Laurent Blanc is starting over.
Remember when Laurent Blanc said that he wouldn’t select any of the 23 players who went to South Africa for Les Bleus in WC 2010?
Well, I guess he wasn’t kidding.
It was only a few weeks ago that Lolo decided he would make his mark on this team by choosing an entirely new 23-man squad for the friendly against Norway on August 11th.
He unveiled those new faces today, and there are a few surprise omissions and inclusions.
The 23 call-ups (with club team and international caps in parentheses) are:
GK – Nicolas Douchez (Rennes; 0), Stéphane Ruffier (Monaco; 0)
DF – Aly Cissokho (Lyon; 0), Mathieu Debuchy (Lille; 0), Rod Fanni (Rennes; 4), Philippe Mexès (Roma; 13), Adil Rami (Lille; 0), Mamadou Sakho (PSG; 0), Benoît Trémoulinas (Bordeaux; 0)
MF – Yohan Cabaye (Lille; 0), Lassana Diara (Real Madrid; 27), Blaise Matuidi (Saint-Étienne; 0), Yann M’vila (Rennes; 0), Samir Nasri (Arsenal; 15), Charles N’Zogbia (Wigan; 0), Moussa Sissoko (Toulouse; 2)
FW – Hatem Ben Arfa (Marseille; 7), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid; 27), Jimmy Briand (Lyon; 3), Guillaume Hoarau (PSG; 0), Jérémy Menez (Roma; 0), Loïc Remy (Nice; 1)
For those keeping track, that’s 0 (zero) caps in net, 17 on defense, 44 in the midfield, and 38 up top. There are 13 players total with 0 (zero) international call-ups, and 4 others with less than five caps.
There are only 4 players (Douchez, Fanni, Mexès and Hoarau) over the age of 25.
That’s a very young, very inexperienced side to send out for a friendly, particularly when considering that they will have had almost no time to play together. Given that Norway is now ranked 22nd in the FIFA rankings, which puts them only one place behind France (21st, obviously), this match could be a difficult beginning for Laurent Blanc.
As for the man indirectly responsible for this squad selection, Nicolas Anelka is now using the old “I was played out of position” excuse for his disagreements with former gaffer Raymond Domenech.
Strange. I would have thought that the “I’m a petulant t**t” excuse would be more likely.
heh, Douchez
Despite the lack of experience, that shows a bit of depth in the French system to be able to omit the 23 WC players and field this lot. Blanc might as well get them in now and get them some time against a good squad b/c he might be relying on a number of these lads for Euro 2012.
@ Clem: I see your Douchez & raise you a Fanni…
well played OM, well played. Although i do hope you’re not raising your fanni in my direction
and i can’t take credit for “heh, douchez” anyway
.
At least Menez will finally get his deserved call-up but curse you mexes. CURSE YOU!
For some reason I hope Remy gets a chance. And Clem, I will not raise my Fanni @ you as long as you don’t Ruffier my Cissokho.
seriously, Mexes makes baby Jesus cry
@NYK: I thought that was Anelka after he made a derogatory comment about his mother…
Also, where can you catch Ligue Un on TV this year? Or is it internetz only?
@OM: looks like FSC and FS+ will be showing some Ligue Un action this year. Both are scheduled for games this weekend…
@jjf3: Thanks, I got a bit lost re: which networks had access to which leagues for the US market after the shake-ups last season…
Always good to have the opportunity break out the Rod Fanni jokes. Yay Larry White.
yeah, it’ll be FS+ and that’s about it.
For a country that just impressed at a youth tournament, going to your youth isn’t a bad thing. (ask Ghana and Germany).
This just in: F**k Laurent Blanc.
@ Anon: That’s not all Blanc’s doing–remember, Arsenal has that special French-designed catnip Arsene can use that makes all the young boys go crazy/not Young Boys Bern
@OM: I expect all the “small club” bulls**t from the wankers around here, but from managers of teams in, of all places, France! F**k that guy.
@ Anon: I know. Perhaps he thinks Spurs is small b/c it was against Spurs that he scored 1 of his 4 total goals in his 3 years w/ManU. If we were poor enough to let him score in his playing days, I guess that means we’re small to him.