France are the 2010 World Cup’s most disputed contenders. Thierry Henry’s handball, which led to William Gallas’ play-off winning goal against the Republic of Ireland, still rankles with many.
It was the blatant nature of the Barcelona forward’s offence – he touched the ball twice – that caused such a hysterical reaction, but Henry and co must put that behind them and concentrate on performing well at a tournament they reached the final of four years ago.
A repeat looks unlikely. On paper France have one of the strongest squads in the finals, but coach Raymond Domenech has shown worrying tactical inadequacies, and his prickly character has made him many enemies in France. Some players are behind Domenech and others aren’t. Henry was forced to deny questioning the coach’s qualities in September, while Florent Malouda has been critical in the past.
Domenech’s failure to get France playing to their full potential during qualifying led to speculation that he would be fired, but the coach held on to his job and it looks like he will lead his team into battle in the summer.
Quick Facts:
- Best World Cup Result: Winners (1998)
- Best European Championship Result: Winners (1984 and 2000)
- Record Scorer: Thierry Henry
- Most Capped Player: Lilian Thuram (142 caps between 1994 and 2008)
- Coach: Raymond Domenech
- Captain: Patrice Evra
23-man France World Cup Squad:
Goalkeepers: Cedric Carrasso (Bordeaux), Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille)
Defenders: Eric Abidal (Barcelona), Gael Clichy (Arsenal), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), William Gallas (Arsenal), Marc Planus (Bordeaux), Anthony Reveillere (Lyon), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Sebastien Squillaci (Sevilla)
Midfielders: Abou Diaby (Arsenal), Alou Diarra (Bordeaux), Yoann Gourcuff (Bordeaux), Florent Malouda (Chelsea), Jeremy Toulalan (Lyon)
Forwards: Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea), Djibril Cisse (Panathinaikos), Andre-Pierre Gignac (Toulouse), Sidney Govou (Lyon), Thierry Henry (Barcelona), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille)
Group Matches:
Friday, June 11, 2010 v UruguayThursday, June 17, 2010 v Mexico
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 v South Africa
Prediction: Quarter-Finals
France were rubbished by many before getting to the final in 2006. Again, they are being ridiculed before the tournament has begun by observers who watched them lose 3-1 to Austria in qualifying and saw a team lacking direction under Domenech.But Les Bleus have the winning mentality that comes with being a major soccer nation. That together with their superiority over the other teams in the group should take them through into the second round where a meeting with South Korea is possible.
Should they negotiate that, England will surely be lying in wait in the quarter-finals. Such is their improvement under Fabio Capello, they would be slight favorites against their cross channel neighbors.
This France squad is blessed with no shortage of talent, but the question is whether it can be harnessed by Domenech. Many think not, believing that the France Football Federation’s failure to replace him in qualifying will come back to haunt them.
To find out more about the tournament, visit the World Cup section.
