World Cup preview: France

The Road to the World Cup

France faced a smaller but difficult UEFA Group I draw which featured five teams including Spain and Finland. Les Bleus finished second on 17 points and then drew Ukraine in the second round. Despite going down in the first leg away 2-0, France roared back at the Stade de France to win 3-0 and progress to Brazil, and became the first team to overcome a two goal deficit in World Cup playoffs.

Group Stage Schedule

Formation: 4-2-3-1 / 4-3-3

Didier Deschamps' France has lately been a bit Jekyll and Hyde depending on whether the fixture is at home or away. In 2013, France’s home record was 3-0-1 with 13 goals for and 2 against. Away from home however, France managed a 1-2-3 record with 4 goals for and 8 goals against.

This inconsistency likely has more to do with more ephemeral issues involving team chemistry than Deschamps’ tactics, which, depending on the fixture, tends to either use Matuidi and Pogba as the defensive midfield fulcrum behind Ribery, Nasri and Remy, or in a 4-3-3 makes room for Cabaye. France’s midfield should be one of the best in the world, and they also have a depth in defence that other teams should envy.

It’s incredible that France’s form isn't better considering the remarkable depth of talent in this French side, and the risk is that old, disciplinary problems of the kind that marked France’s poor performance in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa will return.

The Manager: Didier Deschamps

Deschamps will be forever dogged by former Manchester United player and French international Eric Cantona’s characterization of him as a “water carrier”, a player whose role is only to pass to the more talented footballers around him. As a manager though, his ability to inspire players while under immense pressure from without is an asset. Deschamps helped Juventus return quickly to Serie A after the Calciopoli scandal in 2007, and then took over at Ligue 1 side Marseille two years later. It was there where he made his name, helping them to win the league for the first time in 17 years in 2009-10, and eventually getting them to the Champions League quarterfinal stage.

The interesting question for Deschamps is whether his experience as a World Cup winner on the pitch will translate to the current first team.

Projected Starting XI

GK: Hugo Lloris

DF: Patrice Evra

DF: Mamadou Sakho

DF: Laurent Koscielny

DF: Bacary Sagna

MF: Blaise Matuidi

MF: Yohan Cabaye

MF: Paul Pogba

FW: Franck Ribery

FW: Olivier Giroud

FW: Karim Benzema

Projected Substitutes

GK: Stéphane Ruffier

GK: Mickael Landreau

DF: Mathieu Debuchy

DF: Lucas Digne

DF: Eliaquim Mangala

DF: Raphael Varane

MF: Clement Grenier

MF: Rio Mavuba

MF: Mathieu Valbuena

MF: Moussa Sissoko

MF: Antoine Griezmann

FW: Loic Remy

The Captain: Hugo Lloris

Currently Spurs’ number one keeper, Lloris has played his own part in Tottenham’s impressively low goals against record this season in the Premier League. In the dressing room, he can be a fierce critic, as when he delivered a profane tirade against his Lyon teammates following a draw with Nice in Ligue 1 in April 2011. Branded by the French media as “Saint Lloris” after his performance against Ireland over two legs, which saw France qualify for the World Cup. Laurent Blanc named him permanent captain in February 2012.

The Star: Franck Ribery

Franck Ribery might have been a long shot for the Ballon D’Or in 2013, but that hasn’t shaken his self-confidence. “If you look at my performances all year long, I have made the difference. I may not score in every match but I set the defenses on fire,” he said earlier last year. The Bayern Munich winger/attacking mid might not be a goal-machine in his own right, but he can be deadly against any opposition defense, trapping balls with ease on the wing and ruthless in distributing the ball (he has 6 assists for Bayern this season in 11 games). At 30, he likely has two or three international tournaments left in him, though a back injury may come into play this tournament.

The Young Gun: Paul Pogba

Pogba could go down in history as the one that got away at Man United. After failing to sign a contract extension with the Red Devils in the summer of 2012, the then-19 year-old Pogba moved to Juventus where he wowed onlookers in Serie A and began to turn heads in Europe as well, particularly after a standout performance against Napoli in October of that year against Bologna where he was man of the match. He hasn’t let up since his debut season in Turin, with 7 goals and 7 assists in 36 starts with the bianconeri.

The Swan Song: Patrice Evra

The long-serving 32-year-old Man United left back hasn’t always had the best of relations with the national set up in France. In the disaster that was the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, as team captain Evra held a lot of influence which he didn’t always use wisely. After striker Nicolas Anelka was kicked out of the squad following an argument with then coach Raymond Domenech, Evra led a player protest in which players refused to take part in training, a move universally condemned in France. Evra lost the armband and many believed he should never play for France again. However after a series of apologies, he was selected by then manager Laurent Blanc in March of 2011. With other, younger left-backs like Gael Clichy waiting in the wings, this could be Evra’s last opportunity to make a major impact for France on a major stage.   

Three Questions

1. Can France overcome their unity issues in recent international tournaments and prevent another Euro 2012 style meltdown?
2. Will Didier Deschamps be able to help the team to improve their away form which will be crucial for a South American World Cup?
3. Will Deschamps regret leaving Samir Nasri off the 23 man squad?

Trivial Matters

Nickname(s): Les Bleus, Les Tricolores.

Most caps: Lilian Thuram (142).

Top scorer: Thierry Henry (51).

First international: May 1, 1904 Belgium 3-3 France.

World Cup appearances: 14.

Best World Cup result: Winners, 1998.

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