You're reading: France hopes to get over its blues

It’s been a long – and still ongoing – battle for France to regain its old authority since its disastrous World Cup in 2010, which was marked by arguments, a player strike and poor performances.

Under new coach Laurent Blanc – a legendary former player appointed after the tournament – Les Bleus qualified for the Euro 2012 football championship as the top of their group. They also beat England and Ukraine in friendly games, their two rivals in group D in this summer’s tournament alongside Sweden.

This – along with the presence of star players such as Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema – gives France hope that it can make an impact in Ukraine in June, when it will play in Kyiv and Donetsk.

But the team – one of only three that will be based in Ukraine for the tournament – has a number of problems that stand in the way of it repeating its victory at Euro 2000.

France conceded only four goals in 10 qualification games, but only assured automatic qualification from the group with a late penalty against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The campaign also started off with a surprise 1-0 defeat against Belarus.

There are also rumblings of conflict within the camp. Blanc arrived with great hopes in replacing Raymond Domenech, who was at the center of arguments at the World Cup in 2010. Young and respected, he helped Bordeaux win its first French league title in a decade before being appointed. His tenure as national coach has been marked by solid if not spectacular performances.

“Blanc has natural authority. He has charisma. Scandals from 2008-2010 wouldn’t have happened with him as the coach. Everybody respects him,” says Loic Trégoures, a French football expert who works for Eurosport.

Head coach – Laurent Blanc
Capitan – Hugo Lloris
Star Player – Karim Benzema
Nickname – Les Bleus
FIFA world ranking – 17th
Best World Cup result – Winner, 1998
Best European Championship result – Winner, 1984 and 2000
Base for Euro 2012 – Donetsk
Games in Euro 2012 Group D – England (June 11, Donetsk), Ukraine (June 15, Donetsk), Sweden (June 19, Kyiv)

But just a few months ahead of Euro 2012, French media has reported that the French Football Federation doesn’t want to renew Blanc’s contract after the tournament unless he can get the right results.

It’s hard to say how this pressure on the coach will affect the team. On the one hand, he is respected by the players, who may react badly; on the other, ex-coach Aime Jacquet said ahead of the 1998 World Cup that he would leave his job after the tournament, and France went on to win.

The failure at the World Cup in South Africa in 2010 – when the team exited at the group stage – can be seen as the death throes of a golden generation, which confirmed the need to bring in a new batch of young players. Blanc has handed almost 20 players debuts over two years. Many are young talents, among them Paris Saint-Germain’s Jeremy Menez, a dangerous attacker and Rennes’ Yann M’Vila, a solid defensive midfielder.

But the Euro 2012 tournament may come a little too early for France, in the middle of a rebuilding period. The team doesn’t have a clear style of play, or a clear leader. Blanc has chosen goalkeeper Hugo Lloris as his captain, but he is seen as shy and lacking authority.

France has plenty of world-class players. Bayern Munich’s Ribery is one of the world’s best midfield players, but is known for his difficult temperament and he has had a number of injuries this year. Real Madrid striker Benzema is now appearing – and scoring – regularly for the Spanish league leaders.

A recurring problem for France is that many of their top players blow hot and cold – youngsters who have the promise to become stars end up fading away. For this reason France will miss having real leaders – apart from, perhaps, full-back Patrice Evra – out on the pitch even more.

The team is certainly full of quality, but that won’t be the deciding factor at Euro 2012, as there are plenty of teams with similarly good players throughout their teams. France is likely to get out of its group, unless Ukraine can spring a surprise on home soil or England flops.

How far Les Bleus go after that depends on how they come together as a team.

“Our attitude is okay, but the game itself is lacking; you can’t describe the style of the French national team,” Tregoures said. “In France we all say it will be a good thing to get to the quarterfinals. After this, it depends on who we play against. We don’t expect to win” the tournament.