BLUE IS THE COLOUR

FRANCE:

France are rated 7 in the world by FIFA

Coach Raymond Domenech has already announced that France will win the competition. They had a good qualifying phase with just two accidents against Scotland but they beat Italy 3-1. They also beat England in a friendly and then lost in Spain.

There is a vacuum in the leadership stakes since Zidane retired and senior players like Thierry Henry, Patrick Viera, Lilian Thuram or Florent Malouda have failed to step up. They will rely as always on the indispensable Claude Makelele and on Franck Ribéry, the new star of Les Bleus and Bayern. Two other notable contributors could be Chelsea’s Nicolas Anelka and Portsmouth’s diminutive Lassana Diarra.

Domenech will also incorporate some interesting new talent such as Lyon’s striker Karim Benzema who is the best goal scorer and probably the best player in the Ligue 1, and coveted by Manchester United. In midfield there is the dazzling dribbling of Hatem Benarfa while Marseille’s Samir Nasri has already been compared to Zidane. Marseille’s goalkeeper Steve Mandanda impressed the former France goalkeeper Fabien Barthez and was voted best goalkeeper of the Ligue 1.

The controversial Domenech is his own man and France’s chances probably depend on his mixing flair and experience quickly.