France
Rank: 16 World Cup appearances: Best result: Top SCORERS Did you know? With 142, Lilian Thuram has the most caps for France. He played from 1994-2008, but retired early learning that he had a heart defect, the same that had killed his brother while playing basketball. |
Four years after making fools of themselves in South Africa, France have regained their credibility and can even realistically contemplate making a major impact at the World Cup finals.
Laurent Blanc took the team to the Euro 2012 quarterfinals but off-field problems again got in the way and the French players were lambasted for their childish behaviour.
It has taken new coach Didier Deschamps less than two years to transform the squad and their image.
Their qualifying campaign was a microcosm of their ability to turn out Jekyll and Hyde performances. After a series of indifferent matches in the regular campaign, the playoff against Ukraine was the turning point.
The qualifying campaign was disappointing but victory in the playoffs gave a hint of a better future, when the Stade de France crowd finally backed their team unreservedly.
After a 2-0 defeat in Kiev, Deschamps dumped defender Eric Abidal and midfielder Samir Nasri for the return leg.
Les Bleus played fearlessly as centre-back Mamadou Sakho scored two goals with a resurgent Karim Benzema netting the other to guarantee a last-gasp passage to Brazil.
A team which had no clear direction on the pitch, France now rely on a stable midfield consisting of Yohan Cabaye, Paul Pogba and Blaise Matuidi, a perfect launching pad for the attacking trio of Mathieu Valbuena, Franck Ribery and Benzema.
France's rejuvenation has come at the expense of promising players like Hatem Ben Arfa and Nasri, the latter possibly paying for his reputation as a troublemaker.
STRENGTH
The youth
The team has seen vast improvement under Deschamps as he introduced youngsters in the squad such as Raphael Varane, Paul Pogba and Mamadou Sakho. Varane and Sakho could form a decent central defence behind a Cabaye-Pogba-Matuidi trident with Ribery leading the front three should Deschamps stick to a 4-3-3 formation.
WEAKNESS
Lack of leaders
Hugo Lloris will be sporting the captain's armband for France in Brazil but he has not proved to possess the vocals of a leader on the pitch.
Strike force
Deschamps also needs to unearth a killer striker with Olivier Giroud and Karim Benzema yet to prove themselves on a regular basis.
ONE TO WATCH
Franck Ribery
A tormented soul at the last World Cup and a restrained man two years ago at Euro 2012, Frenchman Franck Ribery has once again become what made him of one the brightest players in Europe - a carefree character who loves to play football.
Dubbed the jewel of French football, however, was a rough diamond and it took a few scrapes over the years to polish it and get the final product, which Ribery now is as he gears up for his third World Cup.
Ribery's attitude on and off the pitch is the best example of how he feels, with the winger, who says he enjoys a great relationship with Bayern coach Pep Guardiola.
He was voted UEFA's Best Player in Europe for 2013 but it was not enough to clinch FIFA's Ballon d'Or trophy as the world's best player, a disappointment he quickly put behind him after finishing third behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
A top-notch display at this year's World Cup in Brazil could help him claim the award this year because there is no doubt he has fulfilled his potential and is one of the world's great players.
Coach: Didier Deschamps
Less than two years after taking charge, coach Didier Deschamps has turned the France team, described as a bunch of overpaid mutineers four years ago, into a competitive outfit with a credible shot at a World Cup last-four spot. The Basque-born Deschamps was France's cement during their best years and it is no coincidence that France's golden generation imploded after he retired following their Euro 2000 triumph.
Although France seem to lag too far behind Spain, Germany or Brazil, Deschamps's obsessively competitive spirit will surely be an asset and the youngest captain to have lifted the Champions League trophy has the Midas touch as a manager.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur), Stephane Ruffier (St Etienne), Mickael Landreau (Bastia)
Defenders: Mathieu Debuchy (Newcastle), Lucas Digne (Paris St-Germain) Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Laurent Koscielny, Bacary Sagna (both Arsenal), Eliaquim Mangala (Porto), Mamadou Sakho (Liverpool), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid)
Midfielders: Yohan Cabaye, Blaise Matuidi (both Paris St-Germain), Clement Grenier (Lyon), Rio Mavuba (Lille), Paul Pogba (Juventus), Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille)
Forwards: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Olivier Giroud (Arsenal), Antoine Griezmann (Real Sociedad), Loic Remy (Newastle, on loan from QPR), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich)
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