French Squad

**Giuly** · 14/05/2006, 11:33 AM

GK
Fabien Barthez (Marseille)
Grégory Coupet (Lyon)
Mickaël Landreau (Nantes)

Defenders
Eric Abidal (Lyon)
Jean-Alain Boumsong (Newcastle)
Pascal Chimbonda (Wigan)
William Gallas (Chelsea)
Gaël Givet (Monaco)
Willy Sagnol (Bayern Munich)
Mikaël Silvestre (Manchester United)
Lilian Thuram (Juventus Turin)

Midfielders
Vikash Dhorasoo (PSG)
Alou Diarra (Lens)
Claude Makelele (Chelsea )
Florent Malouda (Lyon)
Patrick Vieira (Juventus Turin)
Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid)

Strikers
Djibril Cissé (Liverpool )
Thierry Henry (Arsenal)
Franck Ribéry (Marseille)
Louis Saha (Manchester United )
David Trezeguet (Juventus Turin)
Sylvain Wiltord (Lyon)

Some surprises (Chimbonda, Ribery ) for me and also some disappointment (Cissé should'nt have been given a chance) . Giuly and Anelka must be mad...
Coupet certainly feels betrayed as Domenech's first choice finaly goes to Barthez

Can i have your opinion on this ?

**gustavo** · 14/05/2006, 11:50 AM

I would have had Giuly ahead of Ribery anyway

**eirebhoy** · 14/05/2006, 1:18 PM

Nah, I'd have Ribery ahead of Guily. Ribery is the best young talent in France and could really make a name for himself at the world cup.

**sligoman** · 14/05/2006, 2:49 PM

Why no Pires? Is he retired?

.

**Coltron** · 14/05/2006, 2:50 PM

Surprised a touch by Domenach. He seemed to me to be the cautious and calculating type but has named two uncapped players. They won't start and may not play but at Cimbondas age he isn't one for the future so he must really rate him.

Absolutely jam-packed with quality and I would love to see the great Henry destroy a defence or three as only he can at this World Cup. He is a joy to watch but I'm not expecting it. While the players are there and the manager seems to know exactly what he is doing I, like most people here saw a lot of them in recent times and under his reign they lack atleast a bit of imagination, fluidity and diversity.

Bringing back the big three may have undermined the squad a little although there is no evidence of this. As a team they are solid, organised and hard to beat as a result. With some of their players they will also score a couple of 'goal of the tournament' contenders but when it gets to the basics I don't believe they have enough and I also they they know this.

Picking Barthez shows his relience on the 'Old guard' as from what I've heard Coupet has been the better preformer. This tactic that may well be the reason the got here and not some else and I also believe this could end up being their downfall.

May grace the semi-finals but a distance from my first choice. Bon chance.

**Coltron** · 14/05/2006, 3:01 PM

BTW, don't want to come across as know-it-all type (or is that too late now?) I'm open to presuasion on each and all of my posts. Of course the WC will be deceide who is good and who is great and I can barely wait for it. My favourite teams all have holes in them and could fail miserably.

Who knows.

**gustavo** · 14/05/2006, 4:12 PM

Originally Posted by sligoman

Why no Pires? Is he retired?

.

He's been out of favour for the last year or so.

**Armando** · 14/05/2006, 5:19 PM

Boumsong in ahead of Mexes seems ridiculous....actually, I can't believe Mexes didn't make the 23! He's been awesome this season for Roma.

Coupet should be first choice. Himself and Given are the best goalies in Europe over the last 2 seasons.

They seem a bit light on midfielders, maybe I'd swap Cisse for Malbranque(very under rated player). I think, like a lot of people that Cisse is a poor player but you just know he'll pop up with a goal somewhere along the tournament. So, I always expected him to be in the squad.

I'd love to see Micoud in the squad but that was never going to happen having burnt his bridges a long time ago. Great to see Ribery make it, he's a real raw talent who should become a big star.

**Risteard** · 14/05/2006, 5:43 PM

Don't know about Ribery or some of the lesser-known French-based players but surely Giuly should be ahead of at least Cisse.

**londonirish17** · 15/05/2006, 6:33 AM

Giuly instead of Cissé ! Can't see why Barthez got the number 1 position. His game in Bordeaux on saturday night was quite poor...
Ribéry is a great talent and we shouldn't see him for long in France.
Lyon seem to be interested but there are some PL clubs who want to sign him ass well.

**Metrostars** · 15/05/2006, 2:35 PM

Agree with Armando, very light on midfielders, though Wiltord could also be classed as a midfielder.

**DmanDmythDledge** · 17/05/2006, 1:18 PM

Also Ribery could. Have heard good things about him, though I haven't seen him play. Also think that Cisse should have been left at home.

**Jerry The Saint** · 17/05/2006, 1:37 PM

Anelka has never been picked for a World Cup (3 snubs in a row) and probably never will now, Cisse is off to his second. Strange world (although Anelka brought a lot of this on himself).

**superfrank** · 17/05/2006, 2:12 PM

Originally Posted by Giuly

Some surprises (Chimbonda, Ribery ) for me and also some disappointment (Cissé should'nt have been given a chance) . Giuly and Anelka must be mad...
Coupet certainly feels betrayed as Domenech's first choice finaly goes to Barthez

Can i have your opinion on this ?

Certainly. Cissé's been doing really well of late and fully deserves his place. Anelka...no surpris in seeing him left out. I like Guly but I think he's more of an attack minded midfielder rather then a striker, whereas Cissé is a striker.

I honestly feel Coupet is better then Barthez but Barthez is probably the more popular choice. And that is something Domenech does frequently.

**Stuttgart88** · 17/05/2006, 2:14 PM

Of the above, what's the likely back four? I'd have serious reservations about Boumsong if he plays. No Zebina? No surprise if his Highbury performance is anything to go by I suppose.

Ribery is class. Am surprised about Pires. I thought he & Domenech had made up.

My uncertainties about central defence aside, this looks a very accomplished squad & think they could do very well, despite how average they looked in qualifying. Is Domenech up to the task though?

**superfrank** · 17/05/2006, 2:17 PM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Of the above, what's the likely back four?

I'd say Sagnol, Thuram, Gallas and Silvestre (in no particular order)

**Stuttgart88** · 17/05/2006, 2:22 PM

Pretty sound, bar Silvestre I suppose. Vulnerable to pace maybe?

I'm also surprised about Coupet's demotion. I thought he had permanently ousted Barthez, but maybe it was only while Barthezas suspended. I can't remember. I remember Coupet's handling being very sound in Dublin, though probably because our corners & crosses were crap!

**Giuly** · 17/05/2006, 5:51 PM

On the contrary Coupet was the most popular lately; for me he fully deserved the job but i fear that it had something to do with Zidane. He and Barthez are great friends and i wonder if he asked Domenech to pick him as N°1.

anyway the starting line up should look like this:

___________Barthez____________

Sagnol__Thuram_Gallas__Abidal(or silvestre)

_______Vieira___Makelele________
Wiltord________________Malouda
___________Zidane_____________
___________Henry______________

And you're right about Ribery, i think (hope) he will confirm his talent during the competition

If you've never seen him play, watch the following:
Great goal from Ribery

**superfrank** · 18/05/2006, 12:55 PM

Originally Posted by Giuly

And you're right about Ribery, i think (hope) he will confirm his talent during the competition

If you've never seen him play, watch the following:
Great goal from Ribery

As someone with an interest in L'OM, I know what Ribery can do and I am glad to see him in the squad. Hopefully one day he'll be joined by Samir Nasri. I know he mightn't be the best player and hardly the most consistent but he's only seventeen. Definitely one to look out for in the future, imo.