France and Arsenal go together like bread and beurre, so who else would FanZoner Ali May adopt at the World Cup?
Our Arsenal FanZoner is gunning for France in South Africa
Bonjour mes amis!
I will be blogging for the French national team during this summer's World Cup and I guess it is pretty obvious why France was chosen due to the country's past and present strong links with the mighty Arsenal.
Since conquering the world in 1998 and Europe in 2000 things have not been a bed of roses for Les Bleus, with the national team often lampooned at every turn by their own media.
A few disastrous tournament showings, the defeat by Senegal ranking high, has left the squad with a bit of a mental problem. The expectation levels, and rightly so, are high due to the quality of the players available and recently more often than not they have flattered to deceive. Les Bleus nearly did not even qualify for this world cup. Who can forget the hand of Henry? I doubt he will be bought many pints of Guinness anytime soon.
Burden
So Les Bleus find themselves going to South Africa with the weight of expectation, whilst not as heavy as before, still burdening the squad. A few tricky games need to negotiated first before the big gold trophy can be eyed up.
Uruguay are a tough opponent and often the physical nature of their play can upset the opposition. Cool heads needed for this game, but do Les Bleus have such an attribute? A simple game against Mexico will result in a sound win. Of course the hosts, South Africa, reside in the same group and with the support of a nation firmly behind them could see a tense affair. I don't expect to see SA get out from this group in all fairness. They don't have any Gooners for a start!
I expect Les Bleus squad to do well in these finals, as the names most commonly touted for glory ahead of the big KO are Spain, Italy and of course Brazil. England, as usual, are up there with the favourites but perhaps lack that little bit of belief. Time will tell and we could end up with a shock. I fancy Holland to do well also. Les Bleus will flourish under this relative lack of expectation from the bookings and punters alike. So does the squad have it them?
Zut alors! Is the first response as it has been announced that the boss, Raymond Domenech, will be replaced by Laurent Blanc at the end of the tournament. Will this be counterproductive? Will the squad be less focused, or will it inspire them? Domenech has not always been very popular with fans and players so this decision has been greeted with open arms.
Zut alors MK2! As Domenech leaves out Patrick Vieira and Karim Benzema. I can understand Vieira (ex-Arsenal and legend), magnificent warrior that he is, as this is a tournament too far for his legs but Benzema?
OK, so he has not set the Bernabeu on fire this season but he is still potent and desired by virtually every club on the planet. Dropping him was a bad move.
Nicolas Anelka (ex Arsenal) is seen as the one to most likely feature in his place but I am not convinced he can do it on the world stage. Never has before or in the Champions League. I doubt his pedigree.
Thierry Henry (ex-Arsenal and legend) will still be the main man and expect him to deliver in what will be his last finals.
Hugo Llorios (Arsenal target) is the undoubted number one and is highly regarded the world over. The defence will hinge on William Gallas (ex Arsenal) being fit. Bakary Sagna (Gooner) and Gael Clichy (Gooner) are in there but expect Patrice Evra to start at left-back.
Abou Diaby (Gooner) is selected in midfield but expect Alou Diarra to get the nod in the engine room. Florent Malouda has been in great form for Chelski and the creative department could be occupied by Yoann Gourcuff (Arsenal target). Franck Ribery will be a no brainer along with Henry.
Domenech surprised us all with the inclusion of Marseille forward Mathieu Valbuena although I don't expect him to get a game. Andre-Pierre Gignac (Arsenal target) could raise his profile and fee with a couple of goals. A decent player Gignac.
Speculation
As you can see the links with the Arsenal runs virtually all the way through the team and come the end of the summer could be even stronger if Lloris, Gourcuff and/or Gignac turn up at the Emirates.
The transfer speculation will reach fever pitch if Ribery performs although I expect him to stay at Bayern as his price tag is too high in the current climate.
If Les Bleus play for each other and with a smile then I see a good chance, an outside chance, of glory. The squad is brimming with class and it just needs to click together to ensure success.
The first game will tell us all we need to know about this French squad. Will they go out and turn on the style and batter Uruguay on the opening day in Cape Town? Or shrivel up under a cloud of in-fighting and expectation?
Roll on June 11th and let's get this party started!
