French team 1999

[AucklandRover]

ESPN in NZ are running a series of highlight-programmes, featuring memorable international matches.
At the weekend, the game I watched was England v. France in 1999.
It was a pretty good England line-up, but we were completely outplayed by the French, and no wonder!
Look at the French line-up below. What a team!

Barthes
Thuram
Desailly
Blanc
Lizarazu
Djorkaeff
Zedan
Petit
Pires
Deschamps
Anelka

SUBS: Leboeuf, Dugarry, Vieira, Wiltord, Candela.

That has to be one of the best squads ever to set foot on a pitch.

[Pooch]

Exceptional lineup by the French...except who's "Zedan" ???

[AucklandRover]

[quote="Pooch" ???

[/quote]

Sorry Pooch. Getting the best player of all wrong is not a good look!

Zidane.

[Pooch]

Sorry Pooch. Getting the best player of all wrong is not a good look!

Zidane.

You would think at the very least there should be an auto-correct for him!!

[roseylee]

the team that reached the 1982 world cup semi final, were bit tasty as well, as i remember, platini, giresse, tigana, etc.

won the euros in 84 as well.

[AucklandRover]

the team that reached the 1982 world cup semi final, were bit tasty as well, as i remember, platini, giresse, tigana, etc.

won the euros in 84 as well.

Rosey - I remember that semi-final against Germany very well.
The French team was:
Ettori – Amoros, Janvion, Tresor, Bossis – Tigana, Giresse, Platini, Genghini – Rocheteau, Six

Pretty good!

[champs95]

Good thread Auks, sorry I've missed this until now.
What a great team, all coming through at that exact time, just in time for them to come good and win the World Cup in their own country in 98. A bit like England in 66. Their FA had opened up their academy years before and focused on bringing through a generation that could win a World Cup. This game you saw? Was it at Wembley and we lost 0-2? I recall Anelka scoring one that hit the underside of the bar and went in.
Ever so often a great side appears that is strong throughout, this was one. I guess they have, as a nation achieved a bit more than us, by winning the Euro 84, but like us, largely underachieved, for the sheer size of the country.

I've always felt France drastically improved once it began to give caps to the ethnic minorities of said country. The black players as far back as Tigana and further. But more so from the Algerian and Arabic players, the Djorkoreff and Zidanes.

[AucklandRover]

[quote="champs95"]Good thread Auks, sorry I've missed this until now.
What a great team, all coming through at that exact time, just in time for them to come good and win the World Cup in their own country in 98. A bit like England in 66. Their FA had opened up their academy years before and focused on bringing through a generation that could win a World Cup. This game you saw? Was it at Wembley and we lost 0-2? I recall Anelka scoring one that hit the underside of the bar and went in.
Ever so often a great side appears that is strong throughout, this was one. I guess they have, as a nation achieved a bit more than us, by winning the Euro 84, but like us, largely underachieved, for the sheer size of the country.

I've always felt France drastically improved once it began to give caps to the ethnic minorities of said country. The black players as far back as Tigana and further. But more so from the Algerian and Arabic players, the Djorkoreff and Zidanes.[

[roseylee]

yes auckland rover, remember the semi final v germany was one of the best games, i have ever seen in my life. end to end in a world cup semi final.

how schumacher never got sent off for the assault on battiston, i will never know.