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2010 FIFA World Cup: France Les Bleus Suffering From Team Transition
Published: June 18, 2010
But regardless of the players in the current side, and regardless of Raymond Domenech’s inability to manage the side, I truly believe the French are suffering from a deeper fundamental crisis.
They are a team in transition, and have been since losing Zidane, the best player of his generation, yet alone of the French national team since Michel Platini, to retirement.
How does a coach, especially a national team coach, replace arguably one of the best players in history?
Obviously, one of the ways to deal with this problem is to change play from the same formation and style that was successful before.
The 4-2-3-1 formation the French have employed at this World Cup was successful in 2006.
But Zidane was playing behind the striker then, linking the defence and attack, with Franck Ribéry and Florent Malouda playing on the wings as Zidane’s willing runners.
But the French don’t have that same creative playmaker in Yoan Gouffran. Plus, the French haven’t gotten the best out of Ribéry, and Malouda is playing out of position.
To make matters worse, Nicolas Anelka isn’t the same player for country as he is at club level, and hasn’t received any good service from his midfield.
With all of these factors, it's apparent that this 4-2-3-1 the French maintain isn’t working.
If they continue playing this formation, then it's a real surprise to me that Thierry Henry isn’t playing just behind Anelka (he may not have that burst of acceleration that made him one of the best strikers in the world, but he wouldn’t need it in that role).
Even pushing Abou Diaby into that position might be effective, although I’m still unsure whether Diaby can pick the right pass at the right moment (his decision no...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football
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