|
Scouting
Report
Style of play: Coach Roger Lemerre's Les Bleus
balance rock-solid defence, creative and fluid midfield
possession and devastating goal-scoring power. France
plays with a 4-3-1-2 formation, with Zinedine Zidane
as the playmaking link between the midfielders and the
two strikers. He leads France's attack from his central
position on the pitch and singlehandedly dictates the
pace of the game with his brilliant ball control. For
the early stages of France's World Cup defence, though,
much will depend on how well the French compensate for
the loss of Zidane for at least their opening game,
due to a thigh injury. But overall, France's midfielders
are exceptional two-way players, equally effective at
carrying the ball forward towards goal as they are tracking
back and playing a more defensive role. The two wing-defenders
often move forward and distribute the ball to the strikers,
giving France another option in launching its attack.
Strengths:
Depth -- France's reserve bench is so deep that
coach Roger Lemerre could field two very formidable
teams. With a wide selection of world-class players
at his disposal, Lemerre can easily replace an out-of-form
or injured player instantly without losing any quality
on the pitch.
Goal-scoring -- In David Trezeguet and Thierry
Henry, France boasts the most lethal one-two scoring
punch in the World Cup. Expect the dangerous duo to
cause major headaches for defenders throughout the tournament.
Although he'll likely be used as a substitute, striker
Sylvain Wiltord could easily start for any other team
at the World Cup.
Experience -- Ex-captain Didier Deschamps and
Laurent Blanc may have retired from international duty,
but France still has a wealth of experienced players
at the international level. Zidane, Henry, Lilian Thuram,
Emmanuel Petit and Marcel Desailly - the core of France's
squad from 1998 - have returned and will play pivotal
roles in this year's tournament.
Weaknesses:
Goalkeeping -- Fabien Barthez, France's starting
goalkeeper, has looked shaky this past year playing
for Manchester United in the English Premier League.
He made numerous comical gaffes that cost his team several
pivotal games, and ultimately the Premiership title.
No Robert Pires -- Winger Robert Pires was having
a marvellous campaign with the Premier League and FA
Cup championship club Arsenal this past season before
tearing a knee ligament, forcing surgery and leaving
him sidelined for several months. His inspiring playmaking
skills and dashing runs down the wings will be missed.
Pressure -- France is the reigning World Cup
and European champions, and is currently ranked first
in the world by FIFA. Les Bleus have the weight of the
soccer world (not to mention the expectations of French
fans) resting squarely on their shoulders. Nothing short
of repeating as champions is acceptable.
Players to watch:
Key injuries/squad omissions: France was dealt
a crushing blow just before the when it learned that
Zinedine Zidane will miss at least the opening match
on May 31 against Senegal because of a thigh injury
he suffered in a warm-up match with South Korea....
Winger Robert Pires (knee ligament) and midfielder Christian
Karembeu (groin injury), both regular starters, were
not named to France's final team.… Star striker
Thierry Henry is battling an inflamed ligament in his
right knee, but he is expected to be fully fit for France's
first game.… Midfielder Patrick Vieira is nursing
a sore ankle, but it won't keep him from starting for
France…. Coach Roger Lemerre did not select 2001
French Player of the Year Eric Carriere for the final
sqaud (he picked midfielder Johan Micoud in his place)
and overlooked Liverpool striker Nicolas Anelka, deciding
to go with France Under-21 star Djibril Cisse instead….
Other notable omissions include attacker Steve Marlet
and winger Laurent Robert.
Outlook:
France is the heavy favourite to repeat as champions
at the 2002 World Cup. Drawn with first-timers Senegal,
Uruguay and Denmark, France should have little trouble
finishing in first place in Group A (although Denmark
will prove to be a tough opponent). France has been
slotted into Argentina's half of the draw, meaning the
two co-favourites will most likely meet in one of the
early rounds of the tournament. If France can get by
Argentina, it should be smooth sailing into the final.
France has the class, depth and talent to repeat as
champions, and anything less than an appearance in the
finals would be considered disastrous.
The
Country
Location: Western Europe, bordering the Bay
of Biscay and English Channel, between Belgium and Spain,
southeast of the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea,
between Italy and Spain.
Capital: Paris
Area: 547,030 sq km
Population: 59,329,691 (2000)
Government type: Republic
Climate: Generally cool winters and mild summers,
but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean.
Ethnic groups: Celtic and Latin with Teutonic,
Slavic, North African, Indochinese, Basque minorities.
Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Protestant 2%,
Jewish 1%, Muslim 1%, unaffiliated 6%.
Languages: French 100%, rapidly declining regional
dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian,
Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish).
History: France suffered widespread losses in
its empire, wealth, and rank as a prevailing nation-state
after the First and Second World Wars. Since 1958, it
has built a presidential democracy impervious to the
chaos that was the order of the day under previous parliamentary
democracies. France's partnership with Germany has been
integral to the economic integration of Europe, including
the creation of the euro in January 1999.
The Community in Canada
An important distinction needs to be made right off the top. France is one of Canada's founding nations, Francophone identity finds its strongest and most powerful expression in Quebec, New Brunswick is the country's only officially bilingual province, long-established Francophone communities exist in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
But these are NOT the source of the fan base for France's World Cup team. Neither does that fan base for Les Bleus come entirely from tens of thousands of French nationals or ex-pats living in Canada. Rather, support for the French team comes from a broad base of Canadians from other French-speaking countries, many of whom are represented in the World Cup on their own.
The opening weekend of the tournament was a case in point. France was famously upset by Senegal, a French-speaking former French colony in West Africa. France was, of course, the defending World Cup champion. Although Senegalese fans would no doubt like to trounce their former colonizer and dethrone the champs, the youthful French team which won the cup four years ago had matured and was felt by many to be a team at the top of its game. In the event that France beat Senegal, Senegalese support would likely have swung behind other Franco-African teams, such as Cameroon or Tunisia.
African-Canadinan support is likely to galvanize behind African teams until the option is eliminated.
Serge Sloimovits is a jazz aficianado and festival producer originally from Paris who now living in Toronto. During the last World Cup he closed the office for three weeks in order to concentrate on the matches. While game time doesn't conflict with office hours this time around, the effect may be much the same as Serge adjusts his sleeping and living patterns to the games. He has already postponed an important business trip to the American southwest in order to ensure access to decent World Cup coverage from Canadian re-broadcasters.
In Toronto, the French contingent tended to gather at the Saint Tropez restaurant
on King St. W. for the morning broadcasts, accompanied
by croissants and a member of the staff decked out in
a Napoleon hat.
|
