Malouda frustrated with bench role

(GSM) – France winger Florent Malouda is frustrated after starting France’s opening game of the World Cup finals against Uruguay on the bench. The Chelsea midfielder was tipped to start following a solid season with the Blues.

However, Malouda only played the final 15 minutes as the two sides played out a goalless draw in Cape Town.

Malouda expressed his frustration at not being used as a first-team player by coach Raymond Domenech.

“It’s frustrating,” he said. “But that’s life. I hope I get a chance to show my quality.

“Hopefully we can take this (point) as an opportunity to move on. That will be important.”

Malouda admits France lacked the creative touch as Uruguay ended the game with 10 men in the closing stages of the game.

He added: “We would have preferred to have won, but Uruguay are a very solid and defensively well-organised team.

“There weren’t many risks being taken out there.

“The focus was really on tactical discipline and maybe we lacked that little touch of flamboyance and imagination that might have tipped the scales in our favour.”