The Bean Town Frog

France v Ireland....Part II...more injuries

2009-11-15T22:12:00.003-05:00

The latest news from Clairefontaine, Abidal is out for the return leg on Wednesday (so is Toulalan but he was already injured for the Dublin clash). This is an interesting wrinkle for the match. Abidal played, other than the terrible mistake late in the game gifting the ball to the Irish in the French camp, a very strong game. He was able to bring a degree of calmness and steadiness that the central defense has not had in a long time.

So what will Domenech resort to in the return leg? Clearly the favorite should be Squillaci, who shouldered Gallas very nicely when given the chance. In addition, Squillaci is a big center back and strong in the air, clearly something the French will need defending the long ball bombs the Irish are sure to lob into the French 18 yard box in Paris. I cannot see Domenech going with Escude, who has been shaky in the past few games from Les Bleus, especially against Romania when his own goal gave Romania the draw in Paris. Interestingly, Domenech has not looked to call up replacements for either player. I would think this opportunity would be a golden chance for him to at least call up his binky - Boumsong.

Lloris the French #1

2009-11-15T10:01:00.006-05:00

The one take away from yesterday's game is the fact that Hugo Lloris is emerging as the French #1. As Henry mentioned a keeper needs to make 2-3 big saves/plays in any win, and Lloris did exactly that yesterday. With his huge save at the end of the game at the feet of Whelan where he exhibited a text book 1 on 1 save, sprawling out make himself big and deflecting the point blank shot with his shoulder. Granted one game does not make a career...least we forget this is the same keeper that gave up 5 goals the prior weekend in the OM v OL game.

A nice compilation of saves from the OL keeper, the one he had against PSG when he was with Nice was amazing.

France v Ireland...."First Half"....France 1 - Ireland 0

2009-11-14T16:54:00.012-05:00

Ooof...that was a tough match to watch. France escape Dublin with a 1-0 victory as well as no players suspended for the second leg in Paris on Wednesday. Good to see a little fracas after the match...with Richard Dunne in the middle of it! Overall not a surprising match, Ireland defended in lines of 4 behind the ball and allowed the French to come to them, blocking Les Bleus once they came close to the 18 yard box. On the flip side, the Irish took their chances on set pieces and long balls into the box causing the French fits, something to be concerned about for the return leg. Let us jump into the match -

The Good:

France get the essential done - win on the road. Having the away goal in hand will force the Irish to seek to win the game back in Paris, this is not impossible but the stakes have been raised considerably.
Hugo Lloris, he was absolutely huge in this match. I wrote previouslyy that neither he nor Mandanda have stepped up to claim the #1 shirt, well games like this go a long way to doing just that. While he did not have a large number of shots to face - 4 shots - he made the save of the match in the last 10 minutes when Abidal inexplicably misplayed a harmless ball right into the path of the Irish attack resulting in Whelan having an absolute point blank shot saved by a sprawling Lloris - text book keeping! However it was not just that save, but Lloris' complete command of his 18 yard box. On multiple occasions he came off his line to corral dangerous crosses from the Irish. He did have a few poor kicks on back passes from his defense, otherwise played a solid match and saved the victory for Les Bleus late in the match.
While Lloris could be considered man of the match for Les Bleus, that would go to Anelka. He was absolutely everywhere for Les Bleus. Slotted as the right offensive midfielder, he was much more of a #10 being present everywhere on the pitch, slotting deeper to pick up the ball, holding his right channel, drifting to the middle and even defending. His goal was fortunate in that it took a deflection, but like all good goal scorers you know good things happened when you put the ball on net.

The Irish defense had no solution for the Chelsea man. Nico was clearly the man of the match.
Take away his terrible last minute gaff and you realize that Abidal had a tremendous game defensively. His pace and power clearly were put to the test as he had to provide cover to Evra and Sagna who both were constantly pushing up high as if they were the French wingers. Abidal showed the composure and presence needed to play central defense. Now if he can avoid having gaffs like the one that almost led to the equalizer!
From the Irish side, Duff was absolutely huge. He gave the Irish the creative maestro in the midfield. The turn he had on Evra in the first half was Brazilianesc. He gave Les Bleus fits all game and was dangerous every time he touched the ball. Unfortunately for him, Robbie Keane was fairly invisible during most of the match leaving Duff alone in attack.
Shay Given also had a solid match. He made some solid saves including one that was called back on an offside call but he still made a superb save on a header from Gignac. The goal was clearly not his fault after taking an unlucky deflection.
Finally and very good were the fans at Croke Park. The atmosphere was electric, the fans were clearly into the game and understood the importance of the match; however, clearly it was all in good sport. You could hear fans singing the Marseillaise...even some of the Irish fans! Too often I have seen the Marseillaise booed - in Serbia, at Ukraine...even during the Algeria and Tunisia games at the Stade de France. I think that it is completely unacceptable to boo the anthems, no matter what your feels towards that nation. Fans need to demonstrate the respect associated with teams representing their nations for nothing more than the pride of wearing your national colors. Kudos for the Irish fans for showing class during the anthems. Throughout the entire match the fans were engaged and brought an incredible atmosphere (especially when you saw the other matches being played to half full stadiums - except for the Portugal match). While the audience was clearly for the lads in green, they are to be applauded as an example for the rest of Europe and the World.

The Bad:

French passing....there were occasions during the match I thought I was watching a pub league game on a chewed up field...why? Because there were countless passes from Les Bleus that were lazy and ended up at the feet of the Irish. None of the passes were anything of creative difficulty, simple square passes or through passes in the midfield area....not good.
The Bordeaux boys - ADiarra and Gourcuff - Diarra was not out and out bad, but I expected more from him. He appeared timid and unsure of himself right from the start. I thought that having his physical presence would make a difference in the aerial game, but instead he at times appeared tentative and not sure of himself allowing the Irish to take advantage of him, something that should not have been allowed to happen. He did settle in, but at times his inability to take control of aerial game could have cost Les Bleus. And what about Gourcuff? I got through the first 30 minutes of the game and had to remind myself that he was on the pitch. When he did get the ball he tried to be too complicated, appearing as if he wanted to dazzle and justify the "next Zizou" moniker that he has had to burden. The few occasions he did have to threaten the goal his shots looked barely better than the ones I am able to muster in my hack league games. He was slow to react to a ball in the area in the 69th minute that he should have gotten to ahead of Given. I realize that he has been injured and not 100% back to game form, but he was invisible for too many stretches of the match for a player of his caliber.
Gignac did not cover himself in glory today. Granted he had moments of good play and looked dangerous on some occasions. He also proved why Domenech favors him as the lone striker. He is physical, has pace and is not afraid to shoot. However as Manu Petit (one of the commentators on TV5) pointed out, his first touch was a bit heavy today. One a few occasions his first touch let him down and rather than put himself in a position to score he did the Ireland defenses job for them. The worst of these may have been with 10 minutes left in the game with an open goal in front of him, he butchered the shot which should have given Les Bleus a 2-0 cushion. Not sure why Benzema was not brought on in his place late in the game, more on that later.

The Ugly:

The scuffle at the end of the match. Not sure it is "ugly" just showing the intensity that is involved in this match. But the game was played well, there were hard tackles and hard fought one on one battles, but it was all within the laws of the game. So no need to re-enact traditional post US-Mexico activities. Should lead to an interesting return leg on Wednesday. Of course Trap claims that Lass insulted the Irish people and that is why there was a scuffle...how is that for mind games to try and rally the entire nation...not as if they did not need the motivation already.
I know I sound like a broken record...and I always take a chance to criticize the France manager...but Domench once again drove me crazy. Why? How can you return back to Paris with your 3 substitutions in your pocket...the Malouda substitution was completely inconsequential and did not make much sense coming so late in the game. Clearly as the game was moving along in the second half it was clear that Gignac was not having his best of matches, maybe bring in a Benzema in his place. Ireland had a tired defense as they started to show signs of cracking, maybe a fresh stiker with the talent of a Benzema could have added another goal. Or how about Gourcuff? First he was already on a yellow so another one and he would be suspended for the return leg. Second he was clearly not at his best and was getting tired. Maybe take him out with 15 minutes left - after you have the 1-0 advantage. Maybe bring in a Govou to spell Gourcuff and go with a 4-2-2-2, allowing more width to be added. Or if you want to be really cautious bring in Sissoko and play with 3 holding midfielders, let Henry and Anelka carry the game behind Gignac. I would have brought on Benzema at the 60 minute mark, give him a good 30 minutes to run. Once you have the lead I would think of taking out Gourcuff with 15 minutes to go, get Sissoko in there and play a 4-3-3, or let Lass push higher as he does with Real Madrid. But at least use your subs! You have a game in 4 days. You will need fresh legs. Clearly that did not weigh on Domenech's mind, which is completely incomprehensible. TV5 was speaking that maybe Domenech was comfortable with the way the game was being managed...sure, but you need to think about the following game. You should also have a substitution rotation ready - for any situation - leading, needing a goal, injury, etc. Yes he got the victory, but he could have managed better and might have even had another goal...or had fresher legs to defend so we would not need Lloris' heroics to save the victory.
The fact the game might not be televised on Wednesday is ugly!!! With the FFF having some issues with the TV rights it might get down right ugly and not be available for fans across the globe to watch the match. I realize this is all about money, but think of the money you will lose if fans are shut out. Get it worked out, get it done.

So now we have a few more days before the return leg. Much to think about. Nothing is done yet, France have a slight advantage having securing the victory. For Ireland heading to Paris down 1-0 or 1-1...even 0-0 makes no difference, they will need to chase the goal. So the final score does not change how I think Ireland will approach the match, unless they had a win leaving Dublin they were always destined to be the team chasing the goals. This should be very interesting as both managers look to devise the strategies needed to get to South Africa.

I am going to take a deep breath now...read all that I can, maybe even watch the game again, but the stress level will only increase since there remains 90 minutes of football!

France v Ireland - Line ups

2009-11-14T14:20:00.002-05:00

France and Ireland have announced their starting line ups for the match -

FRANCE : Lloris - Sagna, Gallas, Abidal, Evra - A. Diarra, L. Diarra - Anelka, Gourcuff, Henry - Gignac.

IRLANDE : Given - O'Shea, Dunne, St. Ledger, Kilbane - Andrews, Whelan - Lawrence, Duff - Doyle, Rob. Keane

Anelka on the right, Henry on the left with Gignac up front is not surprising and should bring much offensive power to the French attack with Gourcuff supporting the offense. ADiarra was favored over a nicked up Toulalan, which I think is a blessing in disguise since the Bordeaux man brings added height to Les Bleus which will be crucial on set pieces. Trapattoni seems to be looking for a more defensive start to the match, maybe looking to hold off the French for the first half or 60 minutes before looking to strike on a late counter.

France v Ireland...final thoughts and ramblings before kick off

2009-11-14T13:33:00.006-05:00

The play offs for the final spots in the World Cup are well under way, with the latest side - New Zealand - with a tight 1-0 victory over Bahrain, New Zealand had to stop a penalty in the second half otherwise a non scoreless draw would have seen the visitors progress. Congrats to the Kiwis for making only their second World Cup - last time being 1982 in Spain.

Russia already defeated Slovenia 2-1, however a late goal by the visitors might make the return leg much more interesting than had Russia preserved their 2-0 goal cushion. With the away goal in hand, Slovenia would progress with a simple 1-0 victory from their home match. Meanwhile Ukraine and Greece are deadlocked at 0-0 with less than 10 minutes left in the first half, however Sheva had a screamer of a free kick warm the Greek keepers' gloves in the 7th minute.

But on to what I and would guess most neutral footie fans are looking for - France v Ireland - it is the most intriguing match up. Domenech v Trapattoni, a large percentage of players from the Premiership, France's maddening inconsistency and the potential to see the biggest footballing nation miss next year's World Cup. I still stand by my believe that Les Bleus will find a way to go through. I think another player to watch for is Anelka. As Lekarlokin commented a few posts ago, Anelka should be very motivated during these matches (granted any player that is at the doorstep of a World Cup needs no added incentive) because this is his last chance to play in his first world cup. Granted he could be a factor in 4 years, but I doubt it. If France do not make the World Cup the team will be completely revamped - Henry, Gallas, Anelka, Vieira to name a few will most likely be done as French internationals. Anelka was one of the last players cut in 1998, was left at home in 2002 with DCisse taking his place (Cisse was the leading scorer in Ligue 1 that year), and was somewhat inexplicably left at home in 2006 after the same Cisse suffered a horrific broken leg in a pre World Cup game against China (Domenech's binky Govou was preferred over Anelka...not sure why you look to take a winger on rather than another pure striker). So we arrive at this week, which might be just the platform a player such as Anelka needs to shine to get his team into the World Cup finals. I think he could hold the key to France's success - if he is lined up on the right he will be asked to bring width to the French attack and find a way to link up with Sagna as the Arsenal man makes his trademark runs on the right flank. If Anelka is lined up as the lone striker, France will need him to provide much of the danger for Shay Given. Of course if he ends up on the bench...he might need to come on late in the game to give the change of pace necessary to snatch a goal from the Irish. Allez Nico! Prends ta chance!!!

One final note, it appears that the grounds crew have decided to water the pitch even though it has been raining...hmmm making the pitch water logged are we...maybe slow down the French attack? Increase the risk of losing ones' footing during free kicks????

Allez les Bleus!!!!

France v Ireland...Yellow cards

2009-11-13T22:08:00.003-05:00

Another twist to watch, which will have a bearing on the return match in Paris are the French players under "yellow card" peril - meaning if they pick up a yellow card during the match tomorrow they will miss the Paris match. Those players:

Evra, Gallas, Abidal, Sagna and Gourcuff...um yeah that is the entire, probable, starting back 4 and France's play maker. This could make the return match even more interesting.

RIP Robert Enke

2009-11-13T16:42:00.003-05:00

While tomorrow many of us will be focusing on exciting friendlies or nail biting world cup playoffs, we should also remember the passing of German Keeper Robert Enke this week to an apparent suicide. He leaves behind his wife and a baby girl. Sometimes we forget that the players have personal and family issues that can at times become overwhelming. We place professional footballers and athletes on a pedestal. At times like these we realize that they remain the same as the rest of us - with happy times and sad time - it is tragic when those happy times lead to what happened. May he rest in peace. And may his wife and daughter find the strength they will need.

France v Ireland....Predictions....at least for the game in Ireland

2009-11-13T15:15:00.006-05:00

So I have given the match tomorrow much though...really thinking about the match since it became apparent that France would be playing the 2nd place matches. As with many of these matches, the underdog is hyped up and sometimes based on what you would read you would think the favorite has no chance against the scrappy, tough and hungry underdog. This game is no exception, with many pundits giving the Irish a better than average chance against Les Bleus, and seeing Ireland advance to South Africa. I put myself in this camp.

France have many advantages against their Irish opponent, and on paper should find a way to get the necessary goals to defeat the Green Machine. However they seem to be consistently underachieving ever since Domenech has taken charge - struggled to qualify for World Cup 2006, only to be rescued by the old guard of Zidane, Thuram and Makelele - struggled in the group stages during the World Cup, only to be rescued by Vieira and Zidane - struggled to qualify for Euro 2008, only to be rescued by Scotland's inexplicable lose at Georgia and the Italians' victory in Scotland - disaster at the Euros to be rescued by no one. Now they struggle to qualify for South Africa. The question remains will have they someone to save them this time? I am not sure.

However I did take a step back and looked at their recent matches and their overall qualifying campaign, and something did stick out - they have played fairly well when their backs were against the wall - down 2-0 at Romania, down 1-0 and a man at Serbia, difficult away fixture at Lithuania on a terrible pitch...and each time they did the necessary to capture points. Take out the terrible first match against Austria where they were clearly awful and France has played well, and for some spells have been world class (the Romania game after being down 2-0, the Serbia game after going down a goal and man and the second Austria game).

They should have beaten Romania at home, a game they completely dominated were it not for an unfortunate own goal would have had the full 3 points. At Serbia, they find themselves in a hostile environment, I might even suggest it will prove more hostile that Croke Park tomorrow, they go down a man (and the keeper at that...so really down 1.5 players since they lose their keeper and have to substitute out a field player to bring in Mandanda, therefore using one of their substitutions) and France still outplay their Eastern European opponents and really could have expected to get a win. While France should have qualified directly, they are not the JV.

And let us not forget that Ireland did not have the best qualifying campaign either. The focus is on the fact they held the defending World Cup Champions Italy to two draws. However they also had the same result against....Montenegro and beat the previously mentioned Georgia 2-1 twice as well as struggled against Cyprus (scoring 3 goals and conceding 1). I have read some that point out that Ireland have scored in all but 2 matches during the campaign...however the statistics show that the French offense is more effective:

Ireland 12 goals for, 8 conceded
France 18 goals for, 9 conceded (and before someone says, yeah but France had the Faroe's...well combined they only scored 6 goals against them...so no goal deluge to skew the numbers)

In addition the teams that finished behind France and Ireland were similar in terms of "rank" per the FIFA nations ranking, the teams that finished behind Ireland had an average rank of 35.75 while France's chasers 32.75 (this is looking at their UEFA ranking) The difference for me, France suffered arguably 60 minutes of terrible football - the first 30 minutes against Austria in Vienna, the first 20 minutes at Romania and the same in Serbia....otherwise they would be heading to South Africa already. I think that over 180 minutes of football that Les Bleus will have more good minutes than bad. This all starts this weekend in Dublin. France have shown they can travel and play in extreme conditions - see Romania and Serbia. If Dumbenech aligns an intelligent formation - one that will leverage his advantage at the striker position -

Lloris
Evra, Gallas, Abidal, Sagna
ADiara, LDiarra (Toulalan might be injured, and I would prefer the Bordeaux's man height and size on set pieces)
Anelka, Gourcuff, Henry
Benzema

This formation, while on paper is a 4-2-3-1, it can very easily switch to a 4-3-3 which would give Ireland defensive nightmares. I respect the offensive ability of Ireland, however I fear more the set pieces and the counters, which the Diarras should be strong at stopping. I do think that the Irish need to be put under constant pressure and go for the victory. I cannot envisage Ireland beating France twice over the next 2 games, getting 2 draws yes. So for Les Bleus getting goals in Ireland is crucial, even if it is a draw for the away goals will be huge.

I think Les Bleus come home with a precious 1-0 victory - goal from Benzema.

Of course Dumbenech could go with the same line up as above, but replace Anelka on the right with Govou and Gignac up front .... in which case I cannot see many French goals.

Allez les Bleus!!!!!!

France v Ireland....the intangibles

2009-11-12T22:42:00.009-05:00

Okay last part of my ramblings on the upcoming France v Ireland match...well last area of focus prior to my predictions. So let us take a look at the intangibles.

Ireland - They will be hosting the first leg of the home and away series. An advantage? Yes and no. It is if you can hold your opponent goalless, then you know heading back to their home pitch all you need is a non-goalless draw or straight victory to move on, and if the game ends goalless you go to extra time. Also, even if you are heading back with a deficit, at least you know what you need to do to move on (so will the French, but the Irish will have the ability to grab away goals which adds a slight edge) - granted that does not always mean you will or can achieve that need.....but at least you know how to prepare. Second, Croke Park will be a veritable green cauldron, giving the Irish a tremendous home field advantage. With a capacity over 80,000 I am sure the place will be a very vocal and strong 12th man for the Irish. While the majority of the French players play in front of similar crowds on a regular basis for their clubs, the boost it will give the Dunne's and Keane's of Ireland will not be insignificant. Finally Ireland are clearly the underdog, they are playing the World Cup finalist, Ireland already held more than their own twice versus defending World Cup champion Italy. They are only 1 of 5 nations that did not lose a game during the qualifying campaign. Ireland is managed by a veteran Italian manager....what about Les Bleus?

France - Les Bleus are a team still trying to find their soul...these games will either give them a definition and purpose, or will force them to watch the games from their couches and for the rebuilding to commence...under a new manager. I realize that the last two matches showed what France is capable of...granted one of the teams was Faroe Islands...and the other Austria...so not power house nations. I am not convinced that the team knows who they are, have resolved their beef with Domenech or really know what they are trying to accomplish. I know that the FFF has changed some ticketing policy, but I fear that the Stade the France might look a little too green for my liking on the return leg. Remember what the stadium looked like during the Scottish matches in the Euro 2008 qualifiers? Fans from the UK travel very well. Finally, France is clearly not where they expected or wanted to be. Clearly when the groups were announced most pundits figured France would get the automatic qualifier and Romania/Serbia would fight for the second spot...oops. After a terrible start and a shaky and unconvincing campaign, France pulled into the second spot (which really was not guaranteed until late) and now have to play 2 crucial matches rather than playing tune up friendlies. The question is how does this weigh on the French mentality? Were this team lead by a manager such as Wenger, Mourinho, Hiddink or even Benitez I would have more faith, however they are led by Dumbenech. I am not convinced that he can motivate and organize his team to succeed. I just look back to the Euros, France head into the last match against Italy and need a win to have any hopes to advance. So he lines up a different back tandem in central defense - Abidal/Gallas. After Abidal gets red carded rather than reorganize with scoring goals in mind....he brings in Boumsong for Nasri???? This after he had already lost Ribery to injury....um how is that for big game management?

Advantage - Ireland. They are the underdog, they have the more rabid fans, they have nothing to lose and they will head to France knowing what they need to do with the potential for away goals...

Rememberance - November 11, 1918

2009-11-11T09:16:00.002-05:00

91 years ago today at the 11th hour the hostilities of the "Great War" came to an end. While the world would suffer greater conflict less than a generation later, at the time this was the war to end all wars. With close to 10million dead from both sides and a war torn Europe, the world had been plunged into a new reality of modernized and industrialized war making.

We need to all take a moment today to remember and thank the brave souls that gave the ultimate sacrifice during the First World War as well as all the subsequent veterans who answered the call to duty for country.

Merci
Thank you
Danke

France v Ireland....The Players

2009-11-10T15:32:00.014-05:00

So I gave some th0ught to the managers last post, now let us look at the players. Since at the end of the day it is the players on the pitch that will make the passes, take the shots, defend, score and make the saves. Where to start...might as well go from the back to the front:

Goalkeepers: Ireland is very stable with their starting keeper. Shay Given has been a main stay in the back for Ireland for a long time, since 1996 to be exact. In that time span he has 100 caps to his credit. He was the Irish keeper during the World Cup 2006 qualifying campaign, so is no stranger to having to play Les Bleus in a qualifying campaign. Also, he also has been in the middle of the Premiership since 1991, having played over 350 games for Newcastle...not a place without huge pressure from the fans. France will be backstopped by either Mandanda or Lloris - who have a combined 17 selections for the French national team. Based on Domenech's track record I would assume Lloris will find himself between the pipes for both matches. Both keepers are incredibly talented and have very bright futures ahead of them, however neither's performance has made him the clear cut #1 for Les Bleus. In such a high pressure match, experience will play a huge part in the ability of the keepers to make a difference, both positively or negatively....for that I will give Ireland the edge.

Defense: Rather than looking at individual defenders I will look at the entire units. Ireland will lean on Richard Dunn and John O'Shea to anchor their back line, both of which are veterans of the Premiership. They can even expect the unexpected goals such as against Italy when Sean St Ledger scoring the opener on a set piece.

This unit is solid, have veteran leadership and under Trap I am sure will be prepared to defend. As for Les Bleus they are still maddeningly inconsistent at the center back tandem - who to pair with Gallas? While I still contend that Mexes should be that player, and the heir apparent for the future "patron" of the back 4, he has not shown the consistency nor the opportunity from Domenech to establish himself in that role. The wide defenders are some of the best in the world at their positions - Sagna and Evra. The question becomes who will shoulder the central defensive role with Gallas? My bet is on Abidal, not that he is a natural central defender, but he appears to be the most consistent of the inconsistents. Edge is a push - on talent alone it would go to France but the instability gives me pause for concern.

The Midfields: This causes fans of Les Bleus some serious hair pulling at times. With all the potential that Domenech has at his disposal it appears he constantly leans on defensive minded midfielders, rather than take a balanced approach. Granted some of the offensive talent is injured - Nasri and Ribery - however there are other players that could have/should have been blooded earlier in the campaign - Menez, Feghouli, and Mounier - or players that could still serve a purpose - Pires and Giuly. It would have been nice to at least have a greater pool to pull from with regards to the offensive midfield. Defensively France have holding/defensive midfielders in spades - Toulalan, ADiarra, LDiarra, Sissoko and Diaby (he will most likely have to withdraw due to injury). That is not even looking at the likes of Vieira or Mavuba that have been used in the past. As for the Irish, the midfield would be much more formidable if Stephen Ireland would decide to play for his nation. A strange decision indeed for the young 23 year old, who is clearly Ireland's most creative player. Add to this Damien Duff's recent injury for club and the Irish midfield might have to rely on the likes of Hunt, McGeady and Miller...not house hold names. Advantage - Les Bleus, and if Ribery/Nasri had been healthy the advantage would be even greater.

The Strikers: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea...3 of France's strikers are all starters at these clubs. Ireland? Their main striker plays at Tottenham and could not make his mark at Liverpool. Now Keane is not slouch, he is a solid striker so please don't bombard me with comments that I am not giving him enough respect...he is a good striker...I just said it again. However, looking at the offensive punch Les Bleus can pull together means that purely on paper the advantage is clearly with Les Bleus...I really do not need to go into further analysis. The question is the following - will Domenech leverage all this offensive power or put most of it on the bench? Will he have Henry/Anelka on the field...how will Benzema be leverage? Will Gignac be the choice striker? Unless Domenech plays a 4-3-3 there will be a striker or two left on the bench. Not a bad thing to have late in games, but if you have 2 of the said strikers on your bench you will clearly be wasting one of them...(doubt you would bring in 2 strikers late unless you are chasing a goal). So how Domenech selects the starters will play a role in how much of an advantage France can take with regards to their talent offensively. I would argue that Keane is a wash with any of the strikers France will throw on the pitch - it is the second and third striker options where the gap becomes apparent. Advantage - Les Bleus.

On paper France clearly have the more talented squad. However that does not always guarantee a win...

France v Ireland...the Managers

2009-11-09T00:34:00.004-05:00

As we are less than a week away from the first match between France and Ireland, I was thinking about all the elements that go into the game...why not...I have time and why not over analyze the matches! So the first entry will be on the Managers. Since they are the ones that select the players, the line ups, tactics, formations and provide the inspirational speeches...or in Domenech's case some astrological explanations.

Let us start with the Irish manager...who is Italian. Giovanni Trapattoni, or Trap to his closest friends. Anyone who follows footie knows of the Italian and his storied track record with clubs, less glorious with nations since the Italian teams he lead did not shower themselves in titles. Granted, his Japan/South Korea adventure could have ended better had Italy not gone out in controversial manner to the co hosts South Korea. However, the Italian is very adept at the art of football management and ensuring he gets the most out of what he has at hand. At the club level he has won everything one could hope for, no need to list it out you can follow his link above to see his record. I think he is a solid manager when it comes to knock out style competitions, which is really what we have coming up. You do not win all the major club silverware without having a knowledge of managing game to game, knowing that a loss and you are out. Finally he is Italian...so he knows how to get his teams to defend and play for the 1-0 win...with over 2 weeks to prepare I am sure that he has poured over match video and statistics and is keenly aware of France's weaknesses....ok really does not need to study too much, he could just read this blog - we all know that Les Bleus are vulnerable to set pieces, something Ireland is rather adept at. I am sure he will have some thoughts about how to get set pieces anywhere inside the French half and how to exploit France's skittish defending on these actions. He will give Ireland and their fans much to hope for, granted his team had some poor performances in the group stages, but were able to draw twice with Italy...almost beating them at Croke Park.

What about Les Bleus...well we all know who their manager is...and how I feel about him. He has been fairly consistent during his tenure with France. Consistently maddening! He continues to insist on having 2 holding midfielders, even against weaker sides. He jettisons players without much reason - Pires, Guily, Trezeguet to name a few. He has a bunch of binkies...who are terrible - Boumsong. He should have been axed after a disasterous Euro campaign. Finally he has the personnel skills of a gnat - see how he jettisoned Pires and Guily or how he "informed" Malouda that he would not be playing in a recent match. Yet through all of this he maintains his job. The side he has selected for these matches are very close to what he has always leaned on these days, so for creativity a zero. But I think consistency needs to be factored so that is good. His in game tactics leave much to be desired...something I have written about in the past. I think he uses his substitutions poorly, not controlling the pace and rhythm of the game when he could be (one match in particular against Israel where up 1-0 but down a player he does not use a substitute until the game is level, when he could have used his subs to get fresh legs on the pitch and slow down the Israeli momentum). Finally there is no love lost between Domenech and the Italians. Clearly during his time managing the U20s he had many a run ins with the Italians that did not come out in his favor. Is it mental? Does he have something against managing versus an Italian counterpart?

Overall I give the edge to Trap. While Domenech has a superior pool of players to select from, Trapattoni is a better in game manager and his club experience will make him very comfortable managing a home-away situation. Advantage - Ireland.

PSG...1 step forward....2 steps back

2009-11-08T16:28:00.003-05:00

Aie Aie Aie!!! PSG with a resounding win last week against Sochaux and this week hit the post twice and end up losing 1-0 on last minute goal from Remy. PSG was then booed off the Parc Des Princes pitch. Somewhat understandable since PSG has had trouble showing any consistency this season which is maddening. They now find themselves on the wrong side of the table.

Clearly they have been hurt by the lack of success from Hoarau who contributed 20 goals last season in all competitions. So far this season...1 goal. In addition Erding has missed a number of matches adding to PSG's offensive woes. Defensively, PSG has not been terrible. Coupet has been solid in the back, Makelele his usually strong defensive self in the midfield, Armand - Sakho et al. doing their part in the back. In the midfield, Sessegnon has continued to be his creative self...so really the main culprit...lack of finishing.

PSG better find the touch in front of goal, otherwise the league will drift further and further away from the Parisians.

France v Ireland...more deep thoughts

2009-11-06T21:38:00.004-05:00

So I have had another 24 hours to think about the players Domenech has called up for the upcoming matches versus Ireland, and thought occurred to me - might Domenech be looking to go to a hybrid 4-4-2, maybe even a 4-2-2-2? He does not have a true right winger. Granted Remy could fill that role, but he is more a second striker/offense midfielder, not a true winger (then again are there still true wingers? Great article in a recent World Soccer that discusses the move away from using traditional wingers).

However here is what I envision might happen...Henry is not 100% so he cannot start. Therefore, Domenech decides to go with his usual 4-2-3-1 with the following:

Evra, Abidal, Gallas, Sagna
Toulalan, Lass
Malouda, Gourcuff, Anelka
Gignac

Yet this formation could easily swing to a 4-4-2 with Anelka and Gignac up front, Malouda swung wide left, Gourcuff right, but really with license to roam and Toulalan/Lass holding the midfield line. The formation could easily move to a 4-2-2-2 with Lass and Toulalan as holding midfield, Malouda and Gourcuff offensive midfielders and two traditional strikers. Malouda is as comfortable wide left or sliding a bit more to the center of the park. The question would be can Gourcuff stay true to the right side, enough to keep the Irish honest on that flank, or will his natural tendencies to slot high behind the strikers leave that channel vacant? But if he could work the right side, it would allow the French attack to be more balanced, at least force Ireland to respect that flank.

I am not sure Domenech will allow inexperienced players such as Remy play much of a role in the offense. I do think that his binky Govou will play a part in the games. I just fear that going back to a 1 striker system, against an Irish team that knows how to defend, will make goal scoring that much more difficult. Without Ribery, the offense will lean heavily on the stable of strikers Les Bleus can call on, unfortunately if they are planted on the substitutes bench they do not do you much service.

Much of this also depends on the health of Henry. If Titi is 100%, I am sure Domenech will slot him on the left, Gourcuff in the center and Anelka/Govou on the right and have Gignac at the point. Not terrible since Henry can act as a second striker, but you would have a few offensive players - Henry, Anelka, Gignac and Govou who tend to drift into the middle of the park...again back to the demise of the outright winger. Bottum line, France need to play for the win in Ireland and that can only be done by leveraging the offensive strength of Les Bleus - their strikers. So come on Domenech, get more than 1 on the pitch.

Les Bleus announce new kit

2009-11-05T23:27:00.006-05:00

France have a new kit. During his announcement for the upcoming play off round, Domenech also showed off the new kit. It has some striking similarities to the kit France wore during their 1984 European success as well as the 1998 World Cup...hmmmm coincidence. Hopefully the kit last more than 2 games. With Nike taking over the responsibility for France in 2011 this might be the last Adidas kit for France...

Ah the memories...Zizou and Platini wearing the kit that appears to have influenced the new France kit.

France v Ireland World Cup Qualifiers - Domenech makes his list

2009-11-05T23:23:00.009-05:00

So the list for the 2nd place play off for the World Cup is out for Les Bleus...no major surprises but some interesting formations/situations may arise. First the list:

Gardiens de But

Cédric CARRASSO	Girondins Bordeaux
Hugo LLORIS	Olympique Lyonnais
Stève MANDANDA	Olympique de Marseille

Eric ABIDAL	F.C. Barcelone
Aly CISSOKHO	Olympique Lyonnais
Julien ESCUDE	FC Seville
Patrice EVRA	Manchester United
Rod FANNI	Stade Rennais
William GALLAS	Arsenal F.C.
Bakary SAGNA	Arsenal F.C.
Sébastien SQUILLACI	F.C. Seville

Abou DIABY	Arsenal F.C.
Alou DIARRA	Girondins Bordeaux
Lassana DIARRA	Real Madrid
Yoann GOURCUFF	Girondins de Bordeaux
Florent MALOUDA	Chelsea F.C.
Moussa SISSOKO	Toulouse F.C.
Jérémy TOULALAN	Olympique Lyonnais

Nicolas ANELKA	Chelsea F.C.
Karim BENZEMA	Real Madrid
André-Pierre GIGNAC	Toulouse F.C.
Sidney GOVOU	Olympique Lyonnais
Thierry HENRY	F.C. Barcelone
Loïc REMY	OGC Nice

There are really no major surprises with regards to who was included. Cissokho has been touted as the next French lateral defender to get his chance. With the injury to Clichy, clearly the door was open for the Lyon player. I am sure it did not hurt that his club has been doing very well in the Champions League, giving the defender great exposure at a high level. Clearly the defender has had a fairy tale story - a few seasons ago he was in Ligue 2, got picked up by a 2nd tier club in Portugal only to find himself at FC Porto...and last season he was the target for Milan only to find himself at Olympique Lyonnaise where he is clearly establishing himself as on the the best lateral defenders in France. The latest rumor is that some of the big fish in England may be interested in securing his services. And now he has received a deserved call up to the French national side...quit an interesting few months.

What is really glaring are the names that are missing.

Let us start with Vieira. Clearly Domenech is not convinced that the France captain is fit enough to include in his list. For once I am in agreement with the French manager. I am a huge Pat fan, as I had blogged about in the past he is the best holding midfielder France has ever had. However, he has become very injury prone, not something that easy to over come the way he plays either. At his best he was a true "box to box" midfielder, could level a bone crunching tackle, slot a surgical diagonal pass and score the crucial goal all in a days work. Many point to the Zizou head butt as what did France in during the 2006 World Cup finals...I say it was Vieira having to be substituted out due to a hamstring injury - this took out one of Frances PK shooters, forced Domenech to put in Diarra when I am sure he was not in the substitution plan and eliminated one of France's best players for the tournament. He was absolutely huge for Les Bleus during that run - scored the crucial goal against Togo and set up the second goal, scored the winner against Spain, and partnering with Makelele formed the defensive cover to allow Zizou to roam freely in the midfield.

Having said all that, I do believe his time with France has come to an end. It was a huge risk to take him to the Euros where he played 0 minutes. Domenech cannot and should not chance it during the home and away match up against Ireland. Will Pat be fit to play in South Africa if France make it...not sure. Maybe a full season with Inter will demonstrate how much more he has left in the tank. But I fear it will not be enough.

Another ommission is Mexes. Unlike Vieira, Mexes is at the height of his prowess. He appears to have been completely banished from Les Bleus...which I think is absolutely insane. I have little faith in Escude. I realize that the Sevilla defender had some poor luck against Romania, however I just do not see it when he has played for France. Yes he is good in the air...but so is Mexes. I realize he plays his club football with Squillaci so there is some understanding there, but right now neither he nor Mexes have had great showings for France recently. However the upside for the Roma player is much higher in my opinion. I think Mexes-Gallas is the central pairing that could and should work, but only if they are given the time to develop - in practice and during matches. Granted the next two games are not the time to experiment, but since I doubt that Escude will see the field for either match, why not have Mexes at Clairfontaine?

Ribery is also absent. However since he is not 100% - probably out for another month. So clearly not an option. Gomis was left at home in favor of Remy. Not entirely surprising since the Nice striker might be a good option holding up the right channel, not something in Gomis' repetoire. No Nasri, again he has picked up full competition recently so probably not enough football in his legs to warrant a spot. No Boumsong...oh wait that is GREAT!

Without the Kaiser, the French formation almost sets itself - Henry should be on the left side (assuming he is 100% himself), allowing Gourcuff in the middle with either Gouvou/Anelka/Remy on the right. Benzema/Anelka at the point. Lass and Toulalan as the holding midfield. With the usual back line - Evra, Abidal, Gallas, Sagna. It will be interesting if reverting back to the 4-2-3-1 will slow down what appeared to be a more attacking minding French side with the 4-4-2...

Champions League upset - Bordeaux

2009-11-03T20:45:00.003-05:00

Congrats to the Girodins de Bordeaux, pulling off the 2-0 victory versus Bayern Munich on the German's turf. Goals from Gourcuff and Chamakh ensure that the French champs are through to the knock out stages with 2 more games to go in the group. This is a huge step for the club after last year where they fell out of the Champions League after being "corrected" by Chelsea in the group stages. Now the true test will emerge, can Bordeaux or Lyon (they too should get to the knock out stage) get past the first round? Will at least one Ligue 1 side make the 1/4 finals...or gasp the 1/2 finals? Granted the ultimate goal is the finals...and a victory, but not since Monaco have a French side made it past the 1/4 finals.

Bordeaux have the pieces in place. Whether or not they have the "bottle" to push through is still to be determined.

PSG over the flu

2009-11-01T21:57:00.003-05:00

So PSG got back to the pitch this weekend after having their derby match against OM postponed last week due to the H1N1 virus, aka swine flu. The time off seemed to have worked with a convincing 4-1 drubbing of Sochaux. The score line could have been worse had Sessegnon been more clinic in some of his attacks in the first half when the PSG counter caught Sochaux out numbered in the back. Erding made a successful come back to his former club slotting home the 3rd goal for PSG. Also the Chantome - Clement holding midfield duo worked well together and should be give more time together, this would also allow Makelele more time to recover.

So now the team from the capital find themselves 9 points back of the leader Bordeaux. With the return of Erding, I hope that PSG is in for a run of good form and have gotten the typical bad PSG run out of their system. They still have a chance to creep back into the race. Unlike in England or Spain, Ligue 1 is much more fluid and dynamic. Now let us see if PSG can live up to this fan's expectations.

Poor Rafa...good for Lyon and Bordeaux!

2009-10-22T13:55:00.004-04:00

Impressive victory for OL defeating Liverpool in the Champions League this week, and did this at Anfield. Having the full 9 points from the first 3 games places Lyon in pole position to go through. Knowing they will receive both Liverpool and Debreceni at home, it is not impossible to see Lyon with a sure 4 points from those 2 matches...at 13 points they should be safe. As for Rafa, with the Manchester United game looming might the Reds go 0-3 this week? Poor Rafa, at least with Gerrard and Torres hurt he has a built in excuse for the poor run of form.

Another Ligue 1 side is also surprising - Bordeaux. They too are sitting atop their group. The only points Bordeaux dropped were on the road to Juventus where they drew 1-1. Bordeaux will have to travel to Bayern for the next rounds of matches, where a draw would be a very respectable result. They will also have to travel to Maccabi, which will not be a simple match, but Bordeaux should be able to secure a draw. The key will be the return leg against Juventus back at Bordeaux, if Les Girodins can get another draw then they should be through.

Oh yeah the third team from Ligue 1 is Marseilles...they are 3 points behind Milan and Real. They will need to beat Zurich in the next round to have a chance before facing Milan and Real. It will be difficult but could be possible.

Anyways Ligue 1 is holding its own right now, but the true test will be if one of the clubs can get to the 1/4 finals or further. That will be the true barometer of the success of the clubs. Time will tell.

The 2nd place draw is out!! France to meet Ireland....tough draw

2009-10-19T11:09:00.013-04:00

So FIFA made the draw today and the match ups are set. I will admit my greatest fear came true, Les Bleus will have to face the Irish in the match up...no not the team in South Bend Indiana...so let us first look at the pairings for the final 4 spots for South Africa:

Portugal v Bosnia: Most likely the most lopsided draw. Even if Portugal are without Ronaldo they should find a way to beat the upstarts from the Balkans. Although Bosnia can put up quit a fight for the spot. They kept Belgium and Turkey out of the running in their group, and were it not for being drawn with European Cup Champion Spain, they could have secured a direct qualification for the World Cup. The key will be how the young Pjanic plays in the midfield. Can he control the flow of the game? The young Bosnian is quietly becoming the midfield cog for Lyon and is one of Europe's up and coming stars. This is just the type of matches that a young star can announce himself to the world. And will the Bosnia strikers find success against the Portugese? They have some quality strikers that play in the Bundesliga so are no slouches when it comes to high pressure matches, players such as Misimovic, Dzeko and Ibisevic. Portugal will lean on Deco to carry the rhythm of the game (assuming Ronaldo is out) to the Bosnians. While the Bosnians have nothing to lose, I think there is too much talent on the Portuguese side with Deco, Nani, Simao, Gomes, Tiago, Carvalho and Boswinga to name a few. It will not be easy but Portugal will go through. Portugal through 3-1 on aggregate.

Greece v Ukraine: This is an intriguing match up. Greece was in a weak group 2 where they finished 1 point back of leaders Switzerland. The former European Champs struggled, losing twice to Switzerland, losing to Moldova and only defeating Luxembourg 2-1. However the Greeks still play a difficult style, defending with 11 and looking to strike on the counter. While Ukraine is heading into this match up on a high, coming from behind in their group to take the runner spot from Croatia, including an improbable 1-0 Ukrainian victory over the 3 lions. They still have a deadly Sheva and can surprise. I can see this match up heading to PKs - Ukraine goes through 1-1 on aggregate 7-6 in PKs.

Russia v Slovenia: The Russians almost took the top spot from Germany, well maybe not almost but they had a serious chance to do so going into the match up against their old time rival in Moscow. However once again Germany did what it always seems to do...get a 1-0 win when it needed it. So now the Russians face a surprise team in Slovenia. They first surprised in the Euro 2000 when they qualified by defeating Ukraine to get into the tournament, where they showed well for themselves only losing to Spain 2-1 in the group stage. However they are playing a team in Russia who were the surprise last Euro and in a player Arshavin who can turn a game on its head. I just do not see Slovenia finding an answer to the diminutive Arsenal winger nor strikers such as Pavlyuchenko. Add into this mix Hiddink, a veteran manager who has 1 month to prepare for Slovenia, and I see it as the easiest qualification of the play off pairings. Russia through 5-0 on aggregate.

France v Ireland: Ok...the best for last...I guess. Ugh. This is not the match up I was looking for for Les Bleus. Ireland were the "1 point" team, getting only 4 wins for 6 draws during the qualifiers. A hard luck draw against the World Cup Champs in Dublin on a last minute goal. Least we forget the struggles France had against Ireland in the qualifiers for the 2006 world cup! A sheer act of brilliance gave Les Bleus a 1-0 victory in Dublin...

So what do we have in store this time? Ireland have some solid players - Dunn, O'Shea, Keane and Given to name a few. Given is the one that scares me the most, he is a solid and reliable keeper. France's inability (until recently) to score goals means that Given and the Irish defense could hold France at bay and look to beat them on the counter or on set pieces.

Let us face it, France's Achilles heal remains dead balls...an area where Ireland excels. See the both goals they scored against Italy. The first was not a typical set piece goal, but I can see Les Bleus overplaying the potential pull back and then opening themselves up to a high ball into the penalty area.

I fear that Ireland will look to beat Les Bleus on the set piece, and why not! It worked for Scotland during the Euro qualifiers. Last time these two nations faced off in qualifiers, Ireland drew 0-0 in Paris and lost 1-0 in Dublin. The latter was after the "old guard" returned: Makelele, Thuram and Zizou. Those folks are not walking through the door at Clairefontaine! No reason to believe that the away and home series might not fall along the same lines.

The key will be the first match for France. I think they need to come back with at least 1 away goal in their back pocket, hopefully with a victory but at least a draw. Why? If Les Bleus come home down or with a 0-0 draw I fear the following scenario will play out - Ireland play a cautious first 15 minutes, defend and try to beat France on the counter. The play the rest of the 1st half more offensively trying to grab a goal. If they go into half time up or even with France they come out the second half and defend with 9 to 10 players behind the ball always looking to spring Keane, or looking for a set piece deep in French territory, see if they cannot sneak in a goal. Ireland will look for the away goal victory or get to PKs, where we know it is a complete crap shoot. For this reason France must go to Dublin looking to score at least 1 goal, how is that for strategy??? But I think Domenech should consider a 4-4-2 for that match align - Sagna, Abidal, Gallas, Evra in the back with Malouda on the left, Gourcuff and LDiarra in the middle and Ribery on the right (I realize Ribery does not like it there, but France need to bring some offense to the right side of the pitch and he played there very well in the past), and have Henry - Benzema (or Anelka) up front. The 4-4-2 will bring much more width and attack than the 4-2-3-1, you might open yourself to some risk of more counters, but if you force Ireland back into their defensive 1/3 that might block any semblance of organized attacks from the Irish.

I am not sure how this will play out, but I know it will be nerve racking to say the least...predictions on this match up as we draw closer!!!

Poor Rafa...hheeheeeheee

2009-10-18T14:54:00.002-04:00

I did not watch the entire match but I cannot help myself to chuckle at Rafa and Liverpool. Starting, arguably, their most challenging week Rafa and his men fell 1-0 to a beach ball...see below:

This drops Liverpool to 7 points behind league leaders Manchester United, who they have to face this upcoming weekend. Dropping points to Sunderland is not a way to challenge for silverware Rafa. Once again I call into question the Spaniards ability to manage a team for an entire season. There is no doubt he is a solid game to game manager in a knock out competition, but when it comes to managing for a league title, I question his talents especially on player movements. Granted Torres and Gerrard were out yesterday, but every team needs to deal with adversity of losing players. But I am not sure that even if they were on the pitch yesterday if they would have been able to defend against Bent who absolutely torched the Liverpool defense, and could have had a brace or hat trick had he been a little bit more clinical in his final touch.

Again, Rafa will live on the glory of 15 crazy minutes in Istanbul, without that improbable run he might have been looking for work a few years ago.

Group play is over...now the real work begins for Les Bleus

2009-10-14T16:30:00.016-04:00

France ended their World Cup qualifying group stage campaign, and are now awaiting to learn their fate with which of the following nations - Slovenia, Ireland, Bosnia or Ukraine - to play a tense home and away series to determine which nation will head to South Africa next year. The fact that Les Bleus need an extra 2 matches to reach South Africa is an indicator that the qualifying campaign was not a success. Not a massive failure...that would have been had France ended 3rd or lower. So let us first look at the match against Austria:

The Good:

Once again, Benzema had a solid match. Maybe he continues to be motivated by his small verbal skirmish he had with his manager. Clearly he has demonstrated a willingness and desire to battle these last two games when wearing the blue kit. He scored a superb goal with the head early in the match, latching on to former Lyon teammate Malouda's cross. He was lethal making charging runs on the left wing (why does it seem all of France's offensive players gravitate to the left - Henry, Ribery, Malouda, Benzema...). He also razzled with his footwork, not hesitating in his one on one challenges of the Austrian defense. At times showing footwork that somewhat resembled another France #10 with Algerian roots. If Benzema can consistently demonstrate this drive and ability, it must make Domenech reconsider having him act as a substitute for Les Bleus.
Speaking of strikers, Gignac also showed something in this match. The Toulouse striker scored a wonderful goal from outside the box, once again with his right foot, but the ability to strike from long distance is something that Les Bleus are missing.
Malouda also impressed me. He was almost acting as the #10 for much of the match, drifting around the pitch, springing attacks, linking up the defense to the offense, and not being afraid to take his chances. He almost scored on a screamer in the second half only to see it go just wide of the far post, had a brilliant run end of the first half where he was able to deflected the ball from one foot off the other to ease around 2 Austrian defenders.
The French defense was placed under too much pressure, however Fanni demonstrated that he has some strong talent in those boots. He tackled well, was very active offensively not afraid to fill in the space to support the offense and was not afraid to use his pace and dribbling to take on defenders. Even when he made mistakes, midway through the second half he lost a ball in his defensive 1/3 but used his pace to recover and smother the shot. I am not ready to say he should start ahead of Sagna, but I think there is talent and depth at that post.
Ok this might be a first, but I will say that Domenech for once was good...barely. What do I mean by that? I am happy to see he did not simply run out the same team he has in the past. This match meant nothing in terms of the standings, but it was a great opportunity to see some players - the entire back line was different: Fanni, Squillaci, Escude, Clichy. The holding midfield - Sissoko and ADiarra. Offensively Malouda, Gouvou, Benzema and Henry. The playing of Henry and Benzema to me, signaled a test to see how the two could function together, could France head back to a 4-4-2 with Ribery and Gourcuff in the offensive roles in the midfield? Bringing in Gomis and Gignac was good, see what they can do offensively, because I am sure that during the playoffs you will need to, in at least one of the games, bring in some offensive substitutions late to try and get a goal.

The Bad:

I hate to pick on him, but Escude looked terrible! The Austrian goal I place squarely on his shoulders. It was too easy for the Austrian striker to nudge him off the through ball which lead to an odd man attack on Lloris and Squillaci. He did not look at ease defending or positioning himself defensively. He did not inspire confidence in the center of the French defense.
I praise Domenech, now I need to call out some bad! Why save his last substitution? Get another player out on the pitch. Maybe change your keeper, why wasn't Carrasso the back up? Get him in there to give him some experience, see how he plays for 45 minutes. What about Diaby? It would have been nice to see him on the left side, see if he and Clichy can carry over some of their work with Arsenal to Les Bleus. If you are selecting these players when you get the chance...play them! I would have been interested to seeing a diamond midfield with Sissoko the defensive base, Diaby on the left, Gouvou on the right and Malouda at the offensive tip - with Gomis and Gignac as the tandem strikers.

The Ugly:

The idiot fans that invaded the pitch late. Not good people, come on let's grow up. That cannot be good either for France as they bid for an upcoming Euro tournament.
The fact Les Bleus need to play 2 more matches. Let us face it, this qualifying campaign has not been a thing of beauty. Starting with the ugly 3-1 loss to this same Austrian team, followed by lackluster draws against Romania and the brave but wasted effort in Belgrade. Throw in there 2 difficult victories against Lithuania and you have were France is today - heading to the 2nd place playoff. France might still make it to South Africa next year, Zidane thinks so, they might even do something other than site seeing while there...France have the talent as well as the depth - how many nations can leave a Mexes off your squad? I am still not convinced...no surprise...that Domenech knows what he is doing, what system really works for his talent pool and how to ensure he gets the most out of this collection of players. Making the World Cup or European Cup is no longer the goal for France, they need to contend at this tournaments, nations like Germany and Brazil, even when they are "down" know that getting to a 1/4 final or 1/2 final is the least of their expectations. Les Bleus are getting to that level, but with that comes the mentality that such success is the rule not the exception. The campaign was ugly and is far from over, however sometimes the ugliest qualifying campaigns lead to the best results - similar to Euro 2000 when France struggled mightily to qualify, doing so by the narrowest of margins - and we all know how the Euro 2000 ended.

So France lives another day...we will see next week who they will get in the November 2nd place play off. For now we can ponder what could have and should have been, but more importantly think about what might be with Les Bleus. Do you think it will be good or bad???

Trezegol back for Les Bleus???

2009-10-13T22:17:00.004-04:00

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....

Who to start on Wednesday for Les Bleus??

2009-10-12T23:19:00.003-04:00

First off, this is my 500 posts on the Bean Town frog, I thought long and hard about making it something reflective, deep and memorable...but instead I will talk about...Les Bleus and make it short and sweet! Well maybe not short...

With France qualified for the play offs, and with many players hurt or beat up....what should Domenech do? Well other than resign...I think he should put out a squad of the younger players, let them get some first team action.

I would like to see Clichy on the left and Fanni on the right, I would even experiment with Toulalan as central defense...too bad there is no Mexes because he needs to be integrated into this squad soon, but the Toulalan experiment might be too much. So let say we see Escude and Squillaci in the middle of the defense. Midfield, let Diaby control the left, ADiarra play the role of holding with Sissoko on the right. I would go with 3 strikers - Benzema on the left, Gomis in the middle and Gignac on the right (I know the Toulouse man score a brace over the weekend, but I still think he needs more time wearing the Blue kit). If you go with 2 strikers maybe slot Malouda behind them, allow him to wander the offensive zone.

I think without your regular play makers - Gourcuff, Ribery or Nasri - you cannot really use this match to see how to run your team against whoever you will face in the play off...plus maybe you do not want to show too much either! I think you need to get some players on the pitch, allow yourself to see if Escude-Squillaci would work, at least how individually they play. You want to get a sense of where Diaby could slot, left midfielder, deep lying holding midfielder? Sissoko got his first cap, but let us see what he can do for 80 or 90 minutes. Having him on the pitch with Gignac will also give you some insight into if they can give you some answers to the right side of the pitch, similar to what they do for Toulouse.

Give Benzema a game to see if he can demonstrate the offensive will power as he did on Saturday. Slot Gomis up front allow him to show whether or not he is the offensive option France could use coming off the bench.

This is much to ask from a team in 90 minutes. However running out the same formation will not show you much, let us get some fresh legs in there and see what they can do.

France qualify!!!!! for the second place play offs.....

2009-10-10T21:46:00.009-04:00

Well what we all have accepted is now official - Les Bleus have qualified for the second place play off for the World Cup, with a rather easy 5-0 victory over the 185th ranked team according to FIFA. Sigh. What could have, should have, might have been...so let us look at the last match from Les Bleus:

The Good:

The win - ok the result should never have been in question, but the fact that Les Bleus have not been shining during these qualifiers - only getting a simple 1-0 win away to the Faroe's - and the fact the Faroe Islands just secured their first win of the campaign over Lithuania 2-1. There was a undertone of nervousness heading into the game, even some of the French players were questioning if they could some how find a victory having to play on the smaller pitch at Guingamp. So France secured the essential, getting the 3 points, scoring goals, and assuring themselves that the game against Austria is a friendly...albeit an important one with the 2nd place playoffs looming.
Titi Henry once again demonstrated that he will lead this side. His work rate in the second half was outstanding, he was basically playing the role of the #10 for Les Bleus. He was not afraid to use his pace to take on defenders but was also clearly seeking his teammates out with a number of clinical passes. His free kick at the end of the first half should have resulted in a goal from Gallas, who tried to make his attempt too perfect only to see his header skim off the cross bar. He did find Gallas again later for the third goal. In the second half, the Barcelona man was at the center of most of the offensive action. While he still attacked mostly from his preferred left side, he drifted to the middle truly looking like a #10.
Scoring a brace means that you did something well...Gignac clearly likes playing this nation, since he opened his account with Les Bleus when France first met the Faroe Islands in August. The first goal today was a true predator's goal, getting a nice square pass from Anelka, he pivoted and fired a shot that caught the Mikkelsen wrong footed. The second goal was a pure individual effort, after a long distribution from Mandanda, Gignac took on, what appeared to be, the entire defensive back line, raced to the 18 yard box and hit an unstoppable right footed shot that nestled right inside the far post. He had a few opportunities to get his hat trick only to have the Faroe keeper make some solid saves. Has the Toulouse man solidified his place in the hierarchy? I think that to Domenech he has...meaning Benzema is condemned to being a super sub. Does he deserve this? To me Gignac is a solid stiker but I am not sure he has the ability of a Benzema. Gignac has a deadly right foot...but not sure he trusts his left foot or has enough of an aerial game. I read a statistic that all but one of his league leading goals he scored last season for Toulouse was with his right foot! I do like him playing for Les Bleus, but I have to see him doing this against more formidable opposition. But for this match...very good.
Speaking of Gignac and Benzema, the young Real Madrid striker responded well to the clouds that were gathering in the press between himself and Domenech. Once again coming in late in the match, to replace the above mentioned Gignac, Benzema played with pace and power that we have come to expect from him when he plays for club. In the last quarter hour he played he had an assist and a goal. However more than these statistics, Benzema was very active on the offensive end, clearly wanting to show his desire and ability. Maybe wanting to give Domenech something to think about!

One Faroe player to point out was Mikkelsen, the keeper. Yes he gave up 5 goals, but made a number of outstanding saves to keep the score line where it was. He made emergency saves on Gignac on a first half break away, against Anelka one on one in the second half, on a point blank effort from Henry in the second half, just to name a few. Without his heroics the game might have ended 7-0 or worse.
It was good to see Malouda and Sissoko getting time on the pitch. The former used to play for En Avant Guingamp, so being able to play for Les Bleus on his old pitch was a well deserved honor. The latter made his first appearance for the A side. A much deserved honor. He did not have much to do, so was not able to show of his skill set, but I hope this match is the first of many for him under the Blue kit.

The Bad:

From France's point of view nothing bad...other than this offensive punch should have been seen earlier in the World Cup qualifiers!

The Ugly:

Even when Les Bleus win by 5 goals...I must point out Domenech's lack of managerial ability. What do I mean by this? I realize without a true #10 (no Gourcuff, no Nasri, no Ribery) that the team went back to a 4-4-2 formation...but why have TWO holding midfielders in that formation? I realize that Toulalan played a solid game, but neither he nor Lass were really needed to "stem the tide" of Faroe attacks! What was telling was watching Gallas dribble at the Faroe defense, in their own 1/3 of the field on more than one occasion...if one of you center backs is pretending to be Messi, then do you need 2 holding midfielders??? France were basically playing a 4-3-3 at the end of the match, with Henry-Benzema-Anelka up front, being supported by Gouvou-Diarra-Sissoko, clearly the Faroe Islands had no answers to that formation. One might argue that it was the 70 minutes of defending they were forced to do that allowed this formation to have success, to which I would say...BS....if France had employed this formation it might have been 5-0 at half time...there is no way this team could have defended against those three French strikers up front. However, once again Domenech demonstrates a complete lack of vision. I am sure some might say - they did win 5-0 so he was doing something right. But to me this is a reflection of what is wrong with the French manager, and inflexibility and unwillingness to change his style even though the players at his disposal may warrant such a change.

Anyways, Les Bleus head to the playoffs, and based on what could happen, it would appear they will face Bosnia, Ukraine, Slovenia, or Ireland (as of right now and having not looked at the latest FIFA rankings) Of which either Ireland or Ukraine would be the most difficult, heading to play in those nations would not be a cup of tea. An expected win by Les Bleus, now need to get ready for the play offs.