Familiar faces in France fold
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
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France coach Raymond Domenech has named an experienced squad for the FIFA World Cup finals, with recent debutants Marc Planus and Mathieu Valbuena among the 23.
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France coach Raymond Domenech has named an experienced 23-man squad for the FIFA World Cup finals.
There were no surprises in the squad, with the 23 having been known since Lassana Diarra was ruled out of the tournament because of a stomach illness ten days ago. There had been concern over William Gallas's calf strain but the central defender featured in both of the recent friendlies against Costa Rica and Tunisia and even scored a second-half equaliser in Rades.
FC Girondins de Bordeaux defender Marc Planus and Olympique de Marseille forward Mathieu Valbuena both earned their first caps in those games. "I hope Valbuena will keep shining until 11 July," said Domenech after the 25-year-old scored the winner in a 2-1 victory against Costa Rica last Wednesday. Real Madrid CF forward Karim Benzema is the highest-profile omission.
France squad
Goalkeepers: Cédric Carrasso (FC Girondins de Bordeaux), Hugo Lloris (Olympique Lyonnais), Steve Mandanda (Olympique de Marseille).
Defenders: Éric Abidal (FC Barcelona), Gaël Clichy (Arsenal FC), Patrice Evra (Manchester United FC), William Gallas (Arsenal FC), Marc Planus (FC Girondins de Bordeaux), Anthony Réveillère (Olympique Lyonnais), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal FC), Sébastien Squillaci (Sevilla FC).
Midfielders: Abou Diaby (Arsenal FC), Alou Diarra (FC Girondins de Bordeaux), Yoann Gourcuff (FC Girondins de Bordeaux), Florent Malouda (Chelsea FC), Jérémy Toulalan (Olympique Lyonnais).
Forwards: Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea FC), Djibril Cissé (Panathinaikos FC), André-Pierre Gignac (Toulouse FC), Sidney Govou (Olympique Lyonnais), Thierry Henry (FC Barcelona), Franck Ribéry (FC Bayern München), Mathieu Valbuena (Olympique de Marseille).
