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World Cup 2010 Teams – France

After having qualified for South Africa by means of a controversial play-off, the French will be reasonably happy with their Group A draw. The French have managed to avoid facing any of the World Cup superpowers early on, having been drawn alongside South Africa, Mexico and Uruguay.

However, France has been struggling recently and squad confidence has been ebbing away. Any fragility within the side could be punished in Group A, and the French will need to pull together to see it through to the knockout stages.

Qualifying Campaign

The French flirted with disaster on more than one occasion during what was an ugly and uninspiring qualifying campaign. A 3-1 away loss in their first group game against Austria set alarm bells ringing. 1-0 victories against the likes of Lithuania and the Faroe Islands failed to inspire the French supporters but helped the team secure a second-place finish.

The play-off against the Republic of Ireland was to shroud the French campaign in controversy. The French defeated the Irish 1-0 in the first leg before grabbing a goal in extra time to tie the second leg at 1-1, securing their place in the World Cup. The extra time goal, however, was nothing short of farcical. Thierry Henry handled the ball in the area, setting up William Gallas who put the ball into the net. Despite the protests of the Irish players, the goal stood and France scraped into the World Cup.

World Cup History

Except for a third-place finish in 1958, France failed to impress in its early World Cup campaigns. The 1980s, however, saw a renaissance in French football, the team reaching the semi-finals in both 1982 and 1986. The resurgence was short-lived, with France failing to qualify for both Italy 1990 and USA 1994.

As hosts in 1998, the French unveiled a new generation of stars such as Thierry Henry and Zinedine Zidane. France won its group before beating Paraguay, Italy and Croatia to reach the final. The French claimed their first World Cup title with a 3-0 victory over Brazil. They again reached the final in 2006 but lost to Italy after a penalty shoot-out. Football legend Zinedine Zidane took his final bow in the final with a quite spectacular head-butt.

The Coach

French coach Raymond Domenech replaced out-going manager Jacques Santini in July, 2004. Given the task of taking France to the 2006 World Cup, Domenech was under pressure almost immediately. The French struggled in qualifying and Domenech took a lot of flak from the French media. However, after France reached the 2006 World Cup final, Domenech’s critics fell silent (for a while, at least).

Domenech is once again under extreme pressure going in to South Africa 2010. He is frequently accused of wasting the star talent available to him, an issue not helped by various publicly aired disputes with his players. If Domenech does not succeed in South Africa, the tournament could well be his last. Rumours continue to circulate that Domenech could even be replaced before the tournament starts.

The Players

Domenech does indeed have a talented group of players to pick from. William Gallas, Éric Abidal, Bacary Sagna and Patrice Evra will feature heavily in defence. Roma’s talented defender Philippe Mexès, meanwhile, is not favoured by Domenech, despite being a world-class centre-back.

The French midfield has yet to find a worthy replacement for Zinedine Zidane. Franck Ribéry is the creative spark in today’s French side, supported by the likes of Yoann Gourcuff and Florent Malouda. Real Madrid’s Lassana Diarra will add strength and solidity to the midfield.

Thierry Henry is not the player he once was but he is still a quality striker. Nicolas Anelka, meanwhile, will be a key player for France. The squad is not blessed with a great deal of top class strikers, so the moody Frenchman will need to be on form.

Group A

France has been drawn in Group A alongside South Africa, Mexico and Uruguay. Considering that the French were not seeded for the draw, it turned out quite favourably. South Africa is not the strongest side on paper but, as countless World Cup’s have shown, host nations have a tendency to do better than expected.

Mexico struggled in qualifying until the appointment of Javier Aguirre as coach led to a revival. The squad looks strong with Arsenal’s young striker Carlos Vela leading the attack. Uruguay qualified for South Africa via a play-off after finishing fifth in the South American qualifying group. They are a decent side, however, and more than capable of holding their own in Group A.

Group Matches and Analysis

If Raymond Domenech can curb his eccentricities and the French team does not implode, France should be able to top Group A. It won’t be easy though, as South Africa will be riding high and both the Mexicans and Uruguay have some talented players.

France will need a win in its opening game against Uruguay in order to gain some much needed momentum. Finishing top of Group A will be vital as the runners-up are likely to face Argentina in the next round.

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