Reputation hangs heavy over France

Mighty France are regarded as one of the World Cup favourites but the defending champions realise that winning this time is going to be much...

Mighty France are regarded as one of the World Cup favourites but the defending champions realise that winning this time is going to be much more demanding than it was in 1998.

Even if they admit to having a stronger side than four yearsago, Les Bleus are not considered title outsiders anymore and cannot expect to surprise any opponents.

Zinedine Zidane arrives in a helicopter from Kansai airport at the team’s training camp in Ibusuki on Wednesday. (Reuters)

“We are the team to beat,” said defender Frank Leboeuf. “Everybody wants to win the trophy and, as we are the ones who did it, everybody is keen to cut off our heads.

“Four years ago, other sides didn’t dare to spend more than one hour to review our strategy on the video,” said mid-fielder Youri Djorkaeff.

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“Now, any side who is to take us on gives it at least oneweek to put under tight scrutiny the way we are playing. I’m certain (Group A opponents) Denmark have spent months to prepare challenging us,” Djorkaeff said.

The Danes, who were beaten by France in the 1998 World Cup and in the 2000 European Championship, will be eager for revenge when the two teams meet in their last match in the first round.

Zidane’s arrival boosts squad

Delayed playmaker Zinedine Zidane has joined the France preparing for the defence of their world title in Japan on Wednesday. The Real Madrid player, who attended the birth of his third son at the weekend, flew in by helicopter to the sea resort of Ibusuki where the French have set up their training camp at a luxury hotel for a week. Zidane arrived from the airport of nearby city Kagoshima where he had landed after a 17-hour flight from Paris. The rest of the squad arrived on Monday for a six-day stay before moving to South Korea. Zidane, welcomed by a few dozen fans dressed in blue shirts, said he was tired after the trip before discretely entering the hotel by a back door.

“It can’t be like four years ago anymore,” said France captain Marcel Desailly. “This time, we are not going to play on home ground with the fans to back us.

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“In 1998, despite being the hosts, we were only underdogs aswe had not won anything. Today, we are one of the three top favourites along with Italy and Argentina, and we have to defend our status.” Desailly, who took over as skipper after Didier Deschamps retired from the international arena in 2000, said that reaching the quarter-finals or even the semi-finals would not be good enough for France.

“We are here to go all the way through,” he said. (Reuters)

The Think-tank (Group H)

Philippe Troussier (Japan): Nicknamed the “White Witch-doctor” after a decade of coaching in Africa, the 47-year-old Frenchman is looking forward to putting four controversial years in Japan behind him after the World Cup. Since taking over from Takeshi Okada after Japan made a winless World Cup debut at France 1998, Troussier has piloted their under-20 side to the World Youth Cup final in Nigeria. He also led Japan’s senior team to victory in the 2000 Asian Cup and second spot below France in the Confederations Cup last year.

Oleg Romantsev (Russia): The most successful Russian coach since the fall of the Soviet Union a decade ago, Oleg Romantsev moulded a well-drilled international side during his time in charge. Spartak Moscow won three consecutive Russian titles under Romantsev before Vladikavkaz stopped their winning streak in 1995.

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Romantsev joined Spartak again in 1997 after resigning as Russian coach to win five more consecutive titles in the domestic league. After Russia’s disastrous start in the 2000 European Championship campaign, Romantsev returned as head coach and since then has divided his time between club and country.

Robert Waseige (Belgium): Three time Belgian coach of the year Robert Waseige took over a demoralised national side in August 1999 but has slowly but surely instilled the Red Devils with a solid team spirit. Former coach Georges Leekens led Belgium to three draws and first round elimination from France 1998 after constantly changing his line up. But with consistency in his selection and hands-on man-motivating methods, Waseige’s Belgium is made of sterner stuff and have qualified for their sixth consecutive World Cup finals.

Ammar Souayah (Tunisia): Little known Ammar Souayah and his co-coach Khemaies Laabidi were handed the task of leading Tunisia into the World Cup after Frenchman Henri Michel made a shock decision to resign. Michel was apparently rankled that Tunisian authorities had appointed Souayah and Laabidi as his assistants without his consent after he failed to take Tunisia to the African Nations Cup quarter finals. The tunisian fans were though apparently delighted by Souayah’s appointment because of his attack-minded approach to the game.