Blanc unsure over M´Vila fitness

France coach Laurent Blanc has cast further doubt over Yann M’Vila’s participation in France’s opening Euro 2012 clash with England.

M’Vila suffered an ankle sprain in last week’s friendly international with Serbia.

The 21-year-old, believed to be a transfer target for Arsenal, sustained the injury when tackled by Dusan Tadic early in the 2-0 win, and although he attempted to shake off the knock, he was unable to continue.

The Rennes man was an expected starter in Les Bleus’ midfield for the match with England, but Blanc is cautious about a premature return.

“I don’t know if he will play versus England,” Blanc said to reporters.

“He has a substantial injury, but we should be careful. The injury can move in the right direction in a few days.”

Speaking ahead of his team’s friendly against Estonia on Tuesday, Blanc said he wanted a good performance from his side.

“It is very difficult for me to confirm whether the team that starts tomorrow against Estonia will be the same one that will start against England on June 11,” Blanc said.

“We still have the same goal and objective – to progress past the first round, to reach the quarter-finals and then see where we go from there.

“For us, we want to play well during the friendlies and to have that confidence and conviction in order to achieve our objectives.”

France attacker Florent Malouda said it was important for his side to take the clash against Estonia seriously.

“The most important thing is to keep doing what we are doing, but we still have to increase our level and build up our confidence ahead of the tournament,” Malouda said.

“Of course, the competition itself is always different compared to the friendly games.

“It is essential to enforce good practice, whatever the opposition or match.”

Source : http://www.soccernews.com/blanc-unsure-over-m%c2%b4vila-fitness/95877/

Blanc hopeful on M´Vila fitness

France coach Laurent Blanc is hopeful that Yann M’Vila will recover from his ankle problem in time for Euro 2012.

Les Bleus’ 2-0 friendly victory against Serbia on Thursday was disrupted by M’Vila’s injury in the opening minutes of the game, which looked serious after the Rennes midfielder limped out in distress.

France national team doctor Fabrice Bryand said after the match that he will need 48 hours to reassess the injury before determining M’Vila’s recovery time.

Blanc is upbeat about the player’s chances of featuring in the country’s opening game at Euro 2012 against England.

“We think that he will be available for the first match of the Euros,” he told reporters.

Turning his attention to the win over Serbia, Blanc was satisfied with his men’s display, but noted there are many things that the team must improve on before the start of the tournament.

“We strive for perfection, but there is no such thing,” he said. “We showed a better physical freshness than we did against Iceland, but we are not yet ready.

“We were a bit disappointing in the last 15 minutes, but overall I am pretty happy with our display.”

France kick off their Euro campaign against England on June 11 before taking on Ukraine and Sweden.

Source : http://www.soccernews.com/blanc-hopeful-on-m%c2%b4vila-fitness/95624/

Blanc: Benzema, Giroud pairing viable

France coach Laurent Blanc said Karim Benzema and Olivier Giroud can play in the same XI, but they may not do so in their Euro 2012 opener.

Both players are coming off the back of hugely successful club campaigns, with Benzema having played an integral role in Real Madrid’s Liga triumph and Giroud having fired Montpellier to Ligue 1 glory.

Blanc has already intimated that Benzema will lead the Les Bleus attack at the Euros but has now admitted that he is toying with the idea of a front two for their opening clash with England on June 11.

“Benzema and Giroud can play together,” the former Bordeaux coach told reporters on Wednesday.

“They are two interesting players but they are complementary – I’m convinced of that.

“But there are choices to make, tactically in particular. It is necessary to think about the balance of the team.”

Blanc also admitted that he had been hoping to call upon the services of Yoann Gourcuff in Poland and Ukraine, but felt that he had no option but to drop the Lyon playmaker because of his fitness problems this season.

“Gourcuff had a big role to play. But he was injured,” he said.

When asked about how his side will line out for the meeting with old rivals England in Donetsk, Blanc replied: “I don’t know. But we will play to win.”

France play their final warm-up game on Thursday, against Serbia, and Blanc is expecting another tough test in light of their hard-earned victory over Iceland at the weekend.

“On paper, Serbia is better armed than Iceland. But it will be a different match,” he said.

“Whatever the opposition, we want to do what we set out to do. And without announcing the team, I say to you that there will be many changes.”

France and England and joined in Group D by tournament co-hosts Ukraine and Sweden.

Source : http://www.soccernews.com/blanc-benzema-giroud-pairing-viable/95540/

Gourcuff, Yanga-Mbiwa dropped from France squad

Laurent Blanc has cut Yoann Gourcuff and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa from his final Euro 2012 squad.

Initially the France coach had named 27 players but Olympique de Marseille’s Loic Remy dropped out last week because of a thigh problem sustained at the end of the Ligue 1 season along with Tottenham centre-back Younes Kaboul (knee).

Speculation was rife as to the identities of the other two players, but Gourcuff was always considered to be a likely player to drop out after a difficult campaign with Olympique Lyonnais.

He was given the chance to impress in Sunday’s 3-2 friendly win over Iceland in Valenciennes, but clearly did not do enough in Blanc’s eyes to justify his selection.

Yanga-Mbiwa, meanwhile, was one of four centre-backs named in the initial squad, but the uncapped Montpellier player will not travel to Ukraine, with his lack of experience probably a key factor in the coach’s decision making.

France meet Serbia on Thursday and then face Estonia on June 5 in their final warm-up matches. They will meet England, Sweden and co-hosts Ukraine in Group D of Euro 2012.

France squad: Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Cedric Carrasso (Bordeaux).

Defenders: Gael Clichy (Manchester City), Mathieu Debuchy (Lille), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Philippe Mexes (AC Milan), Adil Rami (Valencia), Anthony Reveillere (Lyon).

Midfielders: Hatem Ben Arfa, Yohan Cabaye (both Newcastle), Alou Diarra (Marseille), Yann M’Vila (Rennes), Marvin Martin (Sochaux), Florent Malouda (Chelsea), Blaise Matuidi (PSG), Samir Nasri (Manchester City), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich).

Strikers: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Olivier Giroud (Montpellier), Jeremy Menez (PSG), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille).

Source : http://www.soccernews.com/gourcuff-yanga-mbiwa-dropped-from-france-squad/95451/