G6 Team Profile: FRANCE
Thierry Henry, Thierry Henry and more Thierry Henry. That’s what France is going to need if they hope to equal their World Cup success of 1998.
The Arsenal sharpshooter is at the top of his game and few can deny that he is one of the most feared goalscorers in the world. If opposing defenses can manage to shut down Henry -a huge feat to be sure- then France will need to rely upon his often over-shadowed strike partner, David Trézéguet (Juventus).
Midfield general Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid) is not the player he once was but he is still an inspirational leader on the field. If he and fellow veteran Patrick Vieira (Juventus) show some of their old brilliance and create opportunities for Henry and Trézéguet, France could go a long way.
Other key players for France could be defender Lilian Thuram (Juventus), who has more than 100 caps, and midfielder Claude Makelele (Chelsea), both of whom came out of international retirement to help their country reach the finals. Defender William Gallas (Chelsea) is both tough and talented and Gregory Coupet (Lyon) is one of the most reliable goalkeepers in Europe.
France should do better than their miserable performance of 2002 when, as defending world champions, they failed to win a game or even score a goal. Will the big-game experience of a squad of aging veterans be enough to carry the team or will the lack of fresh, young talent hurt them in the end? That’s the big question that will be answered in June.
Comments
THIERRY HENRY IS GOD
Posted by: RYAN BARR | June 7, 2006 08:58 PM
wi it all FRANCE!
Posted by: Anonymous | June 8, 2006 09:58 AM
go bears
Posted by: tu mama | June 8, 2006 10:59 AM
hENRY ALONE CAN WIN IT!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: GR8_LALL | June 8, 2006 02:54 PM
dont forget about zidane!
Posted by: zizou389 | June 8, 2006 06:42 PM
zidane is the one and only
Posted by: soccergurl09 | June 8, 2006 09:08 PM
Vive la France, vive les bleus..hmm how about riberry, trezeguet, saha, wiltord, henry, zidane, barthez, maladou, abidal, thuram... the whole team is amazing!!!!
Posted by: kevin | June 8, 2006 09:12 PM
cisse is hurt,oh noooo!
Posted by: benjamin | June 9, 2006 09:43 AM
zidane must get in to game mode!!!!
Posted by: katy | June 9, 2006 09:45 AM
To keep it clean: France stop borrowing
To keep it save: France start trainning fresh frenchmen. Worldcup it's OK just to be there.
Posted by: Nkonghoson | June 9, 2006 10:40 AM
Did someone actually say Barthez??????? When's the last time he was good, 2000?
Posted by: ForzaItalia | June 9, 2006 02:27 PM
Henry will dominate the games and lead france to victory with some help of zidane, cisse and trezguet. GO FRANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Roberto | June 11, 2006 11:55 PM
France was so close to winning their 2nd FIFA World Cup in the 2006 FIFA World Cup!!!
Posted by: France (mexican fan) | October 4, 2007 11:59 AM
yeahh umm i really dont care
Posted by: joesaphinia | October 13, 2007 07:49 PM
Yeah that's what I'm talknig about baby--nice work!
Posted by: Rosalinda | January 6, 2012 03:16 PM