European Football Championship 2008 / France
This article covers the French national team at the 2008 European Football Championship .
qualification
France played in the qualifying group B . It was not world champion Italy, which the Équipe tricolore will meet again in the European Championship finals, but surprisingly Scotland the biggest obstacle at which the Bleus almost failed due to two defeats in direct comparison.
France's 25 goals scored: Thierry Henry (6), Nicolas Anelka (4), Sidney Govou (3), Karim Benzema, Louis Saha, David Trézéguet (2 each), Hatem Ben Arfa, Florent Malouda, Samir Nasri, Franck Ribéry and Jérôme Rothen (1 each); in addition there was an own goal by the Georgian Malchas Assatiani .
rank | country | Gates | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Italy | 22: | 929 |
2 | France | 25: | 526th |
3 | Scotland | 21:12 | 24 |
4th | Ukraine | 18:16 | 17th |
5 | Lithuania | 11:13 | 16 |
6th | Georgia | 16:19 | 10 |
7th | Faroe Islands | 4:43 | 0 |
Georgia | - | France | 0: 3 |
France | - | Italy | 3: 1 |
Scotland | - | France | 1-0 |
France | - | Faroe Islands | 5-0 |
Lithuania | - | France | 0: 1 |
France | - | Ukraine | 2-0 |
France | - | Georgia | 1-0 |
Italy | - | France | 0-0 |
France | - | Scotland | 0: 1 |
Faroe Islands | - | France | 0: 6 |
France | - | Lithuania | 2-0 |
Ukraine | - | France | 2: 2 |
French contingent
Coach Raymond Domenech announced a preliminary list of 30 players, 14 of them from Ligue 1 , on May 18, 2008 . Not entirely surprising is the absence of David Trezeguet , although he scored 20 goals this season in Serie A ; Domenech justified this decision with the statement that he had already nominated enough offensive forces for his system. France Football added that the coach had accused the striker of a poor attitude in the past, for example because he was too bad to play for the B-Elf.
In the final line-up on May 28, there were hardly any surprises, apart from the fact that goalkeepers Frey and Mandanda preferred to Mickaël Landreau - whom Domenech had always referred to as his undisputed number 2 until shortly before - and were with the Strikers the young Gomis prevailed over the more experienced Djibril Cissé . The 20 field players are divided exactly into four full or central defenders, defensive or offensive midfield players and storm peaks; L'Équipe therefore speaks of a continuation of Domenech's 4-4-2 system . Ten of the 23 nominees earn their living in French professional football this season .
On June 2, the coach had brought Mathieu Flamini back to the training camp as a precaution until the end of the registration period ; if necessary, he should replace the ailing Patrick Vieira, who was finally left in the squad by Domenech on June 9th.
No. | Surname | Club before the start of the European Championship | birthday | Games | Gates | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
goalkeeper | |||||||||
1 | Steve Mandanda | Olympique Marseille | March 28, 1985 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
16 | Sébastien Frey | AC Florence | 03/18/1980 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
23 | Grégory Coupet | Olympique Lyon | December 31, 1972 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Defender | |||||||||
2 | Jean-Alain Boumsong | Olympique Lyon | December 14, 1979 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
3 | Eric Abidal | FC Barcelona | 09/11/1979 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
5 | William Gallas | Arsenal FC | 08/17/1977 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
13 | Patrice Evra | Manchester United | 05/15/1981 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
14th | François Clerc | Olympique Lyon | 04/18/1983 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
15th | Lilian Thuram | FC Barcelona | 01/01/1972 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
17th | Sébastien Squillaci | Olympique Lyon | 08/11/1980 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
19th | Willy Sagnol | FC Bayern Munich | 03/18/1977 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
midfield player | |||||||||
4th | Patrick Vieira | Inter Milan | 06/23/1976 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
6th | Claude Makélélé | Chelsea FC | 02/18/1973 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
7th | Florent Malouda | Chelsea FC | 06/13/1980 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
10 | Sidney Govou | Olympique Lyon | 07/27/1979 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
11 | Samir Nasri | Olympique Marseille | 06/26/1987 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
20th | Jérémy Toulalan | Olympique Lyon | 09/10/1983 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
21st | Lassana Diarra | Portsmouth FC | 03/10/1985 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
22nd | Franck Ribery | FC Bayern Munich | 04/07/1983 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
striker | |||||||||
8th | Nicolas Anelka | Chelsea FC | 03/14/1979 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
9 | Karim Benzema | Olympique Lyon | December 19, 1987 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
12 | Thierry Henry | FC Barcelona | 08/17/1977 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
18th | Bafétimbi Gomis | AS Saint-Etienne | 08/06/1985 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Trainer | |||||||||
Raymond Domenech | 01/24/1952 |
Organizational
Preparation and team hotel
The national team, which prepared in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines and then Tignes , played three international matches against Ecuador (2-0), Paraguay (0-0) and Colombia (1-0) just before the start of the tournament . She then moved into the five-star hotel Mirador Kempinski Lac Léman in Mont-Pèlerin , Switzerland , above Vevey , which she has fully booked for the entire duration of the tournament. The training ground was the Stade de Lussy in Châtel-Saint-Denis .
European Championship costs for the association
The FFF calculated total costs in the mid double-digit millions. The training camp, the hotel and travel expenses - also for observing the opposing teams in Switzerland and Austria - accounted for around four million euros. The success bonuses in the event of a title win would have been up to € 7.5 million for a good 30 people; Since the Équipe tricolore was eliminated after the preliminary round, the players did not receive a cent at their own request. The largest item, at least € 20 million, should be used for “image cultivation”: Sponsors, “important personalities” from football and politics as well as deserving officials from the regional sub-associations of the FFF were invited to the European Championship games of the Bleus looking forward.
French team games
After the preparatory games, Domenech's preferred line-up variant emerged, even if he had also tried a system with a front and a hanging tip between two forward midfield players on the wings (4-2-3-1):
Coupet
Sagnol Thuram Gallas Abidal
Ribéry Toulalan (Vieira) Makélélé Malouda
Benzema Henry
Patrick Vieira had to pass the season opener against Romania due to injury, as did Thierry Henry.
Preliminary round
rank | country | Gates | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Netherlands | 9: 1 | 9 |
2 | Italy | 3: 4 | 4th |
3 | Romania | 1: 3 | 2 |
4th | France | 1: 6 | 1 |
- June 9, 2008, Letzigrund in Zurich (30,585 spectators): France 0-0 Romania
- Line-up: Coupet - Sagnol , Thuram, Gallas, Abidal - Ribéry, Toulalan,
Makélélé, Malouda - Benzema (77th Nasri), Anelka (72nd Gomis) - Referee: Manuel Mejuto González (Spain)
- France's start was just as sluggish as at the 2006 World Cup and led to some fierce criticism in the domestic media of the coach's concept and the form of several, especially the older players.
- Line-up: Coupet - Sagnol , Thuram, Gallas, Abidal - Ribéry, Toulalan,
- June 13, 2008, Stade de Suisse in Bern (30,777 spectators): France 1: 4 (0: 1) Netherlands
- Line up: Coupet - Sagnol, Thuram, Gallas, Evra - Toulalan ,
Makélélé - Govou (75th Anelka), Ribéry, Malouda (60th Gomis) - Henry - Referee: Herbert Fandel (Germany)
- Goals: 0: 1 Kuyt (9th) - 0: 2 van Persie (59th), 1: 2 Henry (71st), 1: 3 Robben (72nd), 1: 4 Sneijder (90th + 2)
- This was the highest defeat of the Équipe tricolore in over a quarter of a century, the 0: 4 on August 31, 1982 in the Prinzenparkstadion against Poland , so that in the last group game a victory over Italy was necessary and even then you had to rely on the help of the Dutch against Romania .
- Line up: Coupet - Sagnol, Thuram, Gallas, Evra - Toulalan ,
- June 17, 2008, Letzigrund in Zurich 30,585 spectators): France - Italy 0: 2 (0: 1)
- Line-up: Coupet - Clerc, Gallas, Abidal (24th), Evra - Govou (66th Anelka), Toulalan, Makélélé,
Ribéry (10th Nasri, 26th Boumsong ) - Benzema, Henry - Referee: Ľuboš Micheľ (Slovakia)
- Goals: 0-1 Pirlo (25th, penalty kick) - 0-2 De Rossi (62nd)
- Coach Domenech did without Thuram and Sagnol, instead built Abidal back into the starting line-up and directed the Équipe tricolore through Benzema as the second striker. The serious injury to Ribéry and Abidal's suspension after an "emergency brake" against Toni thwarted all hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals early on.
- Line-up: Coupet - Clerc, Gallas, Abidal (24th), Evra - Govou (66th Anelka), Toulalan, Makélélé,
See also European Football Championship 2008 / Group C
Remarks
- ↑ http://www.fff.fr/servfff/historique/selection/der_selec.shtml
- ^ "Trezeguet, une absence attendue" , France Football of May 20, 2008, p. 66
- ↑ http://foot2008.lequipe.fr/breves2008/20080528_135555_sans-landreau-ni-cisse_Dev.html ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://foot2008.lequipe.fr/Euro_2008_France_23.html ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from October 4, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://www.fff.fr/bleus/441892.shtml
- ↑ France Football of May 27, 2008, p. 30