A Christian comment: France can flourish

Dubai: Former France international Christian Karembeu has predicted big things for Les Bleus under coach Laurent Blanc — at Euro 2012 and beyond.

Karembeu, who was in Dubai last weekend, admitted France had reached a nadir two years ago at the World Cup in South Africa when they crashed out at the group stage and were riven by player and management unrest.

But under coach Blanc, they have risen from an all-time low world ranking of 27 in September 2010 to 16.

Ex-midfielder Karembeu, who won both the World Cup in France in 1998 and the European Championships two years later, is confident about the prospects of one of England's opponents in Group D next month.

New philosophy

"During the past two years we have managed to establish a great management headed by a new manager who has brought in a new philosophy of the game," Karembeu, now an Arsenal scout, told Gulf News on the sidelines of the Fifa Interactive World Cup held at Madinat Jumeirah on Wednesday.

"After 18 games at the helm, there is a lot of optimism and confidence in the side.

"Most of the team has been re-built over the past two years now, so we can expect something big from this side."

Les Bleus' Euros campaign kicks off against England in Donetsk on June 11, followed by matches against Ukraine and Sweden.

Karembeu believes France can banish the bitter memories of the 2010 debacle under Raymond Domenech as they build towards the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

"We can be confident that we can go very far at Euro 2012," said Karembeu, who won 53 caps and scored once in a ten-year international career and played for Nantes and Real Madrid at club level.

"We have a real test against England, so that match should be a huge determining factor.

"We have a big squad and we also know that they have the past two years of experience and maturity to help them."

Former coach: Bleus among favourites

Former coach Raymond Domenech said he rates France among the favourites for Euro 2012, tipping them to reach at least the semi-finals.

Domenech, who quit as France coach after the World Cup debacle in South Africa in 2010 and was replaced by Laurent Blanc, said he believed the current squad could go deep into the tournament in Poland and the Ukraine.

"Eighteen matches without a defeat, wins over England and Germany away and a win over Brazil also, first in our qualification group — all that makes you a favourite," he said.

— AFP