Unpopular French boss national team Raymond Domenech will quit after this summer’s World Cup. He has been heavily criticised due to his side’s poor performance under his leadership.
He’s failed to get the best out of some top players and some French fans will say he’s been in his job far too long.
How Domenech has stayed in the French job so long is right up there as one of world’s biggest mysteries alongside the Bermuda triangle.
Despite the French supporters and media voicing their concerns about him, he has still somehow kept his job for more than four years.
For all the criticism of Domenech it seems the French Football Association could have a problem finding a replacement for the 58 year-old. It’s strange to say that one of the biggest European footballing nations are struggling to find a quality replacement but it’s true.
In Ligue One there are some very talented young coaches. Marseille’s Didier Deschamps and Bordeaux’s Laurent Blanc were teammates of Desailly in France 98” World Cup squad and are the two coaches allegedly wanted by the French national side. However both are happy in their current jobs.
Although both the leading candidates seem happy at their club sides it could all change if they are offered the chance to take over Les Bleus. Blanc has told the media on numerous occasions that he’s happy with Bordeaux and his most recent comment was to say he won’t comment on the issue anymore. Deschamps has yet to comment on rumours linking him with the job.
The French national side has only had two foreign coaches in the history of the team. It’s very unlikely that they would go down the same route as England and hire a foreign head coach. However it remains to be seen if they could be forced to take on a foreign coach with no viable French candidates willing to take the position.
Concern
French World Cup winning defender Marcel Desailly has revealed that he doesn’t know where the next French national team manager is coming from. He told Skysports:
“This is the problem facing France,”
“Laurent Blanc is committed to his club, Didier Deschamps the same thing. Now we are in trouble.
“There is not really any national team coach ready for the job. We have Jean Fernandez, Jean Tigana but I don’t think they could manage that.”
Talent
As always the French team has a wealth of talent available to them. Yet in recent years they have underachieved in international football. The French have a good mix of youth and experience in their national team squad.
The experience of Nicolas Anelka, Florent Malouda and Thierry Henry is complimented by the youth of Yoann Gourcuff, Hatem Ben Arfa and Hugo Lloris. They also have the mercurial talents of Bayern winger Franck Ribery, who could be set for a big money move after this summer’s tournament. It could be argued that this squad has more potential than most in recent years.
World Cup
Although the squad is talented they have struggled under Domenech. The ineptness of the French coach was shown in the fact that they needed a play-off and a hand from Thierry Henry to get past Republic of Ireland.
It’s getting desperate when a player of Henry’s standing and talent resorts to cheating. However under Domenech that’s what it’s been like for a couple of years. With another coach in charge the French national side could be far stronger, but under the incompetent Domenech they are struggling to produce their best form.
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