[devinnaru]

France have super players, but stills stick with 2 defensive midfielders (Viera and Makalele), and a left back who can't attack (Gallas). Its simple, any team is as good as its personnell. As far as I am concerned, the personnell playing wasn't good enough.

Adventurous France scores 4 against Swiss:

Last night team sheet should have been:

-----------Coupet
Reveillere-Thuram-Gallas-Evra
Giuly-Makalele-Zidane-Malouda
-------Cisse---Wiltord-------

[lefutur]

Originally Posted by devinnaru

France have super players, but stills stick with 2 defensive midfielders (Viera and Makalele), and a left back who can't attack (Gallas). Its simple, any team is as good as its personnell. As far as I am concerned, the personnell playing wasn't good enough.

Adventurous France scores 4 against Swiss:

Last night team sheet should have been:

-----------Coupet
Reveillere-Thuram-Gallas-Evra
Giuly-Makalele-Zidane-Malouda
-------Cisse---Wiltord-------

Gallas was the only option on the left side because Abidal and Evra were both injured (!). so many injuries....i cant take it.

I agree with your assessment that Domenech fielded a defensive line-up but I think he was taking into account that France should still qualify by beating Cyprus on wednesday and a loss would have been disasterous. I think things would have been different if so many of our players werent injured, namely Trez and Henry. At least in that situation if you play forward you are pretty sure to get some results. Leaving the back more exposed and counting on Cisse and Wiltord to score more goals than we concede was a bit risky but I still think it was stupid to not play Cisse from the very beginning.

Basically I would hate to have France play in that type of mode on a regular basis but considering how the team was playing we may have been lucky to come away with a draw.

[guignol]

the lineup surprised me only inasmuch as i expected to see djibril alone on point and wiltord in dhorasoo's spot. but frankly, i think cissé disappointed once he got in.

the fault lies not with domenech's choices but with the way those choices played. if you read the "thuram questions wiltord choice" article in channel4.com you see it's the overblown headline of the year.

domenech wanted a posed, ballcontrol, constructive kind of game. in place of that he got switzerland intercepting soggy passes mixed in with some limp boot it downfield. looking back it's clear you don't play viera and makelelé. maybe you play neither, they were far from sparkling!

[sl7vk]

I agree with your point, but it's funny that in 98 the team was being accused of being too defensive, where are the goals going to come from!?! Remember Guivarch' was the striker of choice then (with Dugarry). So if we can get into the world cup, not conceding goals, and getting a few great plays from the likes of Zidane, Henry, and Trez, then we'll be fine.

[Metropolitan]

I also believe that it's not necessary to play with both Patrick Vieira and Claude Makélé.

It's not really in Switzerland that I've felt this but it was actually against Ireland. We've won that game so it doesn't really matter, but I believe Vieira wasn't necessary in that game.

Now, if the team is so defensive, it also proves that it lacks of confidence. Playing with Giuly on the right side would be far more efficient than Vieira in his defensive position. But France is scared to concede goals and feel confident only when the defensive lineup is the Great Wall of China.

Against Cyprus, we need to score.

I would really be desappointed if we end with 7 players on 11 in defensive positions.

[weaponx]

C'est sa connerie qui est trop défensive ouai !!! c'est pas en alignant 4 ou 5 attaquant qu'il y aura plus de buts

Si derrière il y a personne pour donner de bons ballons ca sert à rien, réfléchis un peu..

[sl7vk]

You need to put your best players on the field, and both Maka and Vieira are 2 of the 11 best France has. Period.

[weaponx]

Originally Posted by devinnaru

Adventurous France scores 4 against Swiss:

Last night team sheet should have been:

-----------Coupet
Reveillere-Thuram-Gallas-Evra
Giuly-Makalele-Zidane-Malouda
-------Cisse---Wiltord-------

PTDRRRRRRRRRRRRRR Makélélé tout seul à la récupération face au milieu de terrain Suisse putain heuresement que tu diriges pas l'EDF parce que tu te serais fais lyncher comme une merde à ton retour à Paris... C'est pas Giuly avec son physique qui serait venu défendre, c'te blague... Zidane serait obligé de défendre, de presser, de créer, de marquer ahahaha

On s'en serait plutot pris 4 ouai .......

[Metropolitan]

Originally Posted by weaponx

C'est sa connerie qui est trop défensive ouai !!! c'est pas en alignant 4 ou 5 attaquant qu'il y aura plus de buts

Si derrière il y a personne pour donner de bons ballons ca sert à rien, réfléchis un peu..

C'est sûr que contre les Suisses Vieira et Makelele en ont distribué des tonnes... de ballons.

[weaponx]

Makélélé et Vieira étaient en difficulté face aux Suisses normal qu'ils n'ont pas donné de bons ballons et l'autre boulet qui veut qu'on joue l'attaque à fond ...