Another World Cup nasty dessert tomorrow ?

[Vraititi<P>PSG till I die -fluctuat nec mergitur.<P>]

I, for one, have a bad feeling about tomorrow's games in France's group. I can quite see Switzerland beat Ireland without too much problem in Dublin and France win only by 2 or 3 goals agst Cyprus which would not be enough to qualify (they need to win by 5 goals), thus repeating the 1993 fiasco when Houillier's France were defeated in the dying seconds by the Bulgarian yogurts (flavour: spicy Balkan dandelion) -thanks to a Ginola cock-up special at the 92nd minute- and thus depriving France of the USA World Cup. Last week, France were humbled by Les Petits Suisses (flavour: sickly sweet edelweiss). Bet this disastrous dairy saga is not yet finished for France. 

[Miki]

Oh ye of little faith vraititi, the only way France could lose was if Cissé played !!! So something went wrong then ! although having seen the highlights, he missed a hatful in the first half alone.

So, we shall see you in Germany next year, where my early prediction says the winners will be from Italy, Brazil (obvious choice !) or the home team will fluke a win !

[Ron Avery]

Well Cisse did play Miki and on another night France would have won 8 or 9 - 0, not just 4-0   It was just not Cisse's night was it?  I felt for him, he could have been out there all night and not scored, he hit the goalies legs and pulled the ball just wide when clean through on goal twice, then he just failed to get a touch to crosses for certain goals three times, after that he then overhit a cross that Zidane was waiting to nod in

To add insult to injury Giuly comes on as a sub and in 5 minutes gets a touch- in that even Cisse could not have  missed, well perhaps last night he may well have done  So 4-0 to Les Bleus and all without Henry.  Good game to watch and far better entertainment than England v Poland, or is it just Motsam's voice with Le Saux's  monotone comments that makes all England's games sound boring?

[Miki]

Ron,

I have a good football friend, who I have known since the mid 70's, having met him in Belgium, at the Standard Liège ground. He has been a sports journalist (mainly soccer) since 1970, once with Paris L'Equipe and now back in Belgium, he is with La Meuse. He is also a well known statitician and is in demand for soccer stats all over the World. He really does know his players and has serious knowledge behind the "scenes" at many clubs. He told me a while before Cissé was actually transferred to Liverpool that this man needs 10 chances to get one goal, how right he is on that front. In fact I would go so far as to say he probably needs nearer 20 !!! His strike rate put off several clubs before Liverpool took the plunge and to be honest, he really is not doing anything at Liverpool.

Now back to the World Cup, in my view, neither team has an earthly chance in Germany.

[Vraititi<P>PSG till I die -fluctuat nec mergitur.<P>]

Yeah, got it slightly wrong but not that wrong, France only scrapped through by the skin of their fesses, Cisse missed sitters, the Swiss missed the boat. It'll make it up for how bleudy lucky he was in Berne with that gift of a goal the Swiss kindly gifted him. I don't like Domenech, he was a b****** of a leg-breaker as a player, he is no better as a 'selectionneur' (don't like the word 'coach' - not coavhing as we know it). France's fate could well have been decided on goal difference, it was so incredibly tight in this group (was it 12 or 13 draws between the top 4 ?), well guess what, some L'Equipe journalists have uncovered that the French players themselves -well, some- did NOT score more goals agst the Feroe Islands only because they did not know that the goal difference was crucial, one (they did not name him) even commented that it was good that France early on in one of the away games had scored away from home (implying that it would count double). Equipe journalist was too embarrassed to name him. Obviously, Domenech never explained the basics to his players.

I would not be so categorical on Cisse, was top scorer twice in France, he's clearly not feeling self-confident at the minute, maybe he's devoting too much time to his 'media activities', maybe he's becoming too spoilt too soon. Guy Roux had him more focused on his performances at Auxerre. I don't follow Liverpool at all, but Cisse's been mouthing off that he is not being given enough playing time at Liverpool, so is he first choice at the minute or what ? He was certainly not partying after the game, did you see his face and body language, you'd have sworn France had lost the game !

[Miki]

Believe me, Cisse is not playing for Liverpool with any regularity, because he has, so far, been a complete waste of space at Liverpool and it seems to me (and others) that Benitez would like to unload him when the transfer window opens again in January.

I have never known a player need so many chances (tell a lie, Andy cole had a pretty poor average !!) before finally sticking the ball in the net !

"WAS" top scorer in France being the operative word, it has not transferred itself to Liverpool, nor the senior side in France !

[La vieille]

According to TV5, where I watched the France match, it was Zidane himself who did not know that goal difference was going to be the deciding factor...  

[Vraititi<P>PSG till I die -fluctuat nec mergitur.<P>]

Zidane, was it ? I heard there were quite a few as well who were totally ignorant of the group rules. The incident happened during H/T at the Feroe Isl. game I think it was, a Canal+ journo got talking to a few players (C+ do H/T mini-interviews) and it quickly became blatantly obvious that some players had no idea of the crucial importance of the goal dif, apparently Domenech had told them to 'lever le pied' (take it easy) in the second half, in total contradiction to what their mission should have been in such a tight group: score s***loads of goals to pip Switzerland or Ireland to the post thanks to a better goal dif. In the end, it was not necessary as the Swiss did not beat Ireland (they came mightily close though) but it just underlines Domenech's incompetence. I nearly wanted France to be out for that dimwit to be be sacked.