Euro 2008 Team Preview: France

Thierry Henry France Euro 2008FOOTBALL – Euro 2008 Team Preview – FRANCE

9/1 with Boylesports to win Euro 2008.
9/4 with Boylesports to win Qualifying Group C (includes Italy, Holland and Romania).

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Past Championships

Following a fourth place in the inaugural tournament of 1960, France failed to qualify for the next five Championships finals. This is somewhat surprising given the overall quality of French teams of the 1960s and 70s. The side has consistently failed to assert its influence in the tournament, unless inspired by the genius of Platini (1984) or Zidane (2000).
1960 – Fourth place

1964 – Did Not Qualify

1968 – Did Not Qualify

1972 – Did Not Qualify

1976 – Did Not Qualify

1980 – Did Not Qualify

1984 – Champions

1988 – Did not Qualify

1992 – Round 1

1996 – Semi-Finals

2000 – Champions

2004 – Quarter-Finals

Qualification

In a competitive qualifying group, France lost to Scotland both home and away, but gained some compensation by beating Italy 3-1 at home and drawing 0-0 away. The two Scottish games were the only two that France lost, a draw in the Ukraine seeing them qualify as runners-up, three points behind the Italians.

Coach

Raymond Domenech led the team to second place in the 2006 World Cup and is still in the hotseat. Domenech has succeeded to a degree in harnessing the unpredictable Gallic flair of his charges and can point to a World Cup final appearance and narrow defeat to Italy to show that he can pull all the elements together when it matters. While he is not the most charismatic of leaders, he is not afraid to deflate big egos and there could be one or two surprising selections when he names his squad.

Key Players

Some antagonists may suggest that Thierry Henry’s best years are behind him but, at the age of 30, he is far from finished at the top level of European football. French football’s focal point since the retirement of Zidane, Henry has all the skills to drag France to the final himself if necessary.

Franck Ribery’s move to Bayern Munich has given him a bigger stage to allow his talents as a complete playmaker to come to the fore. A devastating attacking force, Ribery has enough defensive talent to make him an indispensable member of the French midfield.

Pursued by Manchester United and several other big clubs, 20-year-old Karim Benzemahas has signed a new contract at Lyon and promised to remain for at least another season. The speedy forward with an exquisite touch is already good enough to suggest that Thierry Henry will not be overly missed when he retires from international football.
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    Related Articles:
  • Euro 2008 Team Preview: Italy
  • Euro 2008 Team Preview: Romania
  • Euro 2008 Team Preview: Portugal
  • Euro 2008 Team Preview: Holland (Netherlands)
  • Euro 2008 Team Preview: Switzerland


    • Written by Sarah Connolly · Filed Under Euro 2008, Football 

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