Do France stand a genuine chance of ousting UEFA European Championship titleholders Spain from this summer’s tournament?
Spain are arguably not the most exciting team at Euro 2012. Despite dominating each of their first three matches through their possessive game, the Spaniards have been unable to seduce the public. La Furia Roja exhibited their shooting skill in their 4-0 victory over Ireland but that feat got overshadowed by their unimpressive and controversial victory over Croatia.
Spain’s defence is yet to be truly tested but there are players in the French squad who could push Casillas and company to the edge of their efforts.
“Do I fear Franck Ribery? Yes, but Karim Benzema and Samir Nasri are also world-class players. It will not be easy to beat them,” Spain coach Vicente del Bosque told Bild.
Spanish-born Luis Fernandez has also tipped Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema to be Les Bleus’ best players on Saturday night. However, the former France international is under no illusion concerning the calibre of Spain’s stars.
“Ribery and Benzema have what it takes to win a game, but they must work to recover the ball, take it away from Xavi, [Andres] Iniesta and company. It's complicated.”
It is a bad moment for France to face world and European champions Spain. Les Bleus lost their 23-match unbeaten run against Sweden.
This result eventually denied them from qualifying as Group D winners. The French must now prepare to face the fury of La Roja. There are two options. France could lose or win and thus find immense confidence in themselves.
“I think every player knows that we do not need anyone to come and tell us it [defeat to Sweden] was a shocking result. I think it was very disappointing, from the players' point of view,” midfielder Florent Malouda told the press on Friday.
“The question is, how do we start another run? It is better to end that run against Sweden and start a new one against Spain and then win the tournament.”
One may mock Florent Malouda’s daring wish to reach the final at UEFA Euro 2012. However, history could repeat itself. At the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Les Bleus met Spain in the knockout stages and claimed victory. They went on to face Portugal in the semi-finals and triumphed as well to book final tickets.
Football has a lot to offer when it comes to drama. In a tough competition like UEFA Euro 2012, no team is a proclaimed as a winner before kick-off. Spain cannot afford to ignore France’s potential.
Spain’s defence is yet to be truly tested but there are players in the French squad who could push Casillas and company to the edge of their efforts.
“Do I fear Franck Ribery? Yes, but Karim Benzema and Samir Nasri are also world-class players. It will not be easy to beat them,” Spain coach Vicente del Bosque told Bild.
Spanish-born Luis Fernandez has also tipped Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema to be Les Bleus’ best players on Saturday night. However, the former France international is under no illusion concerning the calibre of Spain’s stars.
“Ribery and Benzema have what it takes to win a game, but they must work to recover the ball, take it away from Xavi, [Andres] Iniesta and company. It's complicated.”
It is a bad moment for France to face world and European champions Spain. Les Bleus lost their 23-match unbeaten run against Sweden.
This result eventually denied them from qualifying as Group D winners. The French must now prepare to face the fury of La Roja. There are two options. France could lose or win and thus find immense confidence in themselves.
“I think every player knows that we do not need anyone to come and tell us it [defeat to Sweden] was a shocking result. I think it was very disappointing, from the players' point of view,” midfielder Florent Malouda told the press on Friday.
“The question is, how do we start another run? It is better to end that run against Sweden and start a new one against Spain and then win the tournament.”
One may mock Florent Malouda’s daring wish to reach the final at UEFA Euro 2012. However, history could repeat itself. At the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Les Bleus met Spain in the knockout stages and claimed victory. They went on to face Portugal in the semi-finals and triumphed as well to book final tickets.
Football has a lot to offer when it comes to drama. In a tough competition like UEFA Euro 2012, no team is a proclaimed as a winner before kick-off. Spain cannot afford to ignore France’s potential.
