Les Bleus - the starting XI

Domenech announced his starting XI -

Keeper - Mandanda. The obvious choice since Coupet and Frey were left off the roster. Mandanda, I believe, is the clear future for Les Bleus in goal. While still needing some seasoning, has all the tools to be a great kepper. Lloris, who will back him up is a very apt #2, and is really #1b.

Defenders - Sagna will start on the right, which is the natural choice, even if Sagnol and Clerc were available. The Arsenal back should be the #1 choice for Les Bleus moving forward, I know Domenech loves Clerc but Sagna is a better defender might not be the same offensively, but is not far behind. Gallas will partner with Mexes in the middle. Gallas is the obvious choice, and I am glad to see Domenech finally got his head out of his arse and has the best option in the middle - Mexes. The Roma player should have been France's #1 choice to shoulder Gallas during the past few years, maybe even in Germany for the World Cup. I hope that this signals France's partnership moving forward. On the left Evra finds his place in the squad. The Manchester United player, should be a mainstay on that side for a long time to come, with Clichy being a apt lieutenant.

Midfield - The two holding midfielders will be Diarra and Toulalan, both are good choices. Flamini could make the case to take Toulalan's slot but amongst the three, France cannot make a poor pairing. On the wings we find Domenech's binky - Gouvou on the right and Malouda on the left. I have some questions about these choices. Gouvou and Malouda??? Really? But more on that later....

Strikers - Henry and Benzema will partner up front. Not a surprise to see these two partnering up front for Les Bleus.

Okay so what does this mean? From the defensive stand point, I think this is a good sign as long as Domenech stays with this formation. Mexes and Gallas need to develop a working partnership. Evra will add a lot of offensive pressure from his left side and Sagna should remind French fans of Lilian Thuram during his days as right back for Les Bleus.

Here is what I am worried about - the midfield/strikers combo. I am not sure if Domenech is looking to play a 4-4-2 and if so not sure that will work, who is the #10? Grourcuff would be that player, but he is not on the pitch....Gouvou and Malouda on the wings? Fine but you need someone to control the middle of the park. Toulalan and Diarra are solid holding midfielders but are not the type of players that can fill the space behind the strikers. With natural wide players in Malouda and Gouvou (althought Sidney could slide to the middle) I fear that Les Bleus will have a gap behind Henry and Benzema, something that was painful apparent during the Euros. If Domenech wants to have his two wide players, he needs someone between them to support the striker(s). I would much rather see - Diarra and Toulalan as holding, with Malouda, Gourcuff, Gouvou, with one striker up front....once Ribery is back he could slot at either the wide wing in place of Gouvou or in the middle in place of Gourcuff. I also think Ben Arfa should be the wide player on the left side...until Malouda returns to form.

We shall see what happens. I am happy to see some of the youth in the line up, I just hope that Domenech sticks with the youth and allows them to develop and become cohesive.

Domenech's first list post Euro disaster

So France has announced the list of 20 for their upcoming friendly against Sweden. This match will prove crucial for Les Bleus. After a disastrous European campaign, and with the World Cup qualifiers right around the corner this match will be the first time the French are back together on the pitch. There will clearly be some changes - Thuram, Makelele and Sagnol have announced their international retirements. With Vieira and Ribery sidelined, the French midfield will look very different than what we have grown accustomed to seeing. So let us dive into the lucky 20:

Keepers: Lloris, Mandanda
Defenders: Boumsong, Clichy, Evra, Fanni, Gallas, Mexès, Sagna
Midfielders: A. Diarra, L. Diarra, Flamini, Toulalan
Strikers: Anelka, Ben Arfa, Benzema, Gourcuff, Govou, Henry, Malouda

Looking over this list, no Coupet, no Frey and no Landreau. Is Domenech making a statement about the future of the keeper role for Les Bleus? I can see Coupet being left out, he might not be the French #1 choice keeper anymore especially looking forward 2 years. The sad part is he should have been France's #1 during the World Cup in Germany, but for some idiotic reason Domenech went with an aging Barthez. However Lloris and Mandanda are without a doubt the future for the French national team and their keeper position. Okay so let us dive into the list:

The Good:

• Lloris and Mandanda - this is the future for France at goalkeeper. I think that getting these two into the squad early and often will pay dividends. It appears that Landreau, the one time shining star for France, has been dropped to second tier. I think that there remains a window for Frey to come in and assume the mantel as France's #1. There will be tough competition however, but in the long term there is solid talent at that position.
• Clichy - The Arsenal left back has long deserved his place in the national team, now will he be the #1 option ahead of Evra? Not sure, I think that Evra still gets the nod. However, as long as Domenech understands that the future left back for France should be one of these two talented players, then it will all be good.
• Gourcuff - The one time "next Zidane" lost a lot of luster when he made a big move to AC Milan only to find himself relegated to the substitutes' bench and could barely get on the pitch. Granted he had some tough competition at midfield - Pirlo, Kaka, to name a few. But he now has a real chance to continue to grow and develop to his full potential playing for Bordeaux, in the Micoud role. Under the eye of Laurent Blanc, one of France's up and coming managers, I think you will see Gourcuff live up to his potential. It might be a bit early for Domenech to integrate him into the French squad, but since the French league has already been under way since last weekend, the young midfielder will have more game action in his legs than other options. So why not take a look at him.

The Bad:

• Malouda - I have to question this selection. It is a bad choice purely based on the fact he is not doing much with Chelsea and has not done much in over a year! This is an example of a player that chased the money and found himself on a team that had no real place for him. This shows in his play for Les Bleus. He had a few flashes during the Euros, okay maybe one when he ran through the entire Romanian defense but sent his shot screaming just wide of the top corner.....but that is it. Maybe Domenech took him for cover and will give the left side of the midfield to Ben Afra, who is the player that should be there. We shall see.
• Govou - Ugh, I cannot understand the love affair between Domenech and Govou....I know he had a brace against Italy in the first European Qualifier ages ago, but still....please....he is a nice player, but not at the international level! Why not give a youngster like OM's Valbuena a chance to see what he can do on the international level?
  

The Ugly:

• Boumsong - Um you all knew this was coming....how how how how in god's name can this player be constantly selected for the French national team? Does he have some pictures of Domenech that ensure he will always be on the squad? It just baffles me when he gets the call up. What happened to Escude? Squillaci? Givet? Ugh...anyone of these would be a better option than Boumsong. Maybe even take a chance on one of the youngsters - Sakho from PSG or Dabo from St Etienne. I really cannot understand why Domenech calls up Lyon's 4th choice central defender....he is slow, has terrible positioning, cannot defend...ugh. And if his inclusion precludes having Mexes partner with Gallas in the middle of the defense I will scream. He gives France nothinig in the back. Domenech should be playing the following - Sagna on the right, Mexes and Gallas in the middle, and Evra on the left (maybe Clichy, but I think Evra has a little more offensive talent), Boumsong should not be any where near the pitch, substitutes bench, team bus, etc.....
• French strikers - Hmmm what was once a strength, now appears to be a potential weakness. Based on my conversation with Sam yesterday it is clear that France could have a shortage of strikers. Trezeguet has retired so he is out. Saha is always hurt. Cisse is coming back to form with Marseilles but has not translated this form to the national team. Briand remains a work in progress. Gomis has talent but might have shown everything he had in the one game against Ecuador. So it remains Anelka, Henry and Benzema. Henry is getting a long in the tooth and Anelka is hot and cold. Benzema is the rising star, but at times gets sacrificed for the veterans. I think Domenech needs to figure out who (Benzema) will be his point man, the player France will lean on the next 4 - 5 years for goal scoring. He can then figure out how to use the veterans (Anelka and Henry) to support and add to this formation. However, Domenech will have a very small window to figure out who is the complimentary striker to Benzema - Gomis? Briand? Gouffran? Remy? Menez?

I am looking forward to this match. Part of me wants France to come out and play some good flowing football, allowing players like Ben Afra and Gourcuff to shine, another part of me wants Domenech to fall on his face so we can get rid of him. I fear that the French Federation will stick with their philosophising manager too long and we will lose and opportunity and lose a generation of footballers. France no longer has the luxury of "building for the next tournament," they are now firmly entrenched as a nation that should be qualifying for and contending for every major international tournament.

Yaya to Arsenal? 5 reasons why this has to happen!

So the rumors that the Toure brothers will reunite in North London are cropping up again...and here are 5 reasons why this is good for Arsenal -

1. More muscle - Yaya will bring much needed muscle to Arsenal's midfield. With the lose of Flamini and Gilberto, Arsenal are in desperate need of a holding/defensive midfield and one with the power of Yaya would be a tremendous asset. The Arsenal midfield is already slight of stature, adding Yaya would give it some size and muscle. As well as protecting Cesc.
   
2. Partnering with his brother - that would be cool to see...Yaya and Kolo on the pitch at the same time, plus it would give Arsenal a solid spine. Wonder which is Mommy Toure's favorite?
   
3. Arsenal needs to show it has some money - So far this transfer season Arsenal is in a net loss when it comes to players. The biggest name they added was Nasri while losing such names as Hleb, Flamini and Gilberto. This would be a sign that Wenger still has some money in the kitty.
4. Give cover for the backs - Clichy and Sagna have tendancies to push up and to be aggressive on their offensive runs. Arsenal will need someone in the midfield that can cover when the backs make their runs.
5. Target Ronaldo - Yaya would be a good option to nullify opponents' midfield maestros and offensive players - Ronaldo, Bentley, Gerrard, Lampard, Ballack, etc. The back 4 are solid in covering the strikers, but Arsenal can use a player to break up the offense from the midfield.

Again these are rumors that have been out there for a long time. But I think Wenger needs to move on this one, Yaya has been talking about playing for Arsenal for a long time. Now let us get him in the Arse Kit.

Les Bleus adds a 1998er to the staff

An interesting strategic....and public relationships move by Les Bleus adding Alain Boghossian to the managing staff. A move that seems to come out of left field. First of all, I had not heard of Alain being someone looking to move into the managing ranks especially at the international level. Second it is an interesting move that Domenech is basically being told who to add to his staff, obviously the FFF is putting their stamp on how Domenech runs his organization.

On the surface this would appear to be a way to bury the hachette between the FFF, Domenech and the World Cup '98 alumni. Of course this is a brilliant coup. Domenech gets a 98er on the staff, but not a big named one...the 98ers get one of theirs on the staff and the FFF shows who really has the power. Had they placed Deschamps or Blanc in this role it would clearly be a signal that they have a manager in waiting, with Boghossian they have someone that would not be on the short list for the role, but was an active member of the 1998 squad.

We shall see how this plays out and how much value Alain brings to the equation, but from a PR perspective a grat move for the FFF.

Ex- Arsenal winger Bentley heads to cross North London rival Tottenham

Once again the news from the transfer market is another team, not named Arsenal, is adding some depth and talent to their squad while the Gunners just sit still. Of course the irony is that Bentley used to be Arsenal property, and would actually look good roaming one of the wings at the Emirates. Instead he will be at White Hart Lane with the likes of Ramos' other additions Modric, Dos Santos and Gomes. The Spurs midfield could look very potent this season while their North London rivals stand still - okay they added the 21 year old Franco-Portuguese Bischoff....but he is unproven.

Tottenham is looking to build from the midfield with talent and youth. Which appears to be the oppposite to the Gunners who keep letting their midfielders go....not good.

Liverpool keeping adding...what will Arsenal do?

Okay let us start by saying that Chelsea and Manchester United are stacked, they have talent and depth all over the pitch. Chelsea has tinkered by adding some Big Phil players - Deco and Bosingwa - that he is comfortable with from his Portugal days. They have also cut some of the fat from there roster - Crespo, Sidwell, Makelele, etc (granted this fat would look great on any roster but they are not in the long term cards for Big Phil). Rumor is they will also get Sheva out of town soon, a big move for Scolari since the Ukrainian striker was the owner's binky and could be seen as on of the reasons the "Special One" left Stamford Bridge when he did. Of course the big rumor is Chelsea offering a staggering 100m pounds for Kaka and then paying him 1m pounds a month, that would be rather seismic event for the Premiership. However even if this does not come to fruition, Chelsea are in a good position to challenge for silverware.

Manchester has not made many moves to add and have only let fringe players move on. Of course the big cloud that hangs over Old Trafford is whether or not their Portugese talisman will be plying his trade on the Iberian peninsula. Assuming this smoke is not linked to a fire, at least not for this season, then Manchester United will enter this season as defending Premiership and European Champions with their full compliment of key players. Of course they are looking to add Berbatov from Tottenham, which should happen one of these days. That would give ManU more depth up front, but really be a one for one replacement for Saha who they appear to be allowing to move on. Not a bad switch considering the talented Frenchman is oft injured.

Of course Benetiz is working fast and furious to add to his squad, the latest being Keane from Tottenham to add to support to Torres. He also went out and added the PSG youngster Ngog. Keane should prove a wise purchase. He has become, quietly, one of the Prem's most consistent goals scorers - tallying 20+ goals the past two seasons. He should add some depth, goals and flexibility to Liverpool. Then again knowing Benetiz he will never be played consecutively during the season as the Spaniard continues his tinkering with the line up.

So the question becomes, who does Wenger add to try and keep up with the other "big 4?" Yes Wenger has added Nasri, a great addition, but he has lost 3 midfielders - Hleb and his only true holding/defensive midfielders - Giberto and Flamini. With no options in sight...Senna, not leaving, Yaya Toure, that move looks dead in the water, Chantome not leaving PSG, it appears that Wenger may head into next year with a huge hole in the midfield. Wenger and Arsenal need to figure this out and quickly, otherwise they will be fighting for the 3rd place spot in England and hoping to get to the 1/4 finals of the Champions League. I realize that Arsenal have their hands tied due to the debt on their books, but if they hope to challenge for any silverware they will have to find a way to address thier growing needs. Otherwise they might not only drop to 4th in the Prem but 3rd in London - Tottenham is looking to add to their roster (while scraping some excess - Chimbonda, Kaboul, etc). Come on Arse, show us some of your magic - please uncover the next Vieira and Henry...The gunners need the goals and hardman....

Nesta to PSG?????

Goal.com reports that PSG might be seeking to add the Italian defender Nesta to their geriatric roster. Adding another 30+ former international footballing star, to the roster would be an interesting move for the Parisian club. There are also rumors that PSG is looking at adding Gallas to bolster the middle of their defense which needs help since Yepes has left the club. The bottum line is PSG is looking to refind its place in the upper echelon of French football, but are they looking to add to much aged veterans while ignoring their youth? While adding Nesta would be very interesting - he brings veteran leadership, remains a solid defender, but is oft injured - however PSG really needs to focus on their youth. Something they did not do by allowing Ngog leave for Liverpool.

PSG loses Ngog to Liverpool

So PSG has signed two older players in Guily and Makelele this week and then turned around and sold an up and coming teenager in Ngog to Liverpool. Supposedly Le Guen claimed that Ngog had not done the necessary to be included in this years plans. While you have to respect the manager's opinion, this is a worrying trend for me....if you keep selling players in their teenage years that does not bode well for your future. While Le Guen might not be high on the player, he is still a France U19 member and still has growth potential. Obviously he attracted attention from a big European club so he has some level of talent. If PSG wants to get back into the ranks of France's elite and start competing with the likes of Bordeaux and Lyon they will need to retain and develop some youth, they cannot rely on signing 30+ year olds to sustain them. I hope that this move does not come back to bite them in the behind like when they lost another teenager to an English club...that player was Nicolas Anelka.