INCROYABLE...Les Bleus head to Brazil

What else is there to say? France do what seemed impossible and get the 3-0 victory to get past the pesky Ukrainians and head to Brazil next summer for the World Cup. Incroyable.

The Good:

• Heading to the World Cup. What else is there to say? France have not missed a major tournament since the 1994 World Cup in the United States. They were able to come back after being down 0-2 after the first leg. Something that no European team had ever been able to achieve. The drama that would have swept over the nation had the failed to qualify, while good in a way, would have been a circus.
• Sakho. What a beast. He only started because of the red card Koscielny picked up away in Kiev. The former PSG central defender put together the game of his life. He was a rock on defense and scoring a brace was something no one could have ever predicted. Did we get a glimpse of the future center back pairing for France? Varane and Sakho have the potential of

  

  Not a bad time to score your 1st...and 2nd goals for France

  being the bed rock for Les Bleus moving forward. Speaking of the Real Madrid center back, Varane demonstrated his silky smooth play. He demonstrated a level of calmness usually reserved for veteran players. 
• Speaking of playing at a level beyond their age, Pogba, has quickly established himself as one of the core players for France. The captain of the U20 World Cup champions showed why he should be the foundation of the French midfield for years to come. Between his ability to break up any offensive threats coming through the midfield coupled with the offensive threat he offers, dare I say he resembles Pat Vieira? Other players have been given that moniker but the Juventus man seems to be the real deal. Couple that with his recent play for the Old Lady and one can only get a tad excited about his prospects.
• The top 3 of the formation. The line of Ribery - Benzema -Valbuena were outstanding. Ribery looked completely different than the player that was bottled up in Kiev. Benzema looked like the striker he is supposed to be. And Valbuena was deadly on set pieces.
• The formation: 4-3-3...as the Frog has been calling for, looked like a success for France. Especially since it allows Deschamps to field three of his better assets - Cabaye, Matuidi and Pogba at the same time. The key was to get Cabaye on the field. His defending and distribution were clinical. His presence also allows Pogba to jump up into the offensive end as well as, to a lesser extent, Matuidi. With the likes of Mavuba, Sissoko, Capoue to name a few, in the wings, I think that Deschamps should look at staying with this formation moving forward.

The Bad:

• Tough loss for Ukraine. After doing the essential at home they seemed odds on favorite for going through. Has to be seen as a bad loss for the former Soviet state.
• Offsides calls...so things balanced out in the end a Benzema goal disallowed for an offside call that didn't exist and then a goal granted when he was clearly off side. However, on the goal the side line official was screened by the Ukrainian defender and the ball does appear to come off a defender in which case there would be no off side as the defender played the last ball. But unlike what happened 4 years ago against Ireland, the "hand of Gaul" will not dominate the head lines...

 The Ugly:

• France's consistency...where has this team been for the past few years? Is this the direction where the team is trending? Games like last night are why being a French fan is maddening. They can lay an egg like they did in Kiev and then turn around an look like a world class side last night in Paris. The French malaise in terms of consistent play continues to haunt this side. If they cannot remedy this they will continue to have nights like last night. Nights of unbelievable jubilation, but nights that were the product of their own maddening inconsistency. Les Bleus need to find a way to bottle the way they played last night, maybe not at that intensity since that cannot be maintained, but use it as a template for how they should approach their play moving forward. It is this inconsistency that could make France a 3 games and out next summer or one that surprises and goes deep in the tournament. 

And we celebrate...

 So I will enjoy this victory, one I did not expect to see. I fully expected the French to give up a late goal and to endure another Bulgarian fiasco.  Thankfully I was spared that fate. Now on to December 6th where we will see which group France get placed in. Since they will not be a head of series they could easily find themselves in a group with the likes of Brazil, Germany or Spain...but that rant is for another day. For now we celebrate!

Allez les Bleus!!!!

Deschamps' Waterloo? Going down fighting with a 4-3-3

Tonight at 9:00pm Paris time, Les Bleus will be looking to do the impossible - come back from a 0-2 deficit against the Ukraine to get into the World Cup next year. Mission impossible? Probably. But at least Deschamps and Les Bleus will go into this challenge with their boots on. According to reports, DD will employ the 4-3-3 rather than the usual 4-2-3-1.

The proposed line up: Lloris – Debuchy, Varane, Sakho, Evra – Pogba, Cabaye, Matuidi – Valbuena, Benzema, Ribéry

Getting Cabaye into the mix in the midfield, as well as employing an attacking trio of Ribery - Benzema - Valbuena might be what France need to stand a chance. Cabaye will also permit the likes

May we see this tonight

of Pogba to push up higher on the pitch when need be, as Cabaye can provide cover during those forays by the Juventus midfielder. What will be interesting to see is how disciplined Valbuena is with keeping the right side of the formation offensively threatening. The 4-3-3 could easily morph into a "Christmas tree" or 4-3-2-1 formation with Benzema pushing high on the pitch and Ribery and Valbuena pinching in more into the middle of the pitch. Of course that type of formation is usually reserved for more conservative efforts, aka defensive minded play. Not really what is needed in this game!

End of the day France need to get a quick goal, put some pressure on the Ukrainian squad and also give the crowd a reason for hope. If Les Bleus can get a goal within the first 20 minutes then we might have a game. On the other hand if we go to half time on a goalless draw or...gasp...with Ukraine up a goal then I expect the team to roll over in the second half. Since last week I have talked myself into believing that France can pull off the miracle. But I know objectively that this team does not have the make up to reverse the situation. In addition, Ukraine are no pushovers and are equipped with one of the most defensive minded sides in the qualifiers.

Prediction: 1-1 draw, Ukraine scores early in second half, leading to a frantic finish as France have to score 4 goals only to see a late strike from Ribery to earn the "draw" at home. Then the fun will begin as the long knives will surely come out on Wednesday.

Allez les bleus.

Disaster...

What else can you say about that showing. Hats off to the Ukraine who shut down Ribery and looked the better side. I am still stunned by the outcome.

The reality is I should not be. France's last two showings against Australia and Finland were fool's gold.  Yes they opened up the flood gates on the goal scoring, but I should have know that what was a better indicator of this team's status was the horrible 0-0 draw away to Georgia when France had to win in order to keep pace with Spain. The same can be said about most of the game against Belarus, where France allowed 2 soft goals in and had to claw back to win the game 4-2.

Les Bleus have a fundamental malaise. A rot at the core of the team. I have finally come around to realizing that the future does not lie with the likes of Nasri, Benzema or even...gasp....Ribery. Wonderfully gifted individual players, but players that do seem to worry more about the night club they will be visiting or the individual awards they might be in line for, as opposed to the overall team.

Ribery was a great complimentary player when he burst one the scene with France in 2006. But he came into a very mature team, led by the likes of Vieira, Henry, Trezeguet, Thuram

Better days for Ribery and Les Bleus

and a certain Zidane. All players that had won the World Cup and European Cup, but also players that had a maturity about them that has been lacking recently. Maybe that is why Deschamps insists on keeping Abidal in the starting line up, as one of the last links to 2006. While Ribery has been a better citizen for France recently, he is still carrying the stench of what happened in South Africa. Same as Evra. A player who has done nothing about his image recently after going on a verbal tirade where he decided to "settle some scores."

France are at the edge of the precipice...they are looking down into the darkness one where they will drop in the FIFA rankings, thereby making it more difficult to qualify for major tournaments...which will then make it harder to uplifted their rankings...and so the circular spin into the abyss continues. Short of a miracle in Paris in 4 days, there might be some difficult times ahead. The saving grace is that France are hosting the next European Cup - so they do not need to worry about qualifying, will get a head of group seeding, playing at home and might just get past the group stages!

Not heading to Brazil will not be easy to take, but at the end of the day it might be better for the federation. A shock to the system to clean house and reassess what France needs. Same thing happened after the disaster of qualifying for the the 1994 World Cup where France moved away from the talents of Cantona, Ginola and Papin ... and built around a certain Zidane. Now I do not think there is another singular talent like Zizou on the horizon, but there are some players France can build around. More on that in another post.

I still hold out hope that France finds a way to win 3-0 and go to Brazil, but my head tells me this time does not have the internal fortitude to do this. Do they have the talent? Absolutely. Do they have the fire...no.

Deschamps going the safe route away to Ukraine

Latest from the French camp is that DD will go with his favorite 4-2-3-1 but will lean on a more defensive minded formation.

The expected starting line up:

Lloris - Debuchy, Koscielny, Abidal, Evra - Pogba, Matuidi - Remy, Nasri, Ribery - Giroud

No surprise in goal. I am a bit surprised to see Abidal in the starting line up, then again why should I be since the Monaco central defender has been manning that post for the past few games for France. I did think that Varane would find his way back along side Kos. The two deep lying midfielders - Pogba and Matuidi - tell me that Deschamps is going to play safety first before thinking about the attack. Not that either player is not capable offensively. But I would have rather seen a Pogba - Cabaye tandem, really looking to take the game to Ukraine and get those precious away goal(s).

The offensive trio of Remy - Nasri - Ribery is solid. Of course Valbuena could also showcase over Nasri. The key is how well Remy and Debuchy can link up on the right to give the French offense more balance. Remy has been of good form of late, let us hope that translates into some good actions against the Ukraine. Up front the player Deschamps has apparently given the nod too continues to be Giroud. Maybe DD sees Benzema as a powerful option off the bench late in games. The Real Madrid man did score in France's last two games, coming off the bench.

Clearly DD is approaching this game with caution. He is lining up his veterans - Abidal, Evra etc as well as going with a more defensive minded duo in Pogba and Matuidi. I would have preferred seeing DD put more pressure on Ukraine by rolling out Cabaye. For me the away leg is the time you push the game, try to get at least an away goal if not more. You do not want to lose the game of course, but you really want to go get some goals. Preferably more than one...

We shall see.

Allez les bleus.

loris (cap) – Debuchy, Koscielny, Abidal, Evra - Pogba, Matuidi – Rémy, Nasri (ou Valbuena), Ribéry - Giroud - See more at: http://www.football365.fr/coupe-du-monde-2014/bleus-ce-sera-finalement-un-4-2-3-1-1077636.shtml#sthash.1sVEOmbr.dpuf

Lloris (cap) – Debuchy, Koscielny, Abidal, Evra - Pogba, Matuidi – Rémy, Nasri (ou Valbuena), Ribéry - Giroud - See more at: http://www.football365.fr/coupe-du-monde-2014/bleus-ce-sera-finalement-un-4-2-3-1-1077636.shtml#sthash.1sVEOmbr.dpuf

Which 11 to face Ukraine?

As the first leg of the home - away matches creep up on us, which starting 11 will DD turn to? While I would love to see DD go with a 4-3-3, I am sure he will once again lean on the usual 4-2-3-1. So who to fill out the spots?  I do not disagree too much with with EuroSports called out, click here for their formation. So what does the Frog see for France?

Goalkeeper - Lloris. The only thing that might keep him out is how he is feeling from his concussion. Other than that, he is in goal.

Right Back - There is some talk that Sagna needs to be there, and his recent form with Arsenal warrant his starting. But I am going with Debuchy. I just like the Newcastle defender's offensive ability. Especially on this team when the offense leans too heavily left. Having a right back that can push up offensively and has a legitimate threat to score a goal from time to time could be the difference maker.

Center Backs - I am not sure I want to see Abidal as one of the central defenders...not that I do not like the player, but there are better options in Varane - Kos. DD needs to give the keys to these two players (or could Sakho get back into the equation?) But I like the duo of the Real Madrid and Arsenal defenders. They were thrown out there against Spain, and they both play for two of the largest clubs in Europe. This stage will not intimidate them.

Left Back - France is starting to feel a little unstable at left back! With all the drama around Evra there was questions whether or not DD would even call up the Manchester United player. Clichy is too trick or treat. End of the day I do not see the former France captain not getting the call on the left side. Evra also has a good rapport with Ribery. Manchester United over Manchester City on the left side.

Holding/Defensive Midfield Duo - I cannot see Pogba not getting one of the starting spots. His form for Juventus has been world class, and since his first start for France it became clear that DD regarded him as the nearest thing to an unquestionable starter. So who to partner with Pogba? I think there are two directions DD could head. If he wants more offensive he will go with Cabaye. The Newcastle man offers a real goal threat from distance, something that might be very crucial in these games. Or if DD wants to ensure he locks up the midfield he might lean on the Parisian midfielder - Matuidi. I think Sissoko and Mavuba, both solid players, are unfortunately playing a position where France has ridiculous depth. I am going to lean on the offensive option and Cabaye.




Offensive Midfielders - Well on left we can assume Ribery gets the start. Question becomes who gets the #10 spot and who tries to animate the right wing? Until recently DD has leaned on the Petit Velo - Valbuena - to act as the #10 and the right side winger has been an enigma. But in the last few games the combination of Nasri either playing wide right or in the center has given France some new life. I would go with Nasri in the role of the #10. I am not a huge fan of him playing on the right, he tends to drift back to the middle too much and sometimes all the way to the left. Out on the right I want to see Remy back out there. I think he is one player that holds his channel, has the pace to disrupt the defense and has some characteristics of a #9 - only needs a half chance to score. I also like to see Remy and Debuchy link up as they do for Newcastle.

Striker - Titi Henry...oh wait that was 4 years ago against Ireland...never mind. DD will to give this some serious thought. Giroud's hot start for Arsenal has cooled off considerably. While Benezema has picked it up for Real Madrid and...on a two game goal scoring run for France. So to go with? I think DD will go with Giroud and expect to bring Benzema off the bench after 65/70 minutes. Not sure I would go with that player.

It will be very interesting to see how the formation looks like for France as well as what happens after the game before the return leg in Paris.

Allez les Bleus! 

The list of the 24 to face off against the Ukraine

Deschamps unveiled his list of 24 players that he will take into the World Cup qualifier playoffs against the Ukraine. Not too many surprises - the list:

GARDIENS : Mickaël Landreau (Bastia), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham/ANG), Steve Mandanda (Marseille).
DEFENSEURS : Eric Abidal (Monaco), Gaël Clichy (Manchester City/ANG), Mathieu Debuchy (Newcastle/ANG), Patrice Evra (Manchester United/ANG),  Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal/ANG), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal/ANG), Mamadou Sakho (Liverpool/ANG), Raphaël Varane (Real/ESP)
MILIEUX : Blaise Matuidi (PSG), Paul Pogba (Juventus/ITA), Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle/ANG), Clément Grenier (Lyon), Samir Nasri (Manchester City/ANG), Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle/ANG), Rio Mavuba (Lille)
ATTAQUANTS : Karim Benzema (Real Madrid/ESP), Olivier Giroud (Arsenal/ANG), Dimitri Payet (Marseille), Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich/ALL), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille), Loïc Rémy (Newcastle/ANG)

The small surprise - the inclusion of Evra. After the soap opera that surrounded his recent interview where he takes to task members of the press as well as former players, where the Manchester United left back had to go the the headquarters of the FFF and explain himself, I was a little surprised that Deschamps selected him. Especially considering he has a viable plan B in Clichy. Will Deschamps want the circus that will clearly be around Evra leading up to the matches. What if Evra has a poor showing in the first match ... then what?  It will be something to watch.

Mavuba also makes his return. He will be looked at to provide cover in the holding midfield. The

Miss me?

reality is I doubt he will play a serious factor barring some injury. The reality to me is he is at best 4th in the pecking order for that role behind: Pogba, Cabaye and Matuidi. Sissoko might even be ahead of him. Regardless the Lille midfielder is a quality player and will be a valued asset in the preparation as well as in reserves for France.

What I will be keen to watch is who are the players DD decides to lean on? Will Nasri and Valbuena be seen together in the starting line up? What about the right flank? Will Deschamps look to use a natural right winger in Payet or go back to the aforementioned Nasri/Valbuena duo with one slotting out wide right. What about central defense, is Varane - Kos the duo that Deschamps will finally roll out or will Abidal keep his spot there? See you in a few weeks!

Allez les bleus.

Les Bleus escape the big fish, but no cake walk

So Les Bleus seem to get the best draw possible. Ukraine is only one spot ahead of France in the FIFA World rankings - France at 21 and Ukraine at 20. So this should be a match up of close to even squads.  The draws:

Portugal v Sweden

Ukraine v France

Greece v Romania

Iceland v Croatia

The away match at Ukraine on the 15th of November and 4 days later back in Paris. Ukraine is not to be underestimated, granted Les Bleus have had some success against the former Soviet satellite, most notably a victory in Ukraine at the last Euro. 

Not a shocker, but the away fixture will be huge for France. They need to go out and look not only for a win, but to score more than one road goal. I do not want to see a replay of what happened 4 years ago when they went away to Ireland and got the away goal, but gave back that goal at home. We all know that it was the "hand of frog" that then saw Les Bleus go through to the World Cup. If this fixture returns to Paris even I would be a little nervous. While France has shown some good form the past three matches, the stakes are much greater with these two matches. Let us see how far they have come.

I still think that the French midfield will be too much for Ukraine. With Ribery's current form I believe it should be too much for Ukraine to handle. Couple this with a resurgent Nasri and Valbuena and the attacking trio should be more than Ukraine can handle. The key will hinge around Pogba and Cabaye, if they can slow down any Ukrainian counter attacks while bringing an added offensive punch - see Cabaye's weekend goal for Newcastle - then I think that will be too much for Ukraine. However, let us not forget that Ukraine drew twice with England during the qualifications and could have gone through directly to Brazil (imagine if it were an England v France playoff...wow). Ukraine will not be afraid of where they are and will give Les Bleus all they can handle. Prediction - France go through 3-1 on aggregate. Win 2-0 away and draw 1-1 at home.

As for the other match ups.

Portugal v Sweden - The match up of the draw. Zlatan vs Ronaldo. It will be a shame that both will not be a the World Cup. But something tells me the big PSG striker will will his nation and his ego to get to the World Cup. Sweden go through 5-4 in aggregate.

Greece v Romania - Blah. Not really a wonderful match up of attacking football. Greece will get through on PKs after both matches end 0-0.

Iceland v Croatia - I cannot see the start ups from Iceland getting through, although it would be nice. But Croatia has too much creativity to stumble on Iceland. Croatia go through 5-0.

Les Bleus WIN! Finally....

Menez opens the scoring for Les Bleus

Ouf Ouf Ouf...France come away from the Ukraine game with a victory and are top of Group D. For those of you keeping score it has now been 8 games in major tournaments between French victories. Last game was the 1-0 win over Portugal in the 2006 World Cup semi final!  In a game that saw a 50 minute rain delay due to lightning and rain, France put two past the Ukrainian keeper in a 6 minute span. This has to get a rather large monkey off France's back.


The Good:

Diarra making a case to keep his starting role

• LES BLEUS WON! I do not think you can underestimate this. After the debacle in South Africa and the terrible showing 4 years ago in the Euros, France had to get a victory. That was the least of what one needed to see from the group games. Even if all teams had drawn each game and somehow France got to the 1/4 finals, a victory was the most important first stage for Les Bleus. Just imagine the pressure had France only drawn or gasp, lost, to Ukraine! Now Les Bleus go into the last game knowing that more than likely any positive result will see them through.
• Goals...granted only two of them. But Cabaye did hit the wood work, Menez should have had a brace, could have should have! But France did get two goals. Both came from some clinical passing from Benzema. Maybe wearing the #10 kit for Les Bleus makes him more Platini or Zidane like! France have 3 goals from 2 games, no  one is going to mistaken them for the French team from the '58 World Cup. But compared to the past two tournaments, I will take the 3 goals!
• Diarra once again showed his skill and ability as the midfield "destroyer." He was strong on the ball, strong in his tackles and read the game very well. His play will give Blanc a real dilemma, a good one, but a question of should he bring in M'Vila or use him as a late game substitute to shore up his midfield. Not a bad problem to have!
• Speaking of midfielders, the play of Cabaye was excellent. His first half was quiet but he did his job. Second half he had a fantastic finish, after slotting higher up the pitch when Benzema dropped deeper for the ball. He could have had a brace after a fantastic shot from distance hit the wrong side of the wood work. His midfield partner - Nasri - had another solid game. He was dangerous on set pieces, held the ball very well and was able to provide a safety valve for Les Bleus when need be.
• The left side of the formation. The change of Clichy for Evra changed the French game. Clichy was much more active charging down the flank, opening up space for Ribery. The Manchester City player also defended very well. Ribery once again showed he had his dancing shoes on. Making some fantastic runs, pick pocketing some Ukrainians and being very active through out the game. Now if he can only get himself a goal! 
• The Ukrainian keeper...Pyatov kept his side in the game, without big saves versus Menez (1v1 break), Mexes (header off a set piece) and Nasri (direct kick). Without Pyatov Les Bleus might have run off to a 3 or 4 goal victory. He was also assisted by his posts on a powerful strike from Cabaye who can very close to a brace.

The Bad:

Game started under a small typhoon

• Benzema, okay not bad in the way you might think, but it is clear that the Real Madrid man is getting frustrated at not finding the back of the goal. This might become bad if he starts pushing and forcing his game. Mind you he was the reason for the two goals that France did score. Tactically he seems to be drop deeper on the pitch to get his touches, this takes away any potential pressure that the defense might have to face where he to play off the last defender. Something to watch.
• Silly yellow cards...both Mexes and Debuchy got yellow cards late on for fouls that were not necessary. These are not smart. Both players will be on a "alert" heading into the Sweden match...if either get another yellow then they will miss the 1/4 finals. Not good. Menez will also be on alert, however where he to miss the 1/4 finals I feel France have more cover with the likes of Malouda, Ben Arfa and Valbuena. Something to watch for next week. I would not be surprised if Reveilliere did not get the start for Debuchy against Sweden, not sure if Mexes will sit nor Menez.
• French finishing...I realize they scored two and had some clear opportunities, but they need to be more clinical and put one more goal. There was a time after being up 2-0 that France just toyed with Ukraine, rather than go for the goal...let's not forget that French flair sometimes bites us in the arse...Sevilla 1982...

The Ugly:

• The weather...wow that was scary. Never seen a professional football match get postponed like that! That was ugly...correct move.

Overall not much to complain about after winning the match. With England beating Sweden, France are in a good position to get to the 1/4 finals. The standings after day 2 -

Group D

Teams	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	Pts
France	2	1	1	0	3	1	2	4
England	2	1	1	0	4	3	1	4
Ukraine	2	1	0	1	2	3	-1	3
Sweden	2	0	0	2	3	5	-2	0

France only need a draw to go through, and can even make it if they lose to Sweden. Of course France should push and look for the win, Sweden is on 2 straight losses and if France get the full 3 points they will most likely avoid Spain in the 1/4 finals.

Les Bleus should get to the 1/4 Finals, barring a disaster...lets hope that the French can build off the good win as well as avoid any players getting another silly yellow and missing the 1/4 finals.

Allez les bleus!

Moving day - France v Ukraine

In golf the "moving day" is usually associated with the third day of a 4 round tournament...but we only have 3 group games in the Euros! In the Euros and the World Cup, the second game is when teams figure out who is in to the knock outs and who needs a miracle in the final game....as well as who goes home (see Ireland). So tomorrow's game for Les Bleus will determine if they can get to the 1/4 finals.

The weight on the game cannot be underestimated. First, France is facing the co-host who pulled off a surprise win versus Sweden and sits a top the group. If the Sweden v Ukraine game is any indication, the crowd is going to be super-charged. Second, France have history to contend with...they have not won a game in a major tournament since they defeated Portugal in the 2006 World Cup semi finals! Need I remind you that Zidane was the captain of the team, Barthez was the keeper, Vieira was patrolling the midfield and Inspector Clouseau was the manager (Domenech). Since then Les Bleus have 3 draws and 4 defeats...France need a victory. Granted they could draw against Ukraine and still qualify in their final match. But I rather see a France win for obvious reasons! Finally, France cannot allow Ukraine to get a point or gasp a win! If so it will make the final game very dicey.

So will Blanc change his line up with the return of M'Vila and the ineffective play of Malouda? Not sure...based on his press conference there is a chance he might, but he remains mum.

France will most likely stay with a 4-3-3. The back line and keeper will not change, least last minute injury. The front three will most likely remain the same as well...unless. The question becomes, does Diarra sit for M'Vila and what to do with Malouda?

Paired up like against Bosnia?

Diarra had a good game against England, had he not allowed Lescott run onto the Gerrard free kick for the England goal then I would say he had a very good game. Diarra was a rock the remainder of the game allowing the other midfielders to focus on their offense. Ukraine, surprisingly, might be more offensive minded than the English! Well maybe that is not too surprising. Against Sweden, the Ukraine played very open, attacking football. Might Blanc opt for two more defensive minded players in his midfield to break up any potential attacks and act as a platform for counters.

Or does Blanc stick with Malouda and his veteran stature?

I think Blanc will insert M'Vila in place of Malouda, go with a more muscular midfield - Cabaye, M'Vila and Diarra. Mimic what he did away to Bosnia. France was in no shortage of offense against England, but then again the Three Lions sat back. Ukraine appears to be more keen on going forward, France will need to break that and ensure that Shevchenko does not get fed opportunities from the midfield or wings...

France will get some chances on the break and in general, the interplay between Nasri and Ribery with Benzema higher up the pitch will cause problems for Ukraine. I do not see the co-hosts with the same discipline England showed in the first game.

Prediction - France 2 Ukraine 0

Benzema with a brace.

Allez les bleus!!!!

After a lackluster 1st half...a 5 goal second. What a debut for Martin

With many of these friendlies, the game between France and Ukraine was an exercise in playing pass around and keep away rather than really trying to get a result...that is until the second half. End of the 90+ minutes and Les Bleus leave the Ukraine with a 4-1 victory, scoring 4 straight goals and might have had more.

The Good:

Could we see both these men in Blue on Thursday?

• Let us start with the debutant - Marvin Martin - what can you say from a player who entered the game at the 79th minute and had quite the last 10+ minutes of the game. The leading assist man from Ligue 1 showed that he has a good goal scoring touch as well. Hitting a sneaky shot for distance that found is way just inside the inner post and then patiently latched on to a simple square ball from Benzema, and cooly finishing with a strike into the Ukrainian upper 90. Martin also came close to springing Benzema on a wonderfully weighted pass. Before we get ahead of ourselves and start comparing him to Zidane - and the fact Zizou also scored a brace on his debut for France will draw comparisons - we only saw about 12 minutes of Martin. He was also playing against a tired Ukrainian side; however, it is something to build on and it is positive.



A true poacher

• A number of France's other new starters did some good things. Cabaye gave Newcastle fans something to look forward to, he had a high motor and made some strong passes. Matuidi demonstrated an ability to play the midfield "destroyer" role, however at times I felt he was pushing a bit. Kaboul had a quiet, yet solid
  game, his goal was a great show for the Tottenham man, always good when you can get your central defender to be a threat in the air on set pieces. Finally Gameiro showed me something, an ability to turn what appears to be a lost cause near the 18 yard box and turn it into a goal scoring threat. His goal was a great example of a goal poachers goal - he latched onto a loose ball and, without hesitation, struck a thunderbolt into the Ukrainian goal. He had done the same end of the first half, turning what appeared to be a lost ball and forced a strong save from the Ukrainian keeper.
• Ribery is starting to look like his old self. He was devastating on the left flank when he entered the game, every time the ball game to him he had the chance to spring the Ukraine defense. The last France goal was a direct result of Ribery's high pressure causing the Ukrainian turn over. Let us hope that Der Kaiser has been humbled after last year's world cup and plays the way he did rather than spend time his time being a pain in the team's collect side!
• 4 Goals...can never complain when you can post 4 goals in any game.

The Bad:

• The goal against Mandanda was not good....one would think the shot would have been deflected, but on replay it was a simple pile-driver shot that Mandanda misread. Granted the ball did have some nasty movement, but when you are an international keeper you must make that save. Seems like French keepers have problems playing away to the Ukraine...remember Frey's gaff a few years back?
• Too Bad Les Bleus did not play like this last Friday! It was bad that France found its scoring touch during a friendly and not when the games counted. 

The Ugly:

• By no means a perfect match, but cannot really identify any truly ugly showing. I might come up with something over the next few days.

After defeating any team 4-1 you cannot leave unhappy.  Blanc will look toward Thursday's game again Poland to close out the season on another upside. I would expect to see the remaining players who have not showcased during the past 2 games - N'Zogbia, Hourau, Valbuena and Carrasso. I have a feeling Blanc will leverage a similar line up as against Ukraine. I do think he will go back to a 4-2-3-1 or even a 4-4-2, with Martin pulling the stings, N'Zogbia on the left and either two strikers - Gameiro and Hourau, or the PSG striker alone up front. Valbuena should see time on the right side in either formation.

Will be interesting to see, I hope for another four goal game!

Allez les Bleus.

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

No surprise from Laurent Blanc and his announced starting XI.

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

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

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

Prediction: France 1 Ukraine 0, goal by Menez.

Allez les Bleus!

Les Bleus head to a week of friendlies

So Les Bleus will head into the two matches this week limping into the summer break. After a lackluster 1-1 draw away to Belarus, I will admit I was not able to watch due to travel but I will do so and provide a write up later this week, Les Bleus still sit atop Group D. With a 4 point lead over second place Belarus, and 6 points over Bosnia (the nation most likely to push France, they also have a game in hand so really that is a 3 point lead over Bosnia), France look like their path to the Euros remains on strong footing. Granted Les Bleus still face tricky ties home and away to Albania, away to Romania and home to Bosnia.

With two matches against Euro co-hosts Poland and Ukraine, it will be interesting to see how Blanc plays these matches. Based on his comments we should expect some turn over of his roster allowing fringe players to be granted an opportunity to show what they can do on the pitch as well as giving the starters some much needed time off.

What can we expect from the line ups? I full expect to see the likes of Kaboul, Gameiro, Matuidi, Sakho and Cabaye given every opportunity to show to Le President what they are capable of. Players such as Menez, Remy and M'Vila will also be given time, however there roles with Les Bleus I believe is clear to Blanc. Also look for Mandanda and Carrasso to get time in goal.

For today's game versus the Ukraine, look for the following formation:

Mandanda - Réveillère, Kaboul, Sakho, Evra - Cabaye, M'Vila, Matuidi - Rémy, Gameiro, Menez.

An entirely new defense, it will be interesting to see how Kaboul-Sakho works out in central defense, there remains an open competition for who will be the second pairing after Rami-Mexes. Koscielny will also remain in the wings. If Blanc does go with this 4-3-3 it will be interesting to see how the midfield trio of Cabaye-M'Vila-Matuidi perform: you could consider all three as "box to box" midfielders, high work rates, great engines - question becomes which one assumes a more offensive role? Or will Blanc look to his wide players, Remy and Menez, to drop deeper and provide the offensive link between the back and Gameiro? I could see this formation looking a bit like an old Italina "Christmas Tree" or a 4-3-2-1. Gameiro on the last defender with Menez and Remy dropping deeper when need be, the midfield trio destroying any Ukrainian offense. The wide backs will also look to push up the pitch and provide extra width.

It will be interesting to see, if this is the formation that Blanc goes with today, who will play end of week against Poland. I would not be surprised if we saw Blanc going back to a 4-2-3-1 for that match, looking to roll out N'Zogbia on the left, Martin in the middle and Valbuena on the right, give Gamerio another match at the top of the formation, select two of the three defensive midfielders from the Ukraine match (probably Matuidi and M'Vila) and roll out a similar back line.

Speaking of Matuidi, a nice piece of goal scoring from the ASSE midfielder.



The players are on the verge of a much needed break, I hope we get to see the new faces for Les Bleus, two good matches and no injuries!

Allez les Bleus!!!

Blanc announces his list for upcoming internationals - Martin the new face to the mix

This morning, Laurent Blanc announced his list of players that he will leverage in France's upcoming matches. France will face Belarus in Euro qualifiers and then play 2 friendly matches against Euro 2012 hosts: Poland and Ukraine. It will give Les Bleus an Eastern European test to go into the summer break!

First of all the list:

Gardiens : Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Cédric Carrasso (Bordeaux)
Défenseurs : Eric Abidal (Barcelone/ESP), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal/ANG), Adil Rami (Lille), Mamadou Sakho (Paris-SG), Patrice Evra (Manchester United/ANG), Anthony Réveillère (Lyon), Younes Kaboul (Tottenham/ANG)
Milieux: Alou Diarra (Bordeaux), Blaise Matuidi (Saint-Etienne), Yohan Cabaye (Lille), Yann Mvila (Rennes), Florent Malouda (Chelsea/ANG), Abou Diaby (Arsenal/ANG), Jérémy Menez (AS Rome/ITA), Samir Nasri (Arsenal/ANG), Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich/ALL), Marvin Martin (Sochaux), Charles N'Zogbia (Wigan/ANG), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille)
Attaquants : Kevin Gameiro (Lorient), Guillaume Hoarau (Paris-SG), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid/ESP), Loïc Rémy (Marseille)

France's next play maker?

The biggest surprises - the play maker from Sochaux Marvin Martin gets his first call up to the senior squad. The leading assist man from Ligue 1 gets a well deserved inclusion. There is no Gourcuff, who is injured, so this might open the door a bit for a player such as Martin to create a bit of a presence as France's #10. Interesting to also see N'Zogbia included in a squad that seems to have a number of options on the left flank: Ribery and Malouda.

As usual Blanc has a deep set of players to lean on for his holding responsibilities: Diarra, Matuidi, MVila, Diaby and Cabaye. He has options on the left, see above, and some decent depth for the right - Menez and Valbuena, even Nasri in certain formations.

What makes me nervous are his options up front. France seem thin when it comes to true world class strikers. Benzema will most likely be the starting option, but I am not convinced that the secondary options can be relied upon. I am not saying there is not some quality there, but just not the level that inspires confidence.

I will be interested to see what formation Blanc looks to lean on, the game in Belarus may look very similar to the one in Stade de France: Belarus defending 10 men behind the ball and looking for a goal on the counter and set pieces. Knowing that, Blanc might opt for a more offensive formation. Maybe a 4-4-2 diamond, play one holding midfielder, two wide flank players and an offensive midfield player sitting right behind the two strikers. It will also be interesting to see who Blanc turns to in central defense, Mexes is out due to knee surgery.

LLoris
Abidal-Rami-Sakho-Sagna
MVila (or Diarra)
Ribery Menez
Nasri
Hourau - Benzema

I can see Blanc leveraging Hourau, looking to get control of the Belarus' 18 yard box and allow him to get crosses from the wide players. Nasri would tuck in behind the strikers, Ribery and Menez will provide the width. Much will be expected of Diarra/M'Vila to do the work cleaning up any loose balls in the middle of the park. Sakho will be expected to find his bearings quickly with the other defenders.

It should be interesting!

Allez les Bleus.