France defender Jean-Alain Boumsong fears Thierry Henry's lack of
playing time at Barcelona could hurt the French team's chances at
the World Cup.
Less than four months before the World Cup starts, the France
captain has lost his regular starting spot in Pep Guardiola's team
this season.
Henry, France's all-time leading scorer with 51 goals in 117
internationals, has played only 113 minutes in the past six matches
in all competitions. He stayed on the bench on Saturday during
Barcelona's 2-1 win over Malaga in the Spanish league.
"If in the two coming months, he only plays one game a month,
he will be short of match fitness," Boumsong said Monday, two days
before France takes on European champion Spain in a friendly.
"It will be a problem if he doesn't play more in the next six
weeks. When you don't play for a long period before a competition,
it's always a handicap. He will have to work more at training to
find his rhythm."
France qualified for the June 11-July 11 tournament in South
Africa following a playoff win over Ireland last year steeped in
controversy because of Henry.
France went through 2-1 on aggregate after drawing 1-1 at
Stade de France thanks to Henry's handball in the buildup to
William Gallas' equalizer, and coach Raymond Domenech has indicated
he will keep faith in the striker.
"When a player doesn't play for three or four months, it's
certainly a problem," Domenech said Sunday on French TV. "But when
a player misses two or three matches because his team is rotating
players, that is absolutely not the same thing."
The 30-year-old Boumsong, a member of France's squad that
reached the 2006 World Cup final but who didn't play in any game of
the tournament, said Henry's experience will help him overcome any
lack of playing time - as will the demands of his position.
"Don't forget, he is a forward - so things are different,"
Boumsong said. "And on the other hand, it is also important not to
play every three days before the World Cup to keep some freshness.
It's almost recommended to play only a match a week."
Boumsong, who started his international career seven years
ago but hasn't played for France since last June, thinks a string
of good performances with Lyon - including a 1-0 win over Real
Madrid in the Champions League last month - helped earn a recall.
"It gave me some credit," he said. "I'm really happy to be
back here and if I can be part of the 23-man World Cup squad, I
will be delighted. As long as I can feel that I'm useful to the
team, I'm happy. If I can add my experience to the squad, it's fine
with me."
Boumsong knows this is his last chance to impress at a World
Cup, and is eager to make the most of any opportunity.
"Africa is the continent where I was born," Boumsong said,
referring to his Cameroon birthplace. "My parents were born there,
too. This will be the first World Cup to be staged in Africa, and
probably my last one."
