World Cup Blog
French Progress Fails To Disguise Major Flaws
France are through but will have it all to do to beat the impressive Spanish, writes Mike Martin… Even by France’s recent low standards, failure to beat Togo, one of the worst teams in the tournament, would have been a cataclysmic failure. Yet it took until nine minutes into the second half before their sometimes [...]
France are through but will have it all to do to beat the impressive Spanish, writes Mike Martin…
Even by France’s recent low standards, failure to beat Togo, one of the worst teams in the tournament, would have been a cataclysmic failure. Yet it took until nine minutes into the second half before their sometimes laughably inept finishing improved to the extent that Patrick Vieira found the net. A combination of bad finishing, bad luck, bad refereeing and a bad attitude saw them score just once in five and a half World Cup matches across four years.
Tonight’s win was better, but there are still big problems. Finishing is key in the knockout stages of World Cups. Better sides give away fewer chances, so the need for efficient forward play becomes imperative. Frank Ribéry’s miss in the first half was awful; clean through on goal, unchallenged, he blazed yards over the bar from twelve yards. Miss a chance like that in the later stages and it could well be the difference between progress and elimination.
Raymond Domenech, France’s opinionated and controversial coach, must decide whether to bring back Zinedine Zidane for the Round 2 match against Spain. Zidane should provide some craft, but has he got the energy of, say, a Sidney Govou or Ribéry? Florent Malouda looks more capable down the left but his end product has been inconsistent. Somehow Domenech must decide how best to configure three players between the strong Vieira-Makélélé midfield and Thierry Henry, who seems finally to be delivering on the big stage for France.
Like England, France have struggled to keep the ball and build on a narrow lead. Against poor quality opposition like Togo it may not matter, but Spain have shown they are capable of playing neat, incisive football. Xavi Hernández and Xabi Alonso are two of the best creative passers in the world and Fernando Torres is a lethal centre forward. As their midfield continue to struggle to create chances and their forwards fluff their chances, France’s status as underdogs is well justified.
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