by Ross Mackiewicz
Tomorrow afternoon Les Bleus kick-off their Euro 2012 assault with a rendezvous with Roy Hodgson’s England in a repeat of the Group B clash eight years ago in Lisbon.
On that night, Zinedine Zidane inspired Les Bleus in the dyeing embers of the game to snatch the points away from England and register a 2-1 victory with two late goals that looked to be beyond them after Frank Lampard had given Sven Goran Eriksson’s team a 1-0 lead. The game was largely remembered for the emergence of Wayne Rooney on the international stage with an inspired performance but Laurent Blanc’s class of 2012 will not have to contend with him this time around due to suspension.
Coming into the tournament, the team are on an incredible 21-game unbeaten run which has somewhat been overlooked by many outside the country. With much of the emphasis on the likes of Spain, Holland and Germany as probable European Champions, France have quietly entered this tournament with very little backing beyond the French border. Although currently ranked 14th in the FIFA World Rankings, it should not deter how good this French side can be during the summer and it certainly has have every chance of reaching the latter stages of the competition.
Ever since Monsieur Blanc took over the reins from Raymond Domenech following that harrowing trip to South Africa in 2010 for the FIFA World Cup – where respect between the coaches and players dissolved resulting in absolute anarchy – he has steadied the ship and integrated the younger players into the team. The likes of Yann M’Vila, Jeremy Menez, Yohan Cabaye and Adil Rami have brought an exuberance that was lacking in 2010.
The tenure under Domenech became stale, bleak and blatantly predictable. His methods were questioned, lacking the respect of the players but Blanc has brought the polar opposite with his team who are now singing off the same hymn sheet. Although qualification was far from spectacular – an opening loss to Belarus completed things as such – the team played with efficiency. The results against Bosnia eventually pipped them to the post for automatic qualification even though they were left to sweat in the final game with a late Samir Nasri equaliser ensuring their trip to the finals. Victories over Brazil, England and Germany have also occurred in the last 18-months in friendly games.
The immediate preparation coming into the tournament has been astute but with a few concerns along the way. All three warm up games against Iceland, Serbia and Estonia resulted in victory with some positive traits evidently on show. They showed great resilience to come from two goals down to beat Iceland but the worrying aspect was the concession of the goals from a defensive point of view. Although these games are there to iron out the wrinkles, France can ill-afford any such slipups against England tomorrow.
The Three Lions will sit back for large quantities of the game, allowing the French to keep possession and bide their time. Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker will align the centre of midfield just in front of the back four with perhaps a James Milner coming in from wide to help stagnate their adversaries along with another wide man. Ashley Young will also drop in deep as he supports Andy Carroll or Danny Welbeck who will fill the void for a suspended Rooney up top as the lone striker. This will be a more defensive minded England that has been dogged by injuries and missing some key personnel. Nevertheless, it will be a more tactically sound side and France will find it difficult to break them down.
This is where the better quality in attack for Les Bleus may just make the difference. Karim Benzema will lead the line, even though he did miss training with a back complaint on Thursday. Franck Ribery and Samir Nasri will support him either side and will come in from the left and right, looking to bamboozle the English defence. In midfield, M’Vila is a major doubt with an ankle injury that many feared would rule him out of the tournament. With that being said, Alou Diarra should take up his place sitting in-front of the centre-backs Philippe Mexes and Adil Rami. Newcastle’s Yohan Cabaye will operate just ahead of Diarra and will work in tandem with stalwart Florent Malouda.
Tactically, it is so hard to call. Blanc could cautious with his approach but the intent to attack and get England is surely too hard to resist. England does have pace on the counter and that is where France needs to be careful. Carroll is most likely to start and his physical presence will be a handful for the defence. It is a useful piece of artillery they can use to unsettle France and bully them if need be. It is an intriguing prospect and will be interesting to see how it all pans out.
The game can very well dictate Group D as a whole. Whoever is victorious will most likely go on to qualify, perhaps as group winners which would will avoid a clash with current champions Spain in the quarter-finals if they make easy work of their group. Not just three points is at stake but the bigger picture as a whole. If both teams believe they can shock people and go afar in the tournament then a win is a must. France has the tools needed to win it but need some consistency and that is pivotal over the coming weeks. With one of the most in-form strikers in world football at the minute complemented by a mix of energy and flair from midfield, there could be a new face being projected on the Arc de Triomphe on July 1st.
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Allez Les Bleus!