Tag: FRANCE

Didier Deschamps announce his team for the Euros

French coach Didier Deschamps has announced his squad for the Euros 2016 that will be taking place in France itself.

Among the notable absentees, we have Karim Benzema, who is suspended from the team after a blackmail scandal and Ben Arfa.

In fact, the biggest surprise is the absence of Hatem Ben Arfa, who has been quite prolific with Nice this season. Indeed, ever since he moved from Newcastle back to France, Ben Arfa has been scoring goals one after the another, and many would have thought that he would be in the team for the Euros. He is only named in the reserve side, and there will need to be an injury in the current squad for him to get a place at the Euros.

Didier Deschamps has argued that he has chosen not only the best players but also players that can play together. He said that he had chosen Olivier Giroud because he had scored 25 goals in all competition this season and the same thing goes for Griezmann. He believes that the forward players he has selected can play together and can help France go far in the tournament. Among the other forward players that have been selected by Didier Deschamps, we have Anthony Martial, Dimitri Payet, Kingsley Coman and Andre-Pierre Gignac. Continue reading Didier Deschamps announce his team for the Euros

FRANCE’S 2016 EURO CAMPAIGN LOOKING GOOD DESPITE BENZEMA’S SCANDAL

Les Blues go into the Euro this year as host of the continental championship. The star-studded team has A-list players plying tackles in the best teams of the world. The players are all vibrant and talented in their various positions.

Hugo Lloris is the first choice goal keeper and squad captain. The gifted goal keeper is also the first team choice for in-form Tottenham Hotspur FC. He has contributed significantly to their campaign this season with Spurs in second place in the English Premiership League. In defense is Bacary Sagna plying trade for Manchester City FC. Young talent, Raphael Varane playing for Real Madrid FC has won many laurels with the club including the UEFA Champions’ League. Varane is also in defense alongside Mamadou Sakho and former captain, Patrice Evra.

Midfiled has talents such as Paul Pogba, Yohan Cabaye, Blaise Matuidi and Matthieu Valbuena. Strike force includes current sensation in Athletico Madrid, Antoine Griezmann and real Madrid striker, Kareem Benzema.

These are the projected starting team for Les Blues. Coach Didier Deschamps also has options in West Ham United’s Dimitri Payet. The injury scare the team has is Nabil Fekir playing at Lyon. The attacker is close to returning to action but the talent may not make the final squad. The young player played last in September last year when France defeated Portugal by a lone goal. Continue reading FRANCE’S 2016 EURO CAMPAIGN LOOKING GOOD DESPITE BENZEMA’S SCANDAL

Karim Benzema is facing a huge fight to get back into the France team

Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema is facing a huge fight to get back into the France team just-in-time before the Euro 2016.

He is the latest French star to be caught in a scandal and he faces a ban from the national team as a result. In the past, the French team has suffered as a result of huge indiscipline among names like Patrice Evra, Nicolas Anelka, and Ribery. It has been a major factor in France being unable to dominate international football since winning the World Cup in 1998. For the Euro 2016, there is a great opportunity for the club to become European champions once again.

The last time France had home advantage, they ended up winning the World Cup. Such a similar event would repeat in the summer of 2016, but the team needs the presence of important players like Benzema and Olivier Giroud according to former great David Trezeguet. The former Juventus man played for the national team in a number of major tournaments. Now retired from the game, he has spoken about the need to have some quality of front in order to have any chance of winning the tournament. Trezeguet last played for France in 2008 and he finished with 71 caps. Continue reading Karim Benzema is facing a huge fight to get back into the France team

Bruno Genesio reckons if his team manages a draw playing away at St. Etienne in the upcoming derby

Bruno Genesio reckons if his team manages a draw playing away at St. Etienne in the upcoming derby, it will not be a poor performance.

According to Genesio, St. Etienne is a very difficult team to contend with when they are playing in their home conditions and thus, a draw will be a decent outcome from Lyon’s perspective.

However, Genesio emphasized that a loss would be disastrous as it would destroy the momentum that Lyon has achieved of late.

Since Genesio has come to the hot seat, Lyon has put on some quality shows against tough oppositions,

They had managed to give even Paris Saint-Germain a run for their money the other day.

The manager wants the continuity of this positive run and rightly so, as this is now the time for Lyon to rise up in the standings.

Speaking prior to the game, Genesio said, “We don’t want to get beaten. We are required to maintain our positive run.”

“We are starting to get our act together and we will have to go in the upward direction in the standings.”

“However, I believe a draw won’t be too disappointing from our point of view considering we are up against an opponent which is highly strong playing on its home ground.” Continue reading Bruno Genesio reckons if his team manages a draw playing away at St. Etienne in the upcoming derby

Eliaquim Mangala feels that France have the best manager to deal with the Euro 2016

Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala feels that France have the best manager to deal with the Euro 2016 in the form of Didier Deschamps.

The former Marseille manager has been leading the national team for the last three years. Even though the national team has been going through a period of crisis with the lack of young and upcoming players to supplement the former stars,Deschamps has been able to get a decent set of results so far. The biggest challenge for the manager will come in the Euro 2016. Since France hosts the tournament, they have already qualified and have been involved only in friendly matches so far.

This is not likely to provide a big challenge to the team. As a result, the manager will have to call upon his experience in order to find a way to motivate his players.Deschamps now setting out to about winning with the French national team after having been part of the 1998 team that won the World Cup in front of their own supporters.Deschamps has been relatively successful manager, but there have been few who have replicated national team success both as a player and as a manager. The home advantage will be a major aspect that could determine the success of the French national team. Continue reading Eliaquim Mangala feels that France have the best manager to deal with the Euro 2016

Didier Deschamps says that there is every opportunity for Hatem Ben Arfa

France manager Didier Deschamps says that there is every opportunity for Hatem Ben Arfa to feature in the national team before the Euro 2016 starts.

The former Newcastle United winger has been in fine form for French outfit Nice. Once regarded as the next Zidane, his career has gone off the rails in the last few years. Ben Arfa went down to the level of playing for Hull City, who are in the Championship. However, a loan move back to France appears to have rejuvenated him and he has been in impeccable form over the first few months of the season.

Ben Arfa has already notched the seven league goals in just 10 games. Even though the club have not been able to benefit fully from this form,Hatem Ben Arfa is starting to get noticed once again at international level. Since he enjoyed a great reputation almost a decade ago, it helped the 28-year-old to quickly notch up 13 appearances for the national team. However, he has not featured for France at any level since the 2011-12 season when he made five appearances. Such has been his decline in form, butDeschamps has seen enough in the player to suggest that he may be ready for the national team once more. Continue reading Didier Deschamps says that there is every opportunity for Hatem Ben Arfa

Jeremy Mathieu might have done heroics for Barcelona

The French centre half Jeremy Mathieu might have done heroics for Barcelona in the most recent El Clasico, but, it was not enough to make Didier Deschamps feel that not selecting the centre back in the national squad for the next two friendly fixtures was a mistake.

Deschamps is still backing his decision. He reckons the choices that he has made, there is some sort of logic behind it and he is fully convinced that the Les Blues are going to fetch some very good results.

Ever since Mathieu has found the net in the Clasico, the French media has been moaning about him not being picked in the national Squad and that it’s going to harm the French team’s chances.

Deschamps is, however, on a different page. According to him, whenever a player is excluded from the national squad and then, he puts up a good performance somewhere, he sparks a debate. But, people should see from manager’s perspective and understand what he is trying to do.

Speaking to the media, Deschamps said, “You have got to back your choices. There’s always going to be different opinions on the squad that you have come up with. But, as a manager, if you have made a decision, you must believe that it will work for the team.” Continue reading Jeremy Mathieu might have done heroics for Barcelona

Didier Deschamps got Contract Extension

The French Football Federation has agreed to offer Didier Deschamps with a contract extension that will see the coach remain in charge of the national side at least until the end of the 2018 World Cup.

Didier Deschamps managed to push the French team to the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup which has been their best finish in that competition since 2010 and it was impressive enough for him to receive a contract extension, this is good news for the French national squad which has been facing so much criticism in the past few years.

However, not everything is good news as there has been a string of negative news and rumors emerging concerning the upcoming 2016 Euro’s which is going to be hosted in France.

Earlier in January of the current year, a shooting took place on Paris involving 2 brothers who made their way into the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and killed 11 people in an incident that the Islamist Terrorist group Al-Qaueda branch in Yemen took responsibility for.

This incident has caused a huge impact not only in France but in the entire world as more activities of this nature have been occurring. Meanwhile in Paris, a number of restrictions has originated involving the filming of action movies in Paris but it has also caused a wave of things in the world of football. Continue reading Didier Deschamps got Contract Extension