Expect improvements from France's campaign despite Ribery heartbreak
LONDON --
Judging by the pattern of extreme ups and downs that has defined France's World Cup experience over the past two decades, they are due a terrific tournament. One thing about Les Blues that you can say with a degree of certainty is that when it comes to this particular sporting spectacle, they don't do mediocrity.
Rewind to 1994. A sense of acrimony prevailed as France did not even qualify for the World Cup. Come 1998, they conquered all and lifted the trophy for the first time in their history. Four years later, in 2002, they offered up a feeble defense and exited at the group stage without winning a game, their pain crystallized in the image of Zinedine Zidane limping off, leg heavily strapped, head bowed, as they headed in shame for the first plane home. At the time it was impossible to imagine a tournament could be any worse. How wrong that assessment turned out to be.
Although 2006 provided redemption as they sprang a surprise to reach the final, only to finish a penalty shootout away from another victory, the descent, in 2010, plummeted to unimaginable depths. A players revolt in South Africa at France's training base in Knysna was shattering. It became a scene for mutiny and treachery, which led to some truly abject performances on the pitch. In the unpleasant aftermath of the fiasco, the national team was like a pariah collective -- profoundly disconnected from the public it is supposed to represent.
The dual mission, to rebuild the team and re-establish goodwill, has been a delicate process. It required two of the much-loved icons from the 1998 World Cup winning team to lead the recovery. First Laurent Blanc, and then his replacement, the current coach Didier Deschamps, wanted to create a France team with an emphasis on good boys instead of potential troublemakers.
When Deschamps, a tougher character than Blanc, took over two summers ago, he outlined his requirements stressing the fact he would not tolerate anything to stain the image of the team. "Players have to realize they have a responsibility to be an example on and off the pitch," he said. "To be a French international has to be the pinnacle, even for players who are playing at big clubs and in big competitions. I won't use the term 'zero tolerance' but with what happened, French supporters attach as much importance to the result as to behavior."
The contentious absence of Samir Nasri from the Deschamps' squad for Brazil confirms just how keen the French coach is to find what he perceives as the right balance in terms of personalities as well as technical qualities. Although Nasri was not in Knysna, he has been implicated in moments of friction around the squad. Deschamps evidently felt this was a sacrifice worth making. "You don't choose a squad of 23 for a World Cup as you would for a friendly or qualifiers," he said. "You don't pick the best 23 players. It's important to have people ready to create that collective state of mind. My job is to make sure that nobody can endanger the balance of the group."
It is no coincidence that the squad has been so extensively refreshed. There are only two survivors from South Africa; goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and left back Patrice Evra. A third fell by the wayside just before the start of the tournament with the untimely withdrawal of danger man Franck Ribery. Naturally he will be missed, but there was never any sense that Deschamps would go back to the old guard as an emergency replacement. The emphasis is on a fresh chapter. This is a first World Cup -- and in the case of a handful of highly promising youngsters, a first international tournament. For the likes of Juventus' powerhouse midfielder Paul Pogba, Real Madrid's accomplished defender Raphael Varane, and Real Sociedad's gifted winger Antoine Griezmann, the stage is there to be seized.
Deschamps admitted Ribery's absence, in particular, is a major setback but vowed not to lose heart ahead of the tournament. Deschamps admitted: "We know what Franck is capable of. With Franck Ribery at 100 percent, we are better. But we have to be ambitious and we will continue to be."
For Ribery, it marks the end of his World Cup career if a recent interview he gave to radio station RTL is to be believed. "It will be my last World Cup," he said during the interview last month. "We have to go there to achieve something, to try to win the World Cup, quite simply."
As a result, France will now have half an eye on the fact they host the European Championship in 2016, and there is an obligation to do so with a squad that has a genuine chance of success, so giving this experience to the new generation could bring a double benefit. That's the idea, anyway.
The draw has been kind, with games against Honduras, Switzerland and Ecuador. France are still favorites to reach the knock out stage from Group E. If Deschamps can eke out the level of attitude and performance he thinks is possible, and some of the younger players are relaxed enough to express themselves on this stage, Les Bleus could have a strong run in this competition.
Last week in a publicity stunt, adidas, who sponsored the French team in 2010, destroyed the team bus which was a centerpiece of the infamous player revolt. It was smashed to bits as a symbolic gesture to try to liberate the current team from any leftover ill spirits that may have lingered. The motto scrawled on that team bus could not have been less appropriate back then. "All together for a new dream in blue."
And this time? "Impossible is not French" is the message their 2014 vehicle carries. A little more cryptic, a little less soppy, altogether more Deschamps. At the very least, France can surely expect an improvement on the debacle of 2010.
