England beware look formidable As French for Euros
LAURENT BLANC, coach of France, came into this potentially treacherous friendly with his Federation concerned about his contract and a debate over the captaincy. Sound familiar? Blanc departed surely strengthened by a France display that should alert England, as well as every other serious nation this summer. Just to remind you, England’s first group opponents in Ukraine are France. If they repeat this level of cohesion then the question mark about Blanc’s long-term ability to mould his national team will look foolish. Those in disagreement with Blanc in the Federation will have to concede that France were better than Germany all over the greasy Bremen pitch last night. What began as a friendly turned into a statement of what might be. Even the Blanc debate seems odd given that his team is now undefeated in 18 matches stretching back 18 months. Admittedly, Germany were weakened by the absence of captain Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger and a few others who brought them 10 wins out of 10 in qualification for the summer. But there were still several recognisable names available to Joachim Low. Mesut Ozil was one. He started well but faded. Germany were outmanoeuvred. Blanc also had withdrawals to contend with but fielded eight players who have every chance of starting in Donetsk against England. The other three here made claims to be there on June 11. One of them, centre forward Olivier Giroud, was winning his third cap. On his first start, Giroud opened the scoring. It was the Montpellier striker’s first France goal. It is unlikely that in itself will earn him the jersey ahead of the missing Karim Benzema or Loic Remy, but the muscular Giroud — top scorer in France — showed he is a viable alternative. Another uncertain of being in Blanc’s June first XI, the Lille full back Mathieu Debuchy, was arguably man of the match, though Samir Nasri grew as the game wore on. The third, Mathieu Valbuena, was also impressive. It was Debuchy’s lightning run that teed up Giroud for the opener midway through the first half and it was Nasri and Debuchy who created the second. Giroud looked bound to score from four yards following one of the sweeping moves that defined France’s night, but Germany keeper Tim Wiese blocked and Chelsea’s Florent Malouda scooped the ball high into the net. Germany’s Cacau tapped in a consolation in injury time, but France had already won in terms of how they played. Blanc had talked down expectations before the game but that proved
misleading. France withstood early pressure and soon found a smooth rhythm. Newcastle’s talented midfielder Yohan Cabaye was prominent, he and the combative Yann M’vila acting as a protective pivot in front of the back four. They were prepared to get forward too. Cabaye forced the first save of the game with a more than useful header. It came from a corner on the right, where Marseille’s Valbuena and Debuchy were displaying pace and menace. Technically, Debuchy was France’s right back but he was like a flying winger at times. The French fluidity was illustrated by the first goal. Debuchy was central to it, delivering a fast diagonal run from an advanced posting on the right (again). Debuchy’s burst on to the ball left Jerome Boateng trailing. Once inside the box, Debuchy showed composure to slide a short pass into the path of Giroud, who steered it low beyond Wiese. Nasri, sometimes accused of not doing enough in a France shirt, was dictating moves and though the game was knocked out of shape by substitutions, it was no surprise when Malouda scored the second. Germany will look back at chances of their own but this was a sobering night for a country billed as Spain’s most significant rivals this summer. A true judgment on them, though, must wait until players return. This was France’s night.