguably the best right back in the world during France's glory run from 1998 - 2000 and with Lizarazu, Desailly and Blanc formed one of the strongest back four in football. He continued to be a force when France won the "double" by winning the Euros in 2000. Subsequently he switched to center back and, for me, was one of the reasons France was able to proceed to the finals in 2006. He was the man of the match in the semi finals against Portugal. During that game it was clear that his guile and experience were world class. This was an interesting parallel to what I would consider his other sublime game - semi finals of the 1998 world cup. Against Croatia in Paris, Thuram was the Lilian in his prime. Strong defending, pacey, tough tackler, and for a bonus scored a brace (his only 2 goals for France!) to send Les Bleus to the finals. I will always remember seeing him "strike a pose" after scoring an improbable left footed goal from the edge of the penalty box. That game demonstrated how influential a right back can be to a game from a defending stand point and from an energy level. And most noticeably how energetic he would be in singing the Marseillaise, that would always get me fired up!

History will judge Lilian as one of the games greatest players and best right backs football has ever seen. I hope that he will be fine and his heart condition will not force him to retire from football entirely as well as ensure he lives a long and fruitful retirement. He is a huge asset to the game but to society in general, he is one athlete who has a genuine concern for his fellow citizen and society. Merci Lilian for what you have done for Les Blues and Merci for what you will do after football.

David Trezeguet: The Franco-Argentine recently announced his retirement from international football, which was no surprise to anyone that follows Les Bleus. The retirement was not due to a drop in form or health, Trezegol remains one of the deadliest snipers in Serie A. Yet he has not been high on the list of favorites for Domenech since the manager has been at the reigns of Les Bleus. The system France has been playing, for some reason, does not lend itself to a player of Trezegol's style. Which I disagree with....but that is what Domenech believes. Not to rant, but I will, when Domenech brought in Gomis during the Holland game he stated he wanted Gomis to be a "pivot" crosses and passes to go to him and to be redistributed on wing players. Um last time I checked Gomis is more of the mold of a striker that runs at defenses a la Henry, Benzema, Cisse...Trezeguet is a true pivot. He plays within the 18 yard box. He has a superior aerial game, therefore can channel the ball - 2 examples of that 1998 first knock out game of the world cup against Paraguay chip from Pires head down by Trezegol to an on rushing Blanc for the winning goal the second was end of regulation in the 2000 Euro finals, long free kick from Barthez to the top of the Italian 18 yard box where Trezegol deftly headed down the ball to the on rushing Wiltord who scored the famous tying goal against the Azzurri. Goals aside, because end of the day he was called Trezegol for a reason, but Trezeguet brings so much more to a team allowing it to play a different style of game. Too bad Domenech refuses to buy into this. I have written this before but I will reiterate my sentiments, Trezegol is one of the greatest strikers that has worn the French stripe. I will always remember his stepping up and taking a penalty kick against Italy in the 1998 1/4 finals as a 20 year old on the biggest stage and of course his golden goal against the same Italians in the Euro 2000 finals. Unlike, as it appears Domenech does, I do not hold the 2006 World Cup penalty kick loss at Trezeguet's feet. That match should never have gotten to penalties. I am sad to see Trezegol leave, he still has a lot to give to any club and team. I will enjoy watching him ply his trade for many more years at Juve, I am sad that he will not bring that skill to Les Bleus.

I realize that Sagnol and Makelele also called it quits, and at some point I will type some thoughts on both these players who have also been outstanding players for Les Bleus. This post is about 2 players from the 1998 generation.

Merci Lilian
Merci David

Les Bleus - Le Horreur....

WC qualifing wednesday has come and gone and once again France has demonstrated their aggravating run of form, ending the match 1-1 after leading most of the second half and once again squandering numerous opportunities. Having been able to watch the replay (thanks Fox Soccer Channel!), it is apparant that France has not found itself, granted that might have been a lot to ask in the two days between the Switerland match.

But once again playing a team that is by no means an upper echelon futbol side, they appear to be themselves far from their upper echelon "status."

The Good:

• Barthez once again saved the few but dangerous opportunities.
• Wiltord, this guy just keeps on going, he is overlooked and never really talked about but he is always there.
• Trezeguet, great opportunistic goal, always a danger up front

The Bad:

• Lack of killer instinct, I thought that once France scored it would make them play a much looser style of flowing football...far from it.
• Pedretti, he has all the tools but needs to put it together and take over games with his passing and long balls.
  

The Ugly:

• Trezeguet, granted it was a bad tackle but you have to keep your head on straight (no pun intended)
• Domenech: just don't see the ability to motivate, adapt and change tactics. Why were their no substitutes once France was down to 10 players? Start using your 3 subs strategically, put in your defensive players, waste time, break the rythm of the game...rather he sits by and makes changes when France is already level with Israel at 1-1 in stoppage time! I have to also question his selection of Henry when it appears that he was physically not ready to play, why waste a spot on a roster?
  
• Ben Haim, the Israeli defender is getting more and more of a reputation of a diver and a not so clean player (remember the "collapse" from the Rooney "love tap")

This team is teetering on the edge of danger...I am more and more convinced that they will not get the automatic qualification by winning the group, I think that Ireland is clearly the favorite now since they will receive France at Landsdown Road. France will find itself in a battle with Israel and Switzerland for the second place, there is no way the "top 2 second place" teams will come from this group either, not when teams are toiling at 10 points. Assuming that Poland and The Czech Rep/Holland end up as best of second place, meaning that France will most likely (if they are lucky enough to be in second) play one of the following:

• Serbia (not sure they will beat out Spain for that group)
• Slovakia/Russia
• Norway
• Sweden
• Greece (could they knock France out of the WC after their 1-0 win in the Euros?)

None of these teams give me faith, they all play a grinding style of football and are all extremely tough to play at home....France needs to wake up and figure out what they are doing this summer. If not they might be looking for their 4th coach in 4 major tournaments, maybe this time they can get Deschamps!