Showing posts with label Raymond Domenech. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Raymond Domenech. Show all posts

Friday, June 25, 2010

Henry : "Je me suis senti écarté"

(AFP) Vendredi 25 juin 2010

Henry : "Je me suis senti écarté"
Getty Images

L'attaquant et ancien capitaine de l'équipe de France de football Thierry Henry dit s'être senti écarté du groupe pendant le Mondial, dans sa première interview depuis l'élimination des Bleus, accordée vendredi à Michel Denisot sur Canal+.

A la question de savoir pourquoi il n'a pas pu "être le grand frère" dans cette équipe de France, Henry répond: "Je ne l'étais plus. (...) Je me suis senti écarté (...) on ne me parlait plus comme avant."

"Avant on me parlait plus, j'étais au devant de la scène (...) A un moment donné quand tu n'as plus de crédibilité dans un groupe, ça devient difficile. Je me suis senti écarté, et à un moment donné, la fierté d'un homme en prend un coup !", ajoute l'attaquant du FC Barcelone.

Les raisons du fiasco? "Ma première raison du fiasco, c'est qu'on a pas bien joué. (...) C'est que nous n'avons pas été à la hauteur", a aussi estimé Henry.

Le joueur le plus "capé" (123 sélections) et le plus prolifique (51 buts) de la sélection tricolore, qui a été reçu jeudi par le président de la République Nicolas Sarkozy, a été remplaçant lors des trois rencontres du Mondial.

Il n'a joué qu'une vingtaine de minutes contre l'Uruguay (1er match) et 35 minutes contre l'Afrique du Sud (dernier match).

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Domenech refuse de serrer la main de Parreira


Raymond Domenech, le sélectionneur de l'équipe de France, a refusé de serrer la main de l'entraîneur brésilien de l'Afrique du Sud, Carlos Alberto Parreira, à l'issue de leur match comptant pour le Mondial 2010, mardi à Bloemfontein.
Au coup de sifflet final, le Brésilien est allé vers le banc français - les deux équipes étaient éliminées après la victoire 2-1 des Sud-Africains - et lui a tendu la main. Mais Domenech l'a refusée, se lançant dans une explication inaudible à la télévision. TF1 défendait la thèse selon laquelle Domenech n'a pas digéré les déclarations de Parreira dans un journal.

Celui-ci avait dit que la France n'avait pas sa place au Mondial. Carlos Alberto Parreira a mené le Brésil au titre mondial en 1994.

"Les Bleus" in a black day !

Bongani Khumalo (#20) of South Africa celebrates scoring the opening goal with team mates

South Africa beat France 2-1 for only their second FIFA World Cup™ victory, but both teams ultimately emerged losers in Bloemfontein. Carlos Alberto Parreira's team became the first host nation to fail to qualify for the tournament's second round whereas a miserable campaign from the French came to a predictable conclusion as they also bowed out of South Africa 2010.

The African side's story was ultimately one of disappointment as they exited their own tournament on goal difference with Mexico taking the second qualifying place in Group A behind Uruguay. For France there was further ignominy as a second defeat in three games provided a fitting epitaph to the sense of disharmony which had infected Raymond Domenech's squad virtually since the opening game.

The beleagured coach, who now leaves his post, made six changes to the team that had gone down to Mexico in their previous game - with captain Patrice Evra one of those dropped. However, initially France promised to lift the gloom for their followers with some attacking thrusts. One should have seen Andre-Pierre Gignac fire them into an early lead but he could only direct his attempt straight at Moneeb Josephs who was deputising in the South African goal for the suspended Itumeleng Khune. Djibril Cisse then flicked on Abou Diaby's floated pass but again the goalkeeper was behind it all the way.

Bafana Bafana were not short of voluble support and the stadium erupted with joy in the 20th minute when they took the lead. It followed a right-sided corner which precipitated a mistake by Hugo Lloris who was unable to put a glove on the ball, allowing Bongani Khumalo to profit from his towering leap at the far post and a downward header gave the host nation the lead.

Their hopes raised, South Africa kept pouring forward in search of further goals which would be crucial if it came down to goal difference. At the other end of the field came a decision that would help their cause as Yoann Gourcuff duelled for an aerial ball with MacBeth Sibaya and was shown the red card as the home midfielder lay on the ground requiring treatment.

Parreira's side sensed their chance as 12 minutes later Katlego Mphela bundled the ball in at the far post after Tsepo Masilela's ball across had caught the French defence in confusion. News that Uruguay had taken the lead against Mexico only added to the sense of euphoria around the stadium and not even a chance for France, which William Gallas failed to seize as a free-kick found him unmarked in the area, could dampen it down.

Mphela drew a fingertipped save from Lloris and it was he who led the charge for second-half goals, striking the crossbar, demanding another fine stop from the keeper, and then burrowing his way through only to find the side-netting.

In the final reckoning those misses were to prove crucial. In the 70th minute France took a lot of sting out of South Africa's attacks as Florent Malouda, who had just appeared off the substitute's bench, was on hand to roll the ball home after Franck Ribery had unselfishly squared the ball into his path.

Evra écarté, Cissé et Gignac alignés


Abattu, touché, mais coulé, Patrice Évra. Le pauvre se souviendra de son baptême du feu en tant que capitaine... (Photo AFP)
La composition de l'équipe de France, pour affronter l'Afrique du Sud, ce mardi, à Bloemfentein, vient de tomber. Et comme prévu, Raymond Domenech, le sélectionneur des Bleus, a choisi de modifier largement son équipe de départ. Ainsi, Patrice Evra, le capitaine, a été écarté alors que Djibril Cissé et André-Pierre Gignac sont alignés d'entrée. Alou Diarra est capitaine !

Le onze de départ des Bleus : Lloris - Sagna, Gallas, Squillaci, Clichy - Gourcuff, A.Diarra (cap.), Diaby - Gignac, Cissé, Ribéry.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Un député UMP demande la tête de Domenech

FOOTBALL | Le député de l'Oise a demandé, jeudi, dans une question écrite à Rama Yade si elle ne peut "intervenir pour encourager le remplacement en extrême urgence de Raymond Domenech".


AFP
© AFP | Le sélectionneur français Raymond Domenech.

AFP | 04.03.2010 | 12:51

Dans cette lettre adressée à la secrétaire d'Etat chargée des Sports et déposée jeudi à l'Assemblée nationale, François-Michel Gonnot écrit que "de match en match, les Bleus s'enfoncent et se ridiculisent un peu plus (....) Les spécialistes et nos concitoyens ont compris depuis longtemps que la responsabilité en revient à l'entraîneur de cette équipe, Raymond Domenech".

Le député demande à Rama Yade "ce qu'elle pense" de la décision de la Fédération française de maintenir Raymond Domenech à son poste et "si, sans s'immiscer dans les affaires internes de la Fédération, elle ne pourrait pas quand même intervenir pour encourager son remplacement en extrême urgence et si cela s'avérait impossible, les mesures qu'elle peut demander à la Fédération de prendre pour sauver l'équipe de France".

"Les Français, durement frappés par la crise, n'ont pas besoin, avec l'été, d'y ajouter l'humiliation médiatique mondiale qui se prépare en Afrique du sud", conclut-il.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Les misérables - Fragile France continue to falter

As far as forgettable World Cup group games are concerned, France's bore draw with Uruguay is right up there.

In fact, I'd love to hear if you think there are many that would rank below it.

We ought not to overlook the fact that for Uruguay it was a tricky first match against the 2006 finalists from which they took a potentially very valuable point.

As Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez put it: "Considering France's history and that some of their players reached the final in Germany, and with their greater financial resources, then we have to face reality and say that a draw is not a bad result."

But what Friday's match most definitely did do was make a mockery of a recent claim by France skipper Patrice Evra that his team boast the best players in the world in just about every position.

World Cup guide - France

Not at Green Point in Cape Town they didn't. They looked like a group of strangers still working their way through some painful introductions.

Much has been made of the recent change of system by coach Raymond Domenech.

France crashed out at the group stage at Euro 2008 and scraped through World Cup qualifying thanks to Thierry Henry's handball in the play-off against the Republic of Ireland.

During that time the 58-year-old infuriated many France supporters by continuing to play two holding players in Lyon's Jeremy Toulalan and Real Madrid's Lassana Diarra in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

But Diarra is injured and the coach of Les Bleus finally left Toulalan to do the job on his own, adopting a 4-3-3 system for the friendly against Costa Rica on 26 May and the two subsequent World Cup warm-up games.

fletchblog595.jpg

Raymond Domenech took charge of the France national side in 2004. Photo: AP.

Many players claimed they liked the new more aggressive formation even if the eve of tournament results, including a defeat against China, did not suggest so.

On Friday evening, Domenech dropped Florent Malouda for Abou Diaby. Many thought the coach had reverted to type, although I personally felt that the advanced position frequently occupied by Diaby ensured their shape flirted between the two systems.

For his part, the Les Bleus boss argued that all the talk of formation was not important, what really mattered was how you play the game.

If this is the case then he has cause to be very concerned.

France were ponderous and often bereft of ideas against Uruguay, struggling to break down La Celeste's defensive formation that sees them deploy three central defenders with two wing-backs supplying the width from slightly more advanced positions.

Of particular concern must be the role of lone striker Nicolas Anelka. He looked completely lost, taking up increasingly deep positions to try force his way into the contest.

France were too slow to move the ball from defence to attack. I am not talking about long ball stuff here, but the sort of swift and precise passing that can stretch a defence or catch them holding a high line.

However, this did not happen, so there were no through balls played in behind the Uruguay defence for Anelka to run on to with his clever movement and precise timing.

It was also painful to see the Chelsea striker and Sidney Govou frequently occupying the same space, making the defensive task much easier for their opponents. It was an evening of frustration.

Franck Ribery was an occasional threat down the left-hand side and we saw brief glimpses of his ability to link with Evra and Diaby, but these were all too fleeting.

And there was precious little to suggest that Bordeaux playmaker Yoann Gourcuff will have a big impact on this tournament. The son of respected coach Christian Gourcuff, the 23-year-old is regarded as a likeable and intelligent figure, as well as a possible heir apparent to Zinedine Zidane.

He has a superb passing range, excellent dead-ball skills and a speed of thought that compensates for a lack of pace - but it has also been suggested that he is not comfortable in the current set-up and has an uneasy relationship with some senior players upset at the generous press he receives in France.

Indeed, rumours that all is not well in the French camp seems to be a part of daily life for Les Bleus these days.

Defender William Gallas is not speaking to the media during the World Cup after being overlooked for the captaincy, while it was reported by French newspaper L'Equipe that Malouda, dropped on Friday, had a training ground disagreement with Domenech.

It is an open secret in France that the coach, who succeeded Jacques Santini after Euro 2004, has a difficult relationship with many in his squad.

He has admitted that astrology can influence his team selection and used an interview in the immediate aftermath of his team's elimination from Euro 2008 to propose to his fiancée, a gesture that was not well received back home.

Domenech stands down after the tournament to be replaced by former France central defender Laurent Blanc - and unless something dramatic happens it seems likely that his tenure will end on a disappointing note.

His team face Mexico and South Africa in their remaining group games and may well qualify for the round of 16, but there is little evidence to suggest they will repeat their exploits of 2006, when Zidane came out of international retirement to such devastating effect.

Evra recently stated that France were not heading to South Africa to go on safari - but at the moment that might be the only big game experience his team have in South Africa.
bbc.co.uk