Changes needed for European giants

This World Cup has seen more of the giants of European football struggle than any in recent years.

Yet the final will be contested between two European sides Holland and Spain.

The likes of Italy and France crashed out earlier than expected. They both finished bottom of their so called ‘easy’ groups.

Changes

Both countries knew that they would have new head coaches after the tournament. Italy’s Marcello Lippi and France’s Raymond Domenech both decided they would quit their jobs when their countries tournament ended.

Domenech is considered a clown by a lot of the French media but somehow he managed to stay in the national team job longer than any of the previous occupants. The French fans have been calling for his resignation for years.

He has now left his post and will be replaced by former-Bordeaux boss Laurent Blanc. Blanc is an intelligent guy and surely he can motivate the team better than the clueless Domenech. He has proved a big success at Bordeaux in Ligue One and is highly-rated. He also seems to be a popular appointment amongst Les Bleus fans.

Tough Task

Blanc will have a job on his hands just to get harmony back into the France dressing room. The revolt while at the World Cup only harmed their chances of progression. In fact it was almost inevitable that they would exit the competition after the behind the scenes problems.

Another problem for Blanc is the likes of Thierry Henry, Nicolas Anelka and William Gallas are not getting any younger. This World Cup will probably be the trio’s last major tournament. Blanc will have to find replacements for the stars.

There are some young players waiting in the wings with the likes Loic Remy, Hatem Ben Arfa and Moussa Sissoko all looking to breakthrough to the national side. Blanc will have to move these talented youngsters into the squad gradually.

It’s unlikely that we will ever see such an unhappy France squad at a World Cup. The French are famous for being temperamental but the bust-up in their camp was incredible even by their standards. I can see Blanc getting far more out of the French squad than Domenech.

Aging

Before the World Cup started I voiced my concerns on the average age of the Italian side. Those concerns have been proved right. The World Champions looked as stale as a week old loaf of bread. The signs have been there for a long time that changes were needed.

The fact that they had such a torrid time in the Confederations Cup should have forced Marcello Lippi into changing his aging side. The Italian press called for changes, the Italian fans called for changes and most importantly even some of the players called for changes.

However much like England boss Fabio Capello, Lippi decided to be stubborn and didn’t listen to anybodies advice. The result was humiliating. Italy endured their worse World Cup ever and I suspect the Italian squad couldn’t wait to get back on that plane back home.

Lippi will be replaced by former-Fiorentina boss Cesare Prandelli. He is considered less old-school than Lippi and also more player-friendly than the veteran boss.

Lack

The Italian’s don’t seem to have the same flow of youngsters coming through as they have done in the past. With a number of players needing to be replaced its worrying times for the Italians fans.

Prandelli is going to have a harder job finding young up and coming stars than Blanc will but he is a good motivator and I’m sure he will get the best out of whatever players he does call up into his squad.

Cycle

Football is a game of cycles. Teams can dominant for a couple of years and then they fade for awhile. Maybe it’s now time for France and Italy to fade for awhile and rebuild so that in the future they can re-emerge stronger in future competitions.