European Football Cup 2008’s Weblog

FIFA World Cup-winning coach Aimé Jacquet believes France are going through “a delicate period” with one highly-successful generation of players gradually being replaced by another, but he is still confident they will claim their first victory of UEFA EURO 2008™ against Italy on Tuesday.

Unprecedented success
France have enjoyed unprecedented success over the past decade, winning the FIFA World Cup in 1998, appearing in the final again in Berlin two years ago, as well as clinching a second UEFA European Championship crown in 2000. During that time the likes of Zinédine Zidane, Marcel Desailly, Didier Deschamps, Lilian Thuram, Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira have all graced the international scene, playing more than 100 times for their country and ensuring Les Bleus have never fallen far from the summit of the world game.

Transitional phase
Slowly but surely the ‘golden generation’ of French stars have been moving towards retirement. Of the 1998 team, only Vieira, Thuram and Henry are present in Austria and Switzerland leading Jacquet to believe that the side is going through a transitional phase. “Football is always changing, just like life, and it’s very interesting to see how different national teams evolve over time,” the 66-year-old told euro2008.com.

‘Competitive generation’
“The French team, for example, had a really competitive generation of players between 1994 and 2006. Now we are witnessing a changeover period with a new generation coming through,” explained Jacquet, whose five-year spell as France boss culminated in the historic 3-0 World Cup final win against Brazil. “We’re lucky to have talented players who are ready to come in and replace Zidane’s team. But you have to give them time to adjust and that’s why they’re currently going through a delicate period.”

‘Collective problem’
The experienced Henry and Vieira have struggled with injuries over the past fortnight while emerging players such as Karim Benzema, Bafetimbi Gomis, Lassana Diarra and Samir Nasri are still to make their mark. On paper, Raymond Domenech’s men look capable of beating all comers, yet the draw with Romania and the 4-1 defeat by the Netherlands suggest the team is still searching for the right balance. “It’s exactly that,” Jacquet said. “It’s not a problem of individual players, it’s a collective problem. So far the collective performance has been below par and, as a result, the French have not yet found their true level.”

‘Very tight’
France must now defeat the world champions and hope Romania fail to see off the Netherlands in order to progress. Jacquet, though, still believes in their chances. “France are capable of beating Italy so I still think everything is still possible,” he added. “As soon as the draw was made, we knew the group would be very tight because the sides are all evenly matched. In the end, qualification will come down to the small details.”