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As I learned of
France’s home defeat against Belarus, I wondered if this was the lowest
ever point for French football, and more importantly, how are they
going to turn their fortunes around?

The loss was Les
Bleus’ fourth in a row and there seems to be no light at the end of the
tunnel for a team that lacks confidence, personality and experience. I
was in South Africa when France’s players decided to strike in protest
of the French Football Federation’s (FFF) decision to send Nicolas
Anelka home following an altercation with Raymond Domenech. I couldn’t
believe that professional athletes would actually refuse to work during
a tournament which should represent one of the highlights of their
careers. It would have to take a lot of anger and frustration for a
group of players to take such a decision. Some of those feelings are
surely still present now in the French squad even if some World Cup
squad members are no longer part of the national team set-up.

Healing the wounds

So how is Laurent
Blanc going to heal these wounds and create the team spirit and unity
necessary to get results? Well to be fair, he already tried a bold
motivational approach, inviting his friend and fellow 1998 World Cup
champion Zinedine Zidane to a training session in a bid to inspire the
squad. He also handed out sheets of paper containing the words to La
Marseillaise to players, encouraging them to sing the national anthem
before the game. I guess the Belarus result showed both of those
tactics didn’t work and it will take a lot more work on the training
pitch and in the dressing room to raise the morale of these players. We
should also remember this is a very young team that doesn’t really have
many role models on the pitch. There is not a Zidane, a (Patrick)
Vieira or a (Didier) Deschamps, who can lead by example. Still, it’s my
belief that this team will improve quickly under the guidance of Blanc
and qualify for Euro 2012. The talent is there with young players such
as Lamine Sakho, Yoann Gourcuff and Karim Benzema and the spirit will
eventually return.

Of course France is not the only national team with an identity
crisis. Italy is clearly in a transitional period with a new coach and
new set of players. They struggled to beat Estonia and will also take a
while to gel with Cesare Prandelli and without the leadership skills of
the retired Fabio Cannavaro and injured Gigi Buffon. Last but not
least, I have to admit that I am very worried about my beloved
Portugal. With coach Carlos Queiroz suspended for six months by the
national football federation for his role in disrupting an anti-doping
test, and with Cristiano Ronaldo injured, they could struggle to make
the European Championship.

The players looked lost, especially in
defence, during a 4-4 draw with Cyprus on Friday. There was no
leadership, no direction, no clear game plan. By the time Queiroz comes
back, the qualifying campaign could be in tatters. As with any identity
crisis, each of the three sides need some urgent self-analysis and
rehabilitation, if they are to regain the team psyche that saw each
side compete for top honours in recent times.