By Jake Glavies
Four years after the most infamous head butt in soccer history and just weeks after a notorious Thierry Henry handball, France is trying to find itself before kickoff in South Africa.
Les Bleus lost a core group of players from its 2006 team that made it all the way to the finals before losing on penalties to Italy. With Zinedine Zidane, Fabien Barthez, Claude Makelele and Lilian Thuram all hanging up their jerseys after the defeat, paradoxical coach Raymond Domenech must look to a new group of players to lead France back to the top of the football world. While some players will be making their first trip to the World Cup, others have led Les Bleus to glory before.
Henry is the undisputed leader of this year’s team. Though not the player he once was, he’s still the most feared goal scorer in all of France – netting a record 51 scores for Les Bleus. The Barca forward will team with Nicolas Anelka, Franck Ribery and Yoann Gourcuff when the team is in attack mode. Waiting behind these recognizable faces are a host of young players itching to lead their country to victory.
Headlined by Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema, Domenech’s second options on the attack include some of the most talented youngsters in the world. Beyond Benzema, the coach will have Andre-Pierre Gignac, Florent Malouda and Loic Remy at his disposal – though none have much experience at the national level, they are all proving to be rising stars on the club scene.
Henry vs Italy in 2006 – photo credit: Reuters
The French defense boasts some of the top defenders in the world, but playing out of position in South Africa might prove to be the group’s downfall. Starting with the central defense, stalwart defender William Gallas will man his usual territory, while Barca’s Eric Abidal will move to the middle from his normal position on the left. Sebastien Squillaci, a natural center back, seems to be the odd man out in the middle – a move that has raised some eyebrows considering his affinity for playing at the center.
Overall, France is a capable team. They’ll bring some of the world’s most talented players to South Africa. But as it looks right now, they’ll all be leaving empty handed. Les Bleus will certainly make it out of the group stages – as they’ll face South Africa, Mexico and Uruguay – but possible matches against England, Brazil and Spain don’t bode well for a team that’s still trying to find its identity. Watch for France to make it to the quarterfinals but no further.
