The French team has come under obvious scrutiny in recent years, with the exploits in the last World Cup shaming the nation in many ways. However it seemed the only way was up from there, and with former Manchester United defender Laurent Blanc introduced at the helm, the respect the new manager brought with him was noticeable. The French squad is now being selected on merit, not on mere reputation, something many have been calling for when considering England. Therefore inclusions such as Mathieu Debuchy, Mathieu Valbuena and Yann M’Vila in recent months has paid dividends for the French squad, let alone the French Ligue 1, as they are able to show that these players aren’t just put on show for other teams to snap up.
The French Ligue 1 players fit in comfortably with the supposedly higher quality found in other leagues. Jeremy Menez of Roma can provide real flair and pace, Karim Benzema of Real Madrid, when fit, could be a real thorn in any opposition’s side with his pace and prolific finishing and Franck Ribery is arguably the French version of Arjen Robben with pace and the ability to change a game. Therefore the strength in depth is vast, and the fact that these players play across Europe means they all have experience playing against a variety of different opposition, as well as varied quality within this opposition.
The importance of the fixture against France for England is undeniable. Providing no upsets occur in other matches, with Ukraine and Sweden, England and France are fighting it out for the all important top spot, and the ability to potentially miss out Spain in the quarter-finals, preventing both sides European dream cutting short earlier than intended, as both look for the respectable Semi-Final finish at least. However consistently forgotten about is the undeniable talent within the French squad. It seems the revived and rejuvenated French squad is on its way back up to the top after the diabolical antics at the previous World Cup.
Scalps of strong English, Brazlilian and German squads in recent years has shown the ambition the squad now has, and with respected and experienced former centre-back Laurent Blanc at the helm, it seems order has been restored. Furthermore, with Joachim Loew stating after their 1-2 defeat on Wednesday night, that they are real contenders for Euro 2012, and with the squad no longer based upon reputations and more focussed on players that can fit the current counter-attacking French football mould, a still-not-quite-ready England squad may find it hard to compete, leaving fans and followers wary of another quick, counter-attacking embarrassment similar to that handed to them by the young and fast German squad just under two years ago.
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