French exit in discontent
Source: Agencies |
June 25, 2012, Monday
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NO backbone, no team leader and a coach considering his future - France exited Euro 2012 with mutterings of discontent again in the air on Saturday, two years after its humiliating World Cup exit marked by off-pitch drama.
Laurent Blanc's side was dismissed 2-0 by holder Spain in the quarterfinals in Donetsk, a performance that gave little indication of a bright future ahead for a team lacking a truly great player.
Disenchanted midfielder Samir Nasri, left on the bench until midway through the second half, let fly with a volley of abuse at a French reporter afterwards, reflecting the disharmony in the French camp.
Hopes had been high after an opening 1-1 draw against England was followed up by a solid 2-0 victory over co-host Ukraine. But a 0-2 defeat against Sweden in its final group game exposed tensions in the dressing room with coach Blanc involved in a row with forward Hatem Ben Arfa and players singling out Nasri's individualism.
The France staff insisted that the situation could not be compared to the 2010 World Cup, when the players went on strike in support of striker Nicolas Anelka who had been kicked out of the squad for insulting then coach Raymond Domenech. But midfielder Florent Malouda, in an obvious reference to the South Africa fiasco, said the situation had woken up some "demons".
The French were also far from brilliant on the pitch.
They thought they had a world class striker in Karim Benzema, but the Real Madrid player failed to find the back of the net in four appearances. Benzema played too deep and although he created space for his teammates, France only scored three goals in four games.
France badly missed having a leader on the pitch.
"No one stands out as a leader on the pitch," assistant coach Alain Boghossian said earlier this week.
Whether Blanc, linked with coaching jobs in the English Premier League, will stay is also uncertain.
"We are going to think about it in the next few days. There will be satisfactions and disappointments. You will see what happens," he said.
Laurent Blanc's side was dismissed 2-0 by holder Spain in the quarterfinals in Donetsk, a performance that gave little indication of a bright future ahead for a team lacking a truly great player.
Disenchanted midfielder Samir Nasri, left on the bench until midway through the second half, let fly with a volley of abuse at a French reporter afterwards, reflecting the disharmony in the French camp.
Hopes had been high after an opening 1-1 draw against England was followed up by a solid 2-0 victory over co-host Ukraine. But a 0-2 defeat against Sweden in its final group game exposed tensions in the dressing room with coach Blanc involved in a row with forward Hatem Ben Arfa and players singling out Nasri's individualism.
The France staff insisted that the situation could not be compared to the 2010 World Cup, when the players went on strike in support of striker Nicolas Anelka who had been kicked out of the squad for insulting then coach Raymond Domenech. But midfielder Florent Malouda, in an obvious reference to the South Africa fiasco, said the situation had woken up some "demons".
The French were also far from brilliant on the pitch.
They thought they had a world class striker in Karim Benzema, but the Real Madrid player failed to find the back of the net in four appearances. Benzema played too deep and although he created space for his teammates, France only scored three goals in four games.
France badly missed having a leader on the pitch.
"No one stands out as a leader on the pitch," assistant coach Alain Boghossian said earlier this week.
Whether Blanc, linked with coaching jobs in the English Premier League, will stay is also uncertain.
"We are going to think about it in the next few days. There will be satisfactions and disappointments. You will see what happens," he said.
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