The name of Yoann Gourcuff remains associated with one of the greatest disappointments of the France team. During the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the playmaker, shortly before his transfer to Olympique Lyonnais, was unable to do anything in the face of the collective sinking of the Blues, marked by the players' strike and elimination from the group stage.
In an interview at the Gazzetta dello SportRaymond Domenech looks back on this resounding failure and recognizes his responsibilities: “The 2010 World Cup? A fiasco of organization, power and responsibilities. We lacked individual and collective intelligence”explains the former coach, pointing out both the poor preparation and the lack of cohesion of his team.
Gourcuff and Anelka, no
He also talks about his choices of players, regretting certain crucial decisions: “I missed my summons: I should not have called Gourcuff and Anelka”. These selection errors have, according to him, contributed to the general disarray and the loss of control over the locker room, already weakened by internal tensions.
In the same vein, some journalists point out that the Blues fiasco began well before arriving in South Africa. Tensions were already present during preparation, with Yoann Gourcuff being targeted by certain teammates, including Franck Ribéry. A version confirmed by the former coach in his book Tout Seul, published in 2012 by Flammarion.
