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.”

Arshavin admiration
One of football’s foremost creative talents during his glittering career, it is no surprise that Zidane – in Vienna to hold a coaching clinic for children as part of his role as an adidas ambassador – focuses mainly on the aesthetic side of the game, with one player in particular catching his eye. “In the game [against the Netherlands] the Russia No10, [Andrei] Arshavin, impressed many of us. Everything he does is surprising. He is very young and it’s his first major tournament, so to be able to play the way he does is surprising enough to talk about.”

Les Bleus let-down
A European champion with France in 2000, Zidane could only watch as Les Bleus lost to the Netherlands and Italy to fall at the first hurdle this time round, although he pinpoints the opening draw with Romania as the crucial factor. “The problem was that we had to win the first game,” he explained. “It’s so important to start well in such a competition – we had to beat Romania because the following matches were the Netherlands and Italy so we had to win that one. I’m disappointed, of course, because as a fan and ex-national team player I had big expectations. I expected them to do better, it didn’t work out, but I am sure the France team have a bright future, especially for the 2010 World Cup.”

Portugal praise
France aside, Zidane professes to a particular affection for a side who lost in the quarter-finals, saying: “My favourite team were Portugal, but unfortunately they’re not in the tournament any more. They were a complete team. They have many good individuals who are very strong technically and they are also strong in defence. It’s always important to have good individual qualities and good forwards, but it’s even more important not to concede goals – and Portugal had this potential before the quarter-final against Germany. Of course they played against a very strong Germany side who hadn’t done so well in their previous matches, but who played a perfect game against Portugal.”

Tough call
Germany will meet Turkey in the semi-final in Basel on Wednesday with Spain taking on Russia in Vienna a day later, yet Zidane remains reluctant to single out a team as likely champions. “Germany are always there for important matches, they’re always among the last four and [Michael] Ballack leads his team in a great manner. Russia have proved that they have great quality as a team, especially against the Netherlands. They’re physically well prepared and that allowed them to beat the Netherlands – they were a lot fresher in extra time. There are still some really good teams and in such tournaments there are always surprises. I hope they will be great matches. I have no idea who’ll win, so my prediction wouldn’t be correct anyway.”

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.”

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.”

Central role
Having started on the right wing against Romania, Ribéry was switched to a central role against the Netherlands from where he orchestrated France’s play with skill and authority. Unfortunately for the former world champions, they struggled to apply the finishing touches to some fine approach play and were punished by their clinical Dutch opponents. Ribéry was nevertheless encouraged by the performance, saying: “I watched the game again and thought we played well at times. We created a lot of chances – we just couldn’t finish the moves off. But we’ve turned the page and the Dutch game has been forgotten.”

‘Good form’
With coach Raymond Domenech expected to make changes for the final Group C game, Ribéry must wait to find out if he changes position again, but the man named Bundesliga Player of the Year by Kicker magazine is hoping to retain the central playmaker role that was occupied for so many years by Zinédine Zidane. “I felt as though I was in good form against Romania, but I felt even better against the Dutch,” he explained. “I like having freedom on the pitch, to be able to run everywhere and touch the ball as often as possible. When I play in the middle I have more options. It’s up to me to make the most of that and express myself as much as possible.”

Vieira absence
Ribéry admitted that France had missed their former captain, saying: “Zizou’s presence would have given everyone a lift.” But it is the current skipper he wants to see on the Letzigrund Stadion pitch against the Azzurri. “We’ve missed Patrick [Vieira] lot,” he said. “The coach and Pat don’t want to take any risks on his fitness and that’s understandable. Hopefully he’ll be ready to face Italy. He’s desperate to play but we’ll have to see if he has totally recovered from the thigh injury. He’s an important presence on the pitch, both as a holding player and as someone who can launch our attacks from midfield.”

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.

‘Reward for hard work’
He first laid on an assist for Robin van Persie to put the Dutch 2-0 ahead and then scored their vital third goal, shortly after the French had reduced the deficit. “It was a perfect moment to score. They had made it 2-1, and you saw they gained strength from that, you saw them thinking ‘There is more in this’ now. But we ended all that by scoring the third,” Robben recalled with a twinkle in his eyes. “When you get rewarded for hard work, by coming in like this and proving important to the team, then that is just fantastic.”

Family joy
The Dutch players celebrated qualification for the quarter-finals with family and fans in the stadium afterwards. “It’s great to share that joy with the family, certainly with the kids. It should be like that. That also has to do with the Berne stadium. It’s a beautiful stadium, the stands are close to the pitch and the families are nearby, without any fences separating us.”

Madrid connection
Alongside Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wesley Sneijder, it meant there were a total of three Real Madrid CF players involved in the defeat of France. “The three of us have an excellent relationship, on and off the pitch,” Robben said. “There’s a good connection with Wesley, he knows exactly where I want the ball. It can only be an advantage that we play together with Real. The euphoria from the fans and press is logical considering we have beaten big nations in the way we did.

Feet on the ground
“But we have to keep our feet on the ground and just keep on performing at the level we did before, looking for improvements,” he continued. “We are in the quarter-finals now, and can go into the Romania match without pressure. We always want to win and perform and after that it doesn’t matter who we meet in the quarter-finals. We must only look at ourselves. If we keep up this quality level, we don’t need to fear any opponent.”

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.

‘Never-ending debate’
“We know that if we keep it tight we have a good chance of winning. With players like Thierry Henry, Karim Benzema, Franck Ribéry and Nicolas Anelka we’ll always have chances.” When asked if he himself might play more adventurously, Sagnol refused to make any promises, saying: “The question of whether a defender should try to attack or concentrate only on defending is a never-ending debate. The priority has to be making sure you don’t concede. Then, if you sense you have a possibility to get forward, you should do it.”

Slow starters
The defensive philosophy has served France well in recent times. Clean sheets against Brazil and Portugal in the latter stages of the 2006 FIFA World Cup sealed their place in the final, and the mean streak continued in qualifying for UEFA EURO 2008™ with just five goals conceded in 12 games. That strength at the back, and France’s reputation for being slow starters, lead Sagnol to believe they will emerge unscathed from the most testing of sections. “I don’t know why we are slow starters, but sometimes it’s better to have a slow start and then improve as the tournament progresses,” the 31-year-old said.

‘Winning formula’
Referring back to the World Cup, when Raymond Domenech’s men also began with a goalless draw, Sagnol said: “Italy and France didn’t play the best football at the World Cup but ended up in the final. Spain and Argentina, on the other hand, were flamboyant in the group phase but didn’t get much further. It’s difficult to find the balance. At the World Cup we found a winning method towards the end. But even against Brazil we didn’t have many chances and scored from a free-kick. Then against Portugal we scored from a penalty.”

Dutch threat
Sagnol’s cautious stance may have been influenced by the outstanding Dutch performance against Italy on Monday. “They were impressive,” the former AS Saint-Etienne player said. “Italy’s defence is usually their strong point, yet the Netherlands found a way through. We’ll need to be careful because even if we have the ball, they can be dangerous. With players like [Rafael] Van der Vaart, [Wesley] Schneider and [Dirk] Kuyt, they get forward quickly. The key for us will be to find a mix between attacking and defending.”

The Netherlands and France may have played just one game so far in UEFA EURO 2008™ Group C, yet the moods in the respective camps could hardly have been more contrasting ahead of Friday’s meeting at the Stade de Suisse in Berne. While Netherlands coach Marco van Basten was doing his utmost to calm expectations following the superb 3-0 victory over Italy on Monday, his opposite number Raymond Domenech attempted to reassure French fans that the Les Bleus were ready to improve on their subdued goalless draw against Romania.

‘Start again’
Van Basten, a UEFA European Championship winner in 1988, is bidding to become the first man to clinch the title as player and coach and could not have enjoyed a better start against the world champions. Another victory would propel the Oranje into the last eight, but the former AFC Ajax and AC Milan striker is refusing to get carried away. “We played well against Italy but you don’t win the tournament after one match,” Van Basten said. “Instead of thinking already about the quarter-finals, we must get our feet back on the ground and start all over again against France, who are a very strong, experienced team.”

Robben return
The Netherlands are likely to adopt a similar formation to that which they deployed against the Azzurri when they meet the two-time winners, with Orlando Engelaar and Nigel de Jong protecting the defence and three support players operating behind striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. Monday’s triumph was founded on rapid counterattacks and Van Basten hopes for more of the same, saying: “If one team has to attack it’s France. We’ve already won a game so the pressure is on them.” Van Basten nevertheless possesses an enviable array of attacking talent – particularly after Arjen Robben returned to training on Thursday following his groin injury. “Robben is ready to face France,” confirmed Van Basten, who must now decide whether to stray from a winning formula.

‘Sparkling performance’
Domenech seems certain to make at least one change from the side held by Romania, with the fit-again Thierry Henry returning to lead the attack. The France coach had stumbled on the steps on his way to addressing the media, but quickly dismissed suggestions he was feeling anxious and insisted his players would not trip up on Friday. “We know what we have to do and we’ll try our best to get the three points,” the 56-year-old said. “Personally, I’m hoping for a sparkling French performance, but unfortunately I can’t predict anything. We build our side around a solid defence and the Dutch have outstanding attackers, so it should be a good, exciting match.”

Comparison
Similarities are already being drawn with France’s 2006 FIFA World Cup campaign – when they opened with a stalemate against Switzerland before reaching the final – and Domenech is convinced his team will again improve as the stakes get higher. “Feeling that danger and fear is important for top-level sportsmen,” argued Domenech, who would not reveal whether captain Patrick Vieira has recovered from his thigh injury. “It was always going to be a struggle and hopefully the situation will bring the best out of the players.”