Euro 2008

Raymond Domenech is expected to leave his position as French coach

France’s 2006 escapades now look like a brief aberration from the norm as the nation’s football team continued its fall from the highs of a World Cup and European Championships double between 1998 and 2000.

As with the 2002 World Cup, these Euros have proved a total write-off for the French. One goal, one point, one red card - sounds familiar?

At least they registered a goal this time, but it meant little in the context of their thrashing from the Netherlands. Yet goals have been hard to come by, like in Germany two years ago. One in the opening two games against Switzerland and South Korea nearly sent them home early, but they scraped through thanks to a narrow victory over minnows Togo.

In 2008, minnows were far harder to find. The supposed underdogs of the ‘Group of Death’, Romania, proved a tougher proposition than anyone had previously thought but France nevertheless had the players to beat Victor Piturcá’s outfit. Instead, a side without the superb David Trezeguet, who was ridiculously left out by Raymond Domenech, demonstrated a complete lack of interest and effort in a tame 0-0 draw.

The majority of players craved for their holidays and the atmosphere within the squad was not complicit with a winning side. There was no camaraderie and some of the players’ attitudes should have earned them an immediate ticket out of Euro 2008 and back to their club side, without pay. This lack of endeavour continued in a feeble performance against the Netherlands. And despite Thierry Henry’s finely taken goal, he again failed to show up for France in a major tournament, completing a bad year for the former Arsenal hitman.

However, in spite of a pair of below-par performances, France could still have qualified for the quarter-finals by winning their third group game. Two years ago, they took on Togo. This time, it was not a middling African nation they faced but world champions Italy. Solace could be found in Italy’s equally awful start but Domenech, whose reputation in coaching circles is not exactly prestigious and whose tactics are often dubious, never looked likely to be able to motivate his players towards a famous victory. Instead, quarrels broke out within the set-up and disharmony dominated ahead of the critical fixture.

Injuries to key players like Patrick Vieira and Franck Ribéry didn’t aid Domenech’s cause but taking off Samir Nasri against Italy barely 15 minutes after he had come on as a substitute demonstrated his defensive impulses. France had lost a defender to a red card, but needing to score twice in order to progress, Nasri ought to have remained on the field. Despite spells of pressure, there was little cutting edge from the likes of Henry or Karim Benzema as the French failed to test Gigi Buffon with any regularity.

Others such as Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka might find themselves out on the beach in a couple of years if an uncompromising new coach like Didier Deschamps is brought in, but Domenech stayed loyal to the duo despite frequently mediocre displays for both country and club Chelsea. Perhaps the inclusion of striker Bafétimbi Gomis best reflects the insanity of France’s campaign. The St Etienne man was added to the squad instead of Djibril Cisse after scoring twice in his first ever game for country - against Ecuador. Cisse might have disappointed for Marseille last season, but Gomis’s selection ahead of Trezeguet registered a zero on the logic meter.

Without Zinedine Zidane to lead the way, France fell to pieces. At the World Cup in Germany, he became the unofficial coach of the squad as Domenech took a back step and almost single-handedly led them to ultimate glory. He scored their goals in the semi-final and final - both from the penalty spot - as France once again struggled in attack. They only netted three times in their final three games and totalled just nine in seven matches. However, Zidane was present to inspire his team-mates onwards, and when he vanished after being dismissed in the final, France lost the subsequent penalty shoot-out.

At Euro 2008, with Zidane retired and Domenech possessing exclusive control, France were flawed, particularly so up front. Even in defence, their long-established redeemer, holes began to emerge. The Netherlands stung them and Italy followed suit to ensure an early exit for France – and their coach.

This failure to qualify for the knockout stages confirms 2006 as an exceptional occurrence. Nobody expected France to progress as far as they did, and ultimately it was an unimpressive route to the final which didn’t instil confidence that the nation had recaptured the spirit of 1998 and 2000. The squad was old and slow – and two years on, Domenech still relied on some of these old-timers. Experienced – yes, competitive - not one bit.

Not since 2000 have France been true contenders on the world stage. Meek exits from three of the last four major tournaments suggest a huge rebuilding job is imperative.

A new era is set to begin from now.

Claude Makélélé, one of those who delayed retirement in order to play at the Euros, has joined other ageing stars in hanging up his international boots and Lilian Thuram along with Willy Sagnol will follow. The future instead is Mandanda, Benzema, Ben Arfa and Diarra.

That future begins now as France begins an important period of soul-searching in a bid to ready themselves for a genuine challenge at the 2010 World Cup.

Tags: Claude Makelele, Didier Deschamps, Euro 2008, Florent Malouda, France, Hatem Ben Arfa, Lassana Diarra, Nicolas Anelka, Raymond Domenech, Samir Nasri, Thierry Henry, World Cup, Zinedine Zidane

---

Related Articles

• Euro 2008 Who’s Who - FRANCE
• Who On Earth Is… Samir Nasri
• Romania 0-0 France: Uninspiring Les Blues Have It All To Do In Group Of Death
• Magical Brückner works his miracles again with the perennial losers from Austria
• Euro 2008 - The Post Mortem