[lefutur]

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/news...38_L23780493:1

Well if he wants to boost the young players' confidence he shouldn't be talking smack.

[Nanbawan]

The result proved the French are vulnerable and can hardly be considered among the World Cup favourites despite being one of the eight seeded teams in the draw.

WTF ?

I'm remembering the pre 98 WC ad campaign where Les Bleus asked some kids to say they were cr*p ! It worked ! Maybe, we should try the inverted psy op once again.

[sl7vk]

Desailly also prefers Barthez to Coupet........

Any shred of credibility...... Gone.

[lefutur]

He's also saying that the inexperience of the team will make them crack under pressure. Well what happened to the "experienced" team of 2002?

[Allez Lyonnais]

What a vet should do is to SHUT UP and sit back in the couch watching quality football games on TV.

So Marcel, how about you shut the hell up unless you're willing to get back on the field?

[Ballon d'or]

I think it's great tactic. It takes pressure off the team a bit. He says they're not good enough to win it, therefore they'll have the feeling they'e not really considered even in France and will go to this World Cup wanting to prove their worth.
I hope more players or coach will say the same actually.

[guignol]

well, sitting in front of his telly in pipe, slippers and al-gharafa scarf, with his hearing aid turned up to let him hear the match (like in the ads he does), desailly is free to say anything he likes. but does he remember that the public opinion of the les bleus leading up to '98 was just as dire or worse?

a clinical case of the french disease called sinistrose. you don't see gazza, lord ferg and the evening standard saying england is going to have their posterior handed to them in conveniently prechewed bits (despite the fact they'd be hard pressed to finish better than 4th in the EPL, never mind the WC) now, do you?

[Nanbawan]

Originally Posted by guignol

a clinical case of the french disease called sinistrose. you don't see gazza, lord ferg and the evening standard saying england is going to have their posterior handed to them in conveniently prechewed bits (despite the fact they'd be hard pressed to finish better than 4th in the EPL, never mind the WC) now, do you?

That's part of our charm.

PS : I thought we were überarrogant...

[lefutur]

yeah its basically the opposite of the American attitude. "So what if noone in the US watches the sport and only a fraction of the population plays it seriously...we're still gonna win the WC this year!"

And you know what, I wouldnt be surprised if the US did win it before France wins it again because of the difference in the attitude. That said I think Americans are bit TOO competitive and the French attitude towards life in general is a bit more balanced.

But man, you gotta believe you can win it!

[sl7vk]

Originally Posted by Nanbawan

That's part of our charm.

PS : I thought we were überarrogant...

No uberpessamistic.

I was in France in 98 and I think I was the only one that thought France could win it all (at least at the start of the tourny). We've seen this before, and refuse to get our hopes up was what I was told. It wasn't until the bloody final that people started to believe, and probably the second half at that.