Zidane’s expert eye on EURO
June 24, 2008 at 9:30 am | In France | Leave a CommentTags: Arshavin, France, Zinedine Zidane
He is watching a tournament for the first time since 1994 and former French international Zinédine Zidane is thoroughly enjoying UEFA EURO 2008™, although he freely admits to not having the first idea who will win.
‘Fan’s eyes’
“It’s been a wonderful tournament with fantastic matches,” Zidane, 36 today and who retired two years ago following his side’s defeat by Italy in the FIFA World Cup final, told euro2008.com. “I’ve really enjoyed watching the games. It’s the first tournament for a while in which I’ve not played so I have been following it from the outside and enjoying it with my family. I look with a fan’s eyes and I really enjoy watching these games because they are top-level matches.”
Jacquet still backing ‘delicate’ France
June 16, 2008 at 8:19 pm | In Uncategorized | Leave a CommentTags: Aime Jacquet, France
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.
Ribéry ramps up France ante
June 16, 2008 at 8:06 pm | In France | Leave a CommentTags: Azzurri, France, Franck Ribery, Les Bleus, Patrick Vieira, Raymond Domenech, Zizou
France’s UEFA EURO 2008™ hopes may be hanging by a thread, yet Franck Ribéry remains convinced Les Bleus will progress to the quarter-finals and is calling on his team-mates to “give absolutely everything” against Italy.
‘We’re still here’
The FC Bayern München playmaker has been one of France’s most positive influences both on and off the pitch over the last ten days, making the other players laugh with his infamous practical jokes and giving everybody hope through his effervescent displays. It was no surprise, therefore, when the 25-year-old arrived at Sunday’s news conference and immediately looked to raise French spirits. “We’re still here and it’s vital we keep on believing,” Ribéry declared. “We need to give absolutely everything we’ve got against Italy, win the game, and make the most of the small chance we still have.”
Flying Robben thrilled with return
June 16, 2008 at 4:36 pm | In Netherlands | Leave a CommentTags: Arjen Robben, France, Netherlands, Real Madrid CF, Robin van Persie, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wesley Sneijder
For Arjen Robben, the UEFA EURO 2008™ experience has totally changed in the space of a few days. The Real Madrid CF attacker suffered an injury before the Netherlands’ opening game against Italy but returned against France to really make a difference.
Fitness battle
“I was ready and really looking forward to the tournament when my world fell apart a bit,” Robben told euro2008.com. “Only two days before the tournament I broke down with a groin injury. But I had to focus very fast, and tell myself, ‘Go for it’ and we worked very hard to restore my fitness.”
Robben did just that and made the perfect UEFA EURO 2008™ entrance as a substitute against France.
Sagnol defends French philosophy
June 14, 2008 at 1:10 pm | In France | Leave a CommentTags: France, Willy Sagnol
Despite France’s failure to open their goalscoring account at the first attempt, defender Willy Sagnol says they will continue to employ a safety-first approach in their second Group C match against the Netherlands at the Stade de Suisse.
Defensive duties
Les Bleus have earned criticism in some quarters for not taking more risks in Monday’s 0-0 draw with Romania. With midfielders Claude Makelele and Jérémy Toulalan sticking close to the back four, and full-backs Sagnol and Eric Abidal focusing almost exclusively on defensive duties, the French were solid yet created little. There have been calls for a more expansive display against the Dutch yet Sagnol believes it would be unwise to suddenly change the team’s philosophy. “Over the last few years, we’ve made defending well our priority,” the FC Bayern München right-back explained.
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