It should not come as a surprise that France should leave the pitch of their opening World Cup game in South Africa without a win. Indeed they seem to have made a habit of it in recent competitions. But it was the manner in which France failed to yet again register three points on the board which was the more disconcerting fact of their recent bad run of form.
The French team set by Domenech lacked cutting edge and invention throughout large portions of the game. The starting lineup had itself a few inclusions and omissions that, in fairness, should no longer come as a surprise to us from France's infamous coach. As usual Domenech persists in slotting Abidal in center defense, alongside a William Gallas who has only recently returned from a lengthy lay-off due to injury. Indeed, had Uruguay been more adventurous going forward, they could have proved a handful for the the pair. The other two glaring omissions were Malouda and Henry. Malouda has enjoyed his best season at Chelsea this year which would certainly deserve a starting berth ahead of the rarely utilized Lyon captain, Sidney Govou. As for Henry, despite not having seen much play this year, his experience and leadership abilities must surely bring more to the table than Anelka could produce. This is no criticism on Anelka's goalscoring record, but simply a judgement on the type of striker he is. Anelka is simply not a player who can flourish without a strike partner. He simply is not the kind of forward who can lead the line and bring others into the play.
This was the main reason why France lacked sharpness. The lack of a genuine target forward to lead the line spelt trouble from the very start in terms of their capability to produce a goal. Anelka is a player who enjoys roaming and coming from wide positions. As soon as he did this however, it would leave the France attack without a striker as Ribery, Govou, and Gourcuff stood at the edge of the box isolated and trying to dribble their way past the Uruguayan defense. A lack of movement was also an issue for France, where Uruguay restricted them to long-range shooting and crossing for the entirety of the game. In effect apart from the first chance carved out by Ribery and which Govou failed to convert, France created very little in open play. All in all the general play was static and devoid of invention. There was a serious lack of fluidity in Les Bleus' movement, where Gourcuff failed to play his role as link-up. Diaby was the only positive note of France's midfield during the first half, roaming forward with effect and running at the defense. But the quality of the final ball was lacking and thus saw him disappear more and more as the game progressed. As for Gourcuff, he had some good deliveries from set-plays (notably his first half free-kick when he drew a good save from Muslera) but an altogether poor game in which he seemed flat and wasted the few chances that fell his way with wayward shooting. Ribery failed to have an impact as he was well marshaled by the Uruguayan defenders throughout the game, finding himself surrounded by two or three players every time he received the ball. The only spark for France in the second half came from Henry and Malouda's substitutions as well as new France captain, Patrice Evra, who began roaming further up the pitch. He, on a few occasions, managed to stretch the Uruguay defense but a lack o support would see his efforts and good work ultimately wasted.
All in all, Uruguay will come out of its opening match with their heads held high that they have done the job. The Uruguayan team defended admirably. This type of performance is sure not to bode well for France's future however. France seemed to lack of invention and fluidity in their play. It was only after the introductions of Henry and Malouda that the team started clicking together. Les Bleus must quickly find the winning formula or we will see them much more severely punished in the later rounds and against better opposition... assuming they make it of course. In Domenech we trust?
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