Deschamps thinking of a 4-4-2 to face Georgia?

Georgia is a prototypical Eastern European national team - plays hard and defensively. Looks to lock down for 90 minutes, try to beat you on a counter or sneak out with a draw. They forced the defending world cup champions, Spain, to sweat for 86 minutes before conceding a goal in these qualifiers. So France should expect much of the same this Friday. With that in mind, the word of out Clairfontaine is that Deschamps might look to start both strikers - Benzema and Giroud. This would most likely entail leaning on a 4-4-2 with both strikers up top (look for Varane get a start as well).

So what would that mean for the rest of the formation? Mostly 2 central more defensive oriented midfielders - Matuidi and Gonalons in the middle with wingers Ribery (if he is fit) on the left and Menez/Valbuena on the right. So no true central midfielder with the #10 responsibilities. Of course Ribery and Valbuena both have a tendency to drift inside as the game goes on. But can Giroud and Benzema cohabitate at the top of the formation?

Against Georgia, maybe Deschamps needs to take some chances and go with another more offensive minded midfielder. Try to get an early "cheap" goal...hit long range shots, crosses and high balls into the area for either Giroud to knock down or to get Benzema to latch and clean up some loose balls. I think if France looks to build up to the perfect goal, they will only get frustrated by what is sure to be a Georgia packed in around their goal.

Let see if the 4-4-2 can work...it has not been very successful when used in the past.

Allez les Bleus.

Deschamps faces same dilemna as Blanc - central defensive pairing

Similar to his predecessor, one of the first issues that needs to be settled is which central defensive pairing he can lean on. Blanc found success in pairing Mexes with Rami, although by the end of his tenure the Mexes half of the equation started to show some cracks. Unlike Blanc, Deschamps does not have a pair of veteran defenders to pick from but he does have a number of options that could hold on to the role for years to come. Question is which pairing gets the call Friday and beyond.

Getting the band back together on Friday?

The players that Deschamps can call on - Varane, Koscielny, Sakho and Yanga-Mbiwa. The wrinkle for the game on Friday is that if Kos picks up an other yellow card he is out for the Spain match. Makes the game against Spain play a role in Deschamps' thinking. Of course DD and the team cannot look beyond the match Friday. Look at what happened in prior qualifiers when teams...like Belarus...are taken too lightly.

• Koscielny - I do not think he will play Friday. DD will want his full compliment of defenders for hosting the defending World Cup champions Spain next week. He will not risk another yellow card for his Arsenal defender.
• Varane - The Real Madrid defender has a legitimate chance to start, with his play of late for Real Madrid there is not question of his talent as well as his confidence. I just do not see him getting a start in such a game - getting his first cap. 
• So the central pairing will be...Sakho and Yanga-Mbiwa. This pairing makes the most sense for me. Sakho has established himself as a starter for Les Bleus and he and Mbiwa have some games under their belts together for France. Games where they both played well, actually the Newcastle man played very well during those matches. Deschamps will want to lean on a pairing that has some understanding playing next to one another and who will be able to seamlessly handle the qualifier.

What will be interesting to see is, which ever pairing Deschamps leans on, if they play well on Friday - what will he do against Spain? To be determined!!

Allez les Bleus.

Walking wounded at Clairefontaine - Fanni called up to replace Debuchy

No surprise as players are starting to suffer the toils of a long season - Newcastle's right back Debuchy had to drop out of the French squad. He will be replaced by Rod Fanni from Marseilles. Deschamps will now have to decided between taking either the starting right back from PSG or Marseilles. The irony. My sense is that look for the PSG right back to get the nod.

Hello again old friend!

There are other knocks to keep an eye on. Ribery, Menez and Cabaye were all training separate from the main squad to rest their ailing bodies. No surprise with Ribery, I do not think anyone thought he would play on Friday against Georgia, instead look for him to be rested for the Spain game. Might we see both other midfielders also left on the sideline?

Could we see the likes of Remy and Payet occupying the wide space with Valbuena behind Benzema? Gonalons and Matuidi might be leveraged to run the midfield engine. This would allow Cabaye, Ribery and Menez to get extra rest prior to the Spain match.

The other question is who does Deschamps start as his central defensive pairing? Really have no idea what DD will do with that issue. Could we see Varane get a start?

Rest of week will be very telling. Let us hope that no one else has to drop out of camp.

Les Bleus - youth being served - team for World Cup qualifiers

Deschamps announced his selections for France's upcoming matches versus Georgia and Spain. The pillars of the squad remain, but we are getting some fresh blood into the mix.

Gardiens : Mickaël Landreau (Bastia), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham/ANG), Stève Mandanda (Marseille).

Défenseurs : Gaël Clichy (Manchester City/ANG), Mathieu Debuchy (Newcastle/ANG), Patrice Evra (Manchester United/ANG), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal/ANG), Christophe Jallet (PSG), Mamadou Sakho (PSG), Raphaël Varane (Real Madrid/ESP), Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa (Newcastle/ANG).

Milieux : Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle/ANG), Maxime Gonalons (Lyon), Blaise Matuidi (PSG), Paul Pogba (Juventus/ITA), Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich/ALL), Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle/ANG), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille).

Attaquants : Karim Benzema (Real Madrid/ANG), Olivier Giroud (Arsenal/ANG), Bafetimbi Gomis (Lyon), Jérémy Ménez (PSG), Dimitri Payet (Lille), Loïc Rémy (Queens Park Rangers/ANG).

Already played for Manchester United and Juventus

The two next generation stars - Varane and Pogba - are in the mix. Both have been playing bigger roles for their clubs. And we are not talking about small teams - Real Madrid and Juventus respectfully. It only makes sense that both have been added to the mix, allowing Deschamps to give both youngsters exposure to the rest of the squad and could we see them in these matches?

I am also happy to see Mbiwa back in the list. I will be interested to see what central pairing on defense DD leans on, will he go back to Sakho - Mbiwa central pairing? Or will Kos be slotted there?

Ribery, who is recovering from an injury, will not play Friday against Georgia but hopefully will be ready for the Spain match. 

It will be interesting to see what Deschamps does up front with Benzema. His goal scoring drought has become problematic, to say the least. Does Remy get a chance to get on the pitch? I will be interested to see what formation Deschamps looks to roll out Friday. Go with some youth that will be motivated to getting a game for France and rest some his veterans for the Spain match? Or go with his best squad to ensure a victory against Georgia? Reality is, France must get the full 3 points versus Georgia for the Spain match to matter.

Allez les bleus!

End of the road for Arsene? Arsenal last gasp effort away to Bayern Munich

A few weeks ago Bayern Munich had their own version of the London blitz when they put up 3 goals at the Emirates. Going on to a 3-1 Champions League win. Not pretty to say the least. Arsenal are the last team from the Premier League standing in the Champions League and are most likely 90 minutes away from suffering the same fate as the other clubs from England - going home. The Gunners have to score at least 3 goals to hope and turn the tide against the Bavarian giants. Not likely. Especially considering Wenger will not have the likes of Wilshere to put on the pitch. But the bigger picture - may we be seeing the last of Wenger in Europe managing Arsenal?

Rumors are abound that he is going to get an extension from the Gunners or that he is heading to PSG...the reality is Arsenal might need a change. Check that, something HAS TO CHANGE. The reality is, the Gunners have slipped from the top tier of the Premiership. Long gone are the days where Arsenal and Manchester United were the two elephants in the room. Long gone are the days of riveting matches between the two sides - Vieira, Keane, Henry, Van Nistelrooy, Giggs, Scholes, Keown, and so on. Arsenal have become a club who's main aspiration is to get into the Champions League...but all that really means is to finish 4th. FOURTH. That is not even a bronze medal.




The crashed out of both domestic cups already this season. Currently they are closer to 8th place than they are to 4th place. With the likes of Liverpool right on their heals they could easily fall to Europa League levels. So what has gone wrong? The list is long and I have ranted about it enough in past posts. In a nut shell:

• Refusing to splash on big name players - talked about but never pulled trigger on the likes of Hazard and Lloris to name two.
• Allowing his own players to leave - Nasri, Cesc and RVP come to mind. Even allowing a player like Flamini to walk had some repercussions.
• Over reliance on youth and finding that diamond in the rough - was early success of "discovering" Anelka, Henry and Vieira a curse? He did manage to find Cesc, but allowed him to leave.
• No steel on team - who has replaced the likes of Keown or Vieira as the enforcers on the team?

Something has to change. Soon. Otherwise I am sure Arsenal will continue to fight for 4th place, continue to convince the fans that playing Champions League every season should be viewed as a success and stare at the FA Cup from 2005 as the last piece of silverware in the trophy case. 

To red or not to red - officiating impacts a game again

If you watched the Manchester United v Real Madrid match at Old Trafford the one incident that has stirred the most controversy, rightfully so, was the sending off of Nani for what appeared to be a studs high challenge on Arbeloa.

When you see the play in real time it does appear to be a malicious challenge. However, and of course the official on the pitch does not have this luxury, when you see the play in replay it is clear that Nani does not have an intent on driving his boot through the Spaniards chest. But rather Nani is clearly looking to trap a high ball that is spinning away from him, reason for his toes pointing up (to curl around the ball...I have tried to do this but alas do not have that level of ability). Good video and analysis below:




Is it a red card? I have to say no. Was it reckless? Yes. A yellow and a warning, but no red. This incident did get me thinking about red cards and how they really impact a game. Clearly with Nani out, Manchester United lost their shape and being a man down conceded two goals to the Spanish giants. A lack of red card also impacted the World Cup final in 2010 between Holland and Spain. When De Jong gave his best impression of Mortal Kombat and kicked Alonso, studs high, right in the chest.





Did the Dutch midfielder get a red? Which he should have! No. Instead he got a yellow and was allowed to continue playing in the finals. I am sure that Howard Webb, the official for the finals, was aware that sending off a player in a World Cup final, at the beginning of the match, would have changed the face of the game. Drastically. So instead of doing what was right - straight red - he did what was right for the moment.

But that isn't right either! The rules of the game should not change depending on the situation. So here is a thought about the straight red card. If a player receives a straight red card, like Nani did for Manchester United or what De Jong should have received for Holland, that player is still taken off the pitch. However, the team, if they have a substitution available, can bring on another player. Nani got his red at the 57th minute, United still had all three of their substitutions available. If Webb had done what he should have - red carded De Jong - the Dutch could have inserted a new player in his place. I would make this rule hold only for the first red card, and only on a straight red card. If you get a red for two yellows, sorry, you had your warning and shouldn't have been an idiot. If your team is undisciplined enough to get more than 1 straight red a game...sorry play a man down.

This change would allow officials to properly call red cards when necessary - De Jong. As well as allow teams that suffer a red car - Manchester United - from losing a key player but not losing a man on the pitch. I think that losing a starter, as well as a substitution are not "light" punishments. At least the game would not be bastardized as it was at Old Trafford...or in South Africa.

Qatar World Cup - the debacle continues

The rumors continue to swirl that the World Cup in 2022 will be played in the winter. Due to the high heat of the middle east during the summer months. Seriously? This continues to show what a farce the entire World Cup in Qatar has been. The potential for extreme heat continues to haunt the World Cup venue. Hmmm, have UEFA and FIFA only now realized that it gets hot in Qatar? Have none of the governing body looked at a weather report or better yet, been in Qatar during the summer months?

This once again speaks to the money grabbing and corruption that is rampant in international soccer. There is no way that Qatar should have been a)allowed to bid for the World Cup b)won the bid. I am not against having the World Cup in new venues...but there are some places that are not feasible. Due to weather issues, geography, size of nation and standing in the international football landscape. These should and do play factors in being able to host such a tournament. All these factors should have ruled out Qatar from the start. Alas, money trumped common sense.

Now UEFA and FIFA are paying for the mockery they made of the process. Those that will really pay are the players and fans that might have to deal with oppressive heat in 2022.

Benzema caught speeding - headaches for Deschamps

So Benzema was clocked doing 135mph in a 70mph zone, well at 135 does not really matter what the speed limit is since you should be on a race track regardless. The reality is Benzema might get some jail time, in reality I am sure he will get a hefty fine and some probation. But what this does do is give Deschamps a headache. Why? The hearing is the same day as the Spain v France qualifier in Paris. Ouch.

Maybe if I only drove a Smart this wouldn't happen

Let us set aside the reality of the situation - that Benzema is incredibly fortunate to not have injured or killed innocent by standards and to have not done himself any bodily damage. From a sporting side this will create some what of a dilemma for Deschamps. Can he rely on his #1 striker for the match? Might not being able to leverage the Real Madrid player some how be a blessing in disguise for DD? Let us face it, Benzema has not been on fire for France...can you name me the last time he scored for his country? 9 months ago against Estonia. Not a good goal rate for the player that is your top striker. Of course Deschamps does have some options - notably Arsenal man Giroud or Lyon striker Gomis. They are slim pickings however. He could drop down and look to one of the younger players, but that would be highly risky in such a big match.

End of the day, not having Benzema might be a blessing against the Spanish. If DD starts a more traditional #9 - say Giroud. He can expect his Arsenal man to stay closer to the Spanish back line as well as provide a target for the French wingers - Ribery, Menez, Valbuena et al. This might also open up space for these players to make runs at the Spanish. It will be interesting to see how this plays out for both Benzema and Deschamps.

But once again, give lots of money and fast cars to young super stars...bad things tend to happen!