Neither Thierry Henry nor Patrick Vieira were fit to face Romania, so Nicolas Anelka and Jeremy Toulalan started. France generated very little going forward. Anelka headed one over. Benzema hit one or two right at the keeper. Gomis, when he came on, could hardly get a touch.
There was a short spell at the start of the second half when France looked ok, but for most of the game, they didn't look like they deserved any more than a point against Romania.
Claude Makalele looked like France's best player in the first half, but faded in the second half, as Toulalan saw more of the ball.
Malouda saw a lot of the ball in the first half, but did little with it.
Ribery was France's best player in the second half, and probably the best player over the 90 minutes.
Coupet, Thuram, and Gallas had very little to do. The full backs Sagnol and Abidal were more involved, and did fairly well.
France Supporters would like to see more production out of left midfield, especially considering how much Malouda saw of the ball. That said, he had a good spell in the beginning of the second half when France looked most likely to score, but he'd still lead the list of players that France Supporters would like to see make way for other options, followed by Anelka.
Benzema's 6 was more of a 6.5 - he had some great touches and looked dangerous at times, but didn't get involved as much as France Supporters would have liked, and when he did have a good chance, he hit it straight at the keeper, but he's certainly not a player France Supporters want to see on the bench.
In addition to Gomis, France's other substitution was Nasri, who wasn't able to make a big impact when he came on.
As a spectacle, the game was poor. France's performance overall was poor. Curious then, that I found the match so gripping, but that's high-stakes international football.
No cause for panic and dismay; France just need to get a little more push forward. It was almost a relief when the full-time whistle blew, because there wasn't much between the sides down the stretch. With both teams winning corners, I had visions of France letting one in.
43 minutes ago
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2 deflections:
yeah, ribery did at least try in the 2nd half, but no-one was really helping him out.
i wasn't particularly impressed with benzema. i mean, i think it was good how he came to fetch the ball, but he seemed to lack the intensity and directness he's showed in all his other games.
lets hope our boys can get it together for friday...!
I saw the first half only and France didn't lack industry. They jsut didn't have that sharp edge that can open the game up. Anelka was all over the place but did little that was useful. Makelele certainly was in control. You gotta respect the guy; he didn't give an inch to anybody.
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