France’s golden boys quick to lay into ‘smug’ Domenech

PERHAPS the biggest surprise about France’s toothless defeat to Mexico, which leaves their World Cup fate out of their hands, is that it came as no surprise at all.

After all, losing in a pre-World Cup friendly to China, ranked 84 in the world, might have given some coaches a clue that introducing a new 4-3-3 system three weeks before the tournament – after almost two years of playing with a 4-2-3-1 – was not a good idea. But then again, Raymond Domenech is not most coaches.

He was the man who famously proposed to his girlfriend Estelle Denis live on TV after France were knocked out of Euro 2008, who gave Thierry Henry the captaincy but refused to pick him for the team, instead preferring Nicolas Anelka who went almost five France games without a single shot on target.

So when it came to France’s crunch match against Mexico, a game they could not afford to lose having already drawn with Uruguay in game one. Jean-Michel Larqué, the former Saint-Etienne forward who now works as an expert summariser for French TV channel that covers Les Bleus, is Domenech’s most outspoken critic, and he even wrote a book, Vert de Rage, after French FA president Jean-Pierre Escalettes asked him to tone down his critical comments.

“They have not progressed, they give off a bad image and it’s time someone spoke out,” Larqué said.

“The image of the side today is catastrophic.”

His verdict on Domenech is damning, to say the least. “Domenech’s way of running the team leaves everyone scratching their heads. He gives the impression there’s no logic in the way he works.

“The most annoying thing is he always seems so smug and pleased with himself and you can’t talk football with him. When he’s asked, ‘How will you play this match?’ he answers, ‘We’ll be playing in blue and with 11 men.’ He takes the piss.”

With 11 members of the 1998 World Cup-winning squad now working in the media, the most successful French generation ever have also been queuing up to attack the beleaguered coach. “I would not have made a single decision the same as that man, he is a total disgrace,” said Christophe Dugarry.

Emmanuel Petit, a scorer in the 1998 World Cup final, added his voice. “The team has never played as a unit. The defence is permanently being rebuilt, every player plays with a sword over his head, not knowing whether or not he will play the next match. The same goes for the strikers,” he said.

Bixente Lizarazu could see the writing on the wall as soon as Domenech kept the 4-3-3 system for the draw against Uruguay: he left Florent Malouda, arguably his most in-form player, on the bench, and played Yoann Gourcuff on the right of a midfield three with out-of-form Sidney Govou ahead of him. “You can’t turn up before a World Cup still learning a new system the coach has just invented,” said Lizarazu.

But Domenech was not the only Frenchman to get it in the neck following their wretched display against Mexico. Lizarazu was stunned that Anelka, who was taken off at half-time, even lasted that long. “I’ve never seen a player walk during a match at a World Cup, but that’s what he was doing?” said Lizarazu. “I have no idea how he has kept his place. He shows no desire.”

Franck Ribery also came in for severe criticism. It was Ribery’s image that was on the front page of yesterday’s L’Equipe newspaper under the headline ‘The Impostors’. In a stinging front-page editorial, the paper wrote: “Don’t shed any tears for this team, as they don’t deserve it. The ‘I don’t care’ attitude is the only thing which links the players in this France squad.”

It’s not just inside France the criticism has been coming.

Germany legend Franz Beckenbauer blasted: “The French are for the moment the biggest disappointment of the World Cup. The manner in which they played (against Mexico), is unworthy of a World Cup, it looked more like they were playing in a warm-up match.

“What really shocked me, is the manner that they accepted the defeat, nobody showed any fire in fighting back. One felt that they really weren’t a team.”

With Laurent Blanc already named as the new France coach after the World Cup, Domenech now looks to have one more game before his six-year reign ends. He might be missed but he won’t be mourned.