Coach Laurent Blanc says it will take much more than beating mediocre opponents in European Championship qualifying before France buries the bitter memories of its World Cup debacle.
After starting with an embarrassing 1-0 home loss to Belarus, France won its third successive qualifier 2-0 against Luxembourg on Tuesday to lead Group D. That followed 2-0 wins against Romania and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
But the modest opposition leaves Blanc feeling circumspect about his team's true level just four months after World Cup humiliation.
"You don't just erase a trauma like that. You have it for the rest of your life. Unfortunately those who were present in South Africa will remember it for the rest of their lives," Blanc said on Wednesday. "It takes time, and it comes with victories. If we're lucky enough to write a new chapter, it will be less painful."
France's defense will face a tougher test in friendlies against England and Brazil, before resuming Euro 2012 qualification in March with a trip to Belarus.
"I said to (goalkeeper) Hugo Lloris and the others that it's always a good to keep a clean sheet," Blanc said. "The problem is we can only judge when we come up against strikers of international class."
France imploded at the World Cup, going on strike at a training session after striker Nicolas Anelka was sent home for insulting coach Raymond Domenech, arguing in public, and going out in the first round.
When Blanc took charge, he compared France's new core to a 'melon's pip' rather than a hard stone.
He is more optimistic now.
"The melon's pip is growing bigger, we're watering it. We're trying to find a hardcore of players who we can be sure about," Blanc said. "The problem is we have players who aren't necessarily standouts in their clubs.
"We'll have the players for two days before England and two days before Brazil. You don't have time to do anything. They can only stay in shape with their clubs. If they play, perfect, if they don't it's complicated."
The World Cup memories are relatively fresh, the wounds fairly raw, and Blanc is learning to trust his players.
"The life inside the group, individually and collectively, is important. We've been observing many things to see if the players are motivated," Blanc said. "We have to learn to live together, and live together well."
Blanc has been in charge for five games since replacing the hugely unpopular Domenech, who left a team in ruins and bereft of confidence. On top of that, Blanc has had to contend with player suspensions and injuries.
Manchester United left back Patrice Evra was given a five-match ban as captain of the World Cup mutiny and is not available until the Brazil game in February. Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery has served his three-game ban but is recovering from injury, while Anelka's marathon ban has 14 games left.
"We knew the rebuilding that needed to be done, and little by little it is taking shape," Blanc said. "But there's still a lot of work to be done, particularly in terms of the individual and collective performances of the players."
At least the suspensions gave Blanc a chance to test out promising talents.
There have been some notable bright spots, such as winger Dimitri Payet's two brilliant cameo performances. He set up playmaker Yoann Gourcuff for goals against Romania and Luxembourg.
Gourcuff's return to form is encouraging after seven months without scoring.
"(Gourcuff) had some problems facing up to what happened in South Africa. Being back in the France team and scoring in both games will help him get his confidence back," Blanc said. "Dimitri has excellent technical ability and, for the moment, having someone like that on the bench is an extra weapon."
The biggest concern for Blanc between now and March is whether striker Karim Benzema's career finally takes off for Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid, or whether he remains a luxury player stuck on the bench.
Benzema scored against Bosnia and Luxembourg with clinical finishes, but his overall play was average and he looked sluggish.
"We know that Karim's not at his best physically. First of all, that's a problem for him, and then for us," Blanc said. "The problem is that he needs to be playing regularly. He was exhausted when we took him off against Romania."
