Euro Cup 2012: Team Profile France (Know the Participating Team France

The world most exciting Tournament has already begun and we have seen some exceptional games till date. All 16 qualified European giants are fighting for the cup and every team will play to win the tournament.

www.anantasports.com is bringing the profiles of all the participating team to its readers and here it is France. France is taking part in the tournaments under the guidance of Coach Laurent Blanc. 

Laurent Blanc’s side didn’t qualify easily. Qualifying for France was not an easy affair. After a turbulent World Cup campaign, the team was quickly thrust into further turmoil with a home defeat against a well organized Belarus side, though that would be the team's sole defeat of the campaign, and the last time les Bleus have been beaten in any match.

Crucial to the quest was the team's immediate ability to bounce back in Bosnia, where it defeated its host 2-0. A series of solid if unspectacular performances followed, leaving the final match, also against Safet Susic's side, crucial.

Edin Dzeko would give Bosnia & Herzegovina the lead, but a nervous French side riddled with injury problems battled back and qualified thanks to a Samir Nasri penalty.

France may have won the European Championship twice, but its record in the competition as a whole is remarkably mundane otherwise.

French Team For Euro 2012

 Led by the great Michel Platini in 1984, les Bleus picked up their maiden success on home soil, having barely tasted the final stages of the competition previously, and they would repeat that victory in dramatic circumstances over Italy 16 years later.

Since then, les Bleus crashed out to eventual-winner Greece at the quarterfinal stage in 2004 before failing miserably to make even the slightest impression on the ‘Group of Death’ four years later, when the team was humiliated by the Netherlands and Italy.
Coach: Laurent Blanc

Appointed in the wake of Raymond Domenech’s catastrophic reign, Blanc was charged with picking up the pieces of a France side in disarray following a dreadful World Cup 2010 campaign that had left the squad fractured.

His coaching CV to that point might have been short, consisting of no more than two years with Girondins de Bordeaux, but it was also remarkably impressive as ‘Le President’ had led the Stade Chaban-Delmas club to the Ligue 1 title in his debut season and followed that up with a charge to the Champions League quarterfinals.

Blanc is no stranger to the international game, either, having captained France as a classy center back during its 1998 World Cup triumph, albeit missing the final due to a controversial suspension.

France Coach Laurent Blanc

Captain Hugo LLoris

France coach Blanc showed his immense faith in goalkeeper Hugo Lloris by announcing he would be the captain of the national team for Euro 2012 back in February.

Already with over 30 caps to his name at the age of 25, the Olympique Lyonnais goalkeeper is regarded as one of the most promising young players in his position in Europe, having played a key role for les Gones since signing from hometown club Nice in 2008.

Though veterans such as Franck Ribery and Florent Malouda have more international experience, having played in the 2006 World Cup final, Lloris is the figurehead of a new era of the French game, which is why he has been chosen as the skipper ahead of such luminaries.

France Captain Hugo Lloris

Player to watch Franc Ribbery

Picking out an individual star from the ranks of talented French players is no easy task, particularly as so many of these men have flattered to deceive on the international stage in recent times.

Ribery, in particular, is a player to have come under scrutiny domestically as he is perceived to be too individualistic and egotistical. Blanc has, however, stressed the importance of the Bayern Munich winger as a player who can turn a game in an instant.

Injury and loss of form have prevented the former Olympique de Marseille man from reaching his peak yet under Blanc, but if he can produce the kind of play for France that he does on an almost weekly basis for Bayern, les Bleus’ level will undoubtedly benefit.

France Player FrancRibbery

How France Qualify:

France confirmed their place after topping Group D ahead of Bosnia , Romania and Belarus. Crucial to the quest was the team's immediate ability to bounce back in Bosnia, where it defeated its host 2-0. 

GROUP D	GP	W	D	L	GD	PTS
1	France (Q)	10	6	3	1	11	21
2	Bosnia & Herzegovina	10	6	2	2	9	20
3	Romania	10	3	5	2	4	14
4	Belarus	10	3	4	3	1	13
5	Albania	10	2	3	5	-7	9
6	Luxembourg	10	1	1	8	-18	4

Sep 3, 2010 France 0-1 Belarus
Sep 7, 2010 Bosnia & Hezegovina 0-2 France
Oct 9, 2010 France 2-0 Romania
Oct 12, 2010 France 2-0 Luxembourg
Mar 25, 2011 Luxembourg 0-2 France
Jun 3, 2011 Belarus 1-1 France
Sep 2, 2011 Albania 1-2 France
Sep 6, 2011 Romania 0-0 France
Oct 7, 2011 France 3-0 Albania
Oct 11, 2011 France 1-1 Bosnia &Herzegovina 


Jersy: Brand: Nike
Home Jersey: Blue horizontal stripes
Away Jersey: White with black thin line highlights on both sleeves

France Home and Away Jersy

 France Squad For Euro 2012:

Coach: Laurent Blanc

Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Cedric Carrasso (Bordeaux)
Defenders: Gael Clichy (Manchester City), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Philippe Mexes (AC Milan), Adil Rami (Valence), Mathieu Debuchy (Lille), Anthony Reveillere (Lyon)
 Midfielders: Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle), Florent Malouda (Chelsea), Samir Nasri (Manchester City), Alou Diarra (Marseille), Yann M'Vila (Rennes), Blaise Matuidi (PSG), Marvin Martin (Sochaux)
 Strikers: Hatem Ben Arfa (Newcastle), Karim Benzema, (Real Madrid), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Olivier Giroud (Montpellier), Jeremy Menez (PSG), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille)
 Style of play: Coach Laurent Blanc favours a solid 4-2-3-1 formation based on a solid defence. A flat back four are supported by two defensive midfielders (Yann M'vila and Yohan Cabaye) who not only serve as the first line of defence but also key link between midfield and the attack. They also use a high pressing game to win back possession in the opponent's half. Blanc wants his team to dominate possession, so it hardly comes as a surprise that France uses its technical skills to move the ball around quickly and on the ground. Franck Ribery pulls the creative strings in the centre of midfield, flanked on either side by Samir Nasri and Mathieu Valbuena. The trio push forward in attack and offer service to the lone striker, Karim Benzema.