France team for South Africa 2010
France or Les Bleus have become a regular presence in recent years, having earned a reputation as one of world football’s leading teams since the late 1990s. Their fine displays at the first edition in 1930 marked them out as a good side and they have occasionally produced legendary talents, but only in the last decade or so have they evolved into a team that starts every major tournament with serious hopes of winning it.
The generation of players that included Zinedine Zidane, Laurent Blanc, Didier Deschamps and Fabien Barthez finally found a way past the obstacles that had blocked the route of earlier vintages. The fine team featuring Michel Platini, Alain Giresse, Luis Fernandez and Jean Tigana had stumbled at the semi-final stage in 1982 and 1986, but their successors went all the way to lifting the Trophy in 1998.
Despite a drop in standards in 2002 and 2006, France still came agonisingly close to grasping a second global title in the latter tournament, only losing out on penalties to Italy in the Final. The Zidane chapter came to a close that night in Berlin, but Les Bleus can still call upon some of the biggest names in world football, with a seemingly endless production line of young talents having unearthed the likes of Franck Ribery, Karim Benzema and Yoann Gourcuff in recent seasons.
The road to South Africa
They may not have done it in style, but France just about satisfied the demands of their supporters by booking themselves a place in South Africa. It took an extra-time goal in their play-off with Ireland to give them a 2-1 aggregate win and finally send them through, and that came after they had finished second in qualifying Group 7 of the European Zone.
Pipped to first spot by Serbia, frustrated by Romania and given problems by Lithuania, Raymond Domenech’s charges kicked off their bid with a damaging 3-1 loss in Austria, but they later rallied to secure a 1-1 draw in Serbia despite being reduced to ten men and finding themselves trailing early on. After that, they saw out the section with a 5-0 success against the Faroe Islands and a 3-1 victory over Austria. Pessimists will focus on the team’s troubles in securing a ticket to the main event, while optimists will recall that they also flirted with disaster ahead of Germany 2006, before going on to reach the Final.
France or Les Bleus have become a regular presence in recent years, having earned a reputation as one of world football’s leading teams since the late 1990s. Their fine displays at the first edition in 1930 marked them out as a good side and they have occasionally produced legendary talents, but only in the last decade or so have they evolved into a team that starts every major tournament with serious hopes of winning it.The generation of players that included Zinedine Zidane, Laurent Blanc, Didier Deschamps and Fabien Barthez finally found a way past the obstacles that had blocked the route of earlier vintages. The fine team featuring Michel Platini, Alain Giresse, Luis Fernandez and Jean Tigana had stumbled at the semi-final stage in 1982 and 1986, but their successors went all the way to lifting the Trophy in 1998.
Despite a drop in standards in 2002 and 2006, France still came agonisingly close to grasping a second global title in the latter tournament, only losing out on penalties to Italy in the Final. The Zidane chapter came to a close that night in Berlin, but Les Bleus can still call upon some of the biggest names in world football, with a seemingly endless production line of young talents having unearthed the likes of Franck Ribery, Karim Benzema and Yoann Gourcuff in recent seasons.
The road to South Africa
They may not have done it in style, but France just about satisfied the demands of their supporters by booking themselves a place in South Africa. It took an extra-time goal in their play-off with Ireland to give them a 2-1 aggregate win and finally send them through, and that came after they had finished second in qualifying Group 7 of the European Zone.
Pipped to first spot by Serbia, frustrated by Romania and given problems by Lithuania, Raymond Domenech’s charges kicked off their bid with a damaging 3-1 loss in Austria, but they later rallied to secure a 1-1 draw in Serbia despite being reduced to ten men and finding themselves trailing early on. After that, they saw out the section with a 5-0 success against the Faroe Islands and a 3-1 victory over Austria. Pessimists will focus on the team’s troubles in securing a ticket to the main event, while optimists will recall that they also flirted with disaster ahead of Germany 2006, before going on to reach the Final.
