The unofficial World Cup Thread,

[Louis VI the Fat]

What's up with les bleus? They seemed as if they did not really want to take part in that tournament. Or has Domenech some internal quarrel with his federation and decided to do nothing to win it? The French inability was really shocking, there must be a reason for this??

Zidane, last week: Domenech is not a coach.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-c...739&ver=global

Zidane slammed Doméchec again today, insiting Gourcuff should've played for more creative input. Gourcuff has problems with the rest of the squad. Pity, he has shown at Bordeaux he is best playmaker France has got.

But it is all not about who plays where. The team has been lacklustre at best for four years now, during qualifications and tournaments. Maybe they just aren't all that good. If you underperform thirty games in a row, you don't underperform, you just aren't all that good. France is not Brazil. Not Germany or Argentina either. The succeses the past decade still inflate expectations. But France should not be considered a real football powerhouse, more an England or Spain (if that) - who are also always said to dissapoint respectively underperform, when in reality maybe they simply always play to their actual possibilities.

Then again, the squad is excellent. The players do perform at their clubs. It remains puzzling how one can have Gourcuff and Ribéry and lack creativity.



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