I’m heading for suicide or the guillotine :(
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I’m heading for suicide or the
guillotine, says new France coach Laurent Blanc
Tough task: Laurent Blanc inherits a squad scarred by a disastrous World Cup campaign
The France squad is in such disarray following World Cup humiliation that new boss Laurent Blanc has claimed he feels he is 'heading towards suicide or the guillotine'.
The former Manchester United player and Bordeaux chief was unveiled as the national manager after Les Bleus' catastrophic campaign in South Africa under controversial Raymond Domenech.
Domenech's six-year reign ended with a player strike, the expulsion of striker Nicolas Anelka and a group stage exit without a win in this year's World Cup campaign. And Blanc, who feels he has inherited a team at their most spineless, immediately warned that no player is safe from reprisals.
'What bothers me is that, after the World Cup, a new coach should be able to lean on a hard core of players. This hard core is not even a melon's pip. My task is to find a hard core within this team,' he said.
'Everyone wishes me luck. I get the impression I'm heading toward suicide, or the guillotine.'
The 44-year-old, who has been touted as a possible successor to Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford should he turn around the France team's fortunes, plans to meet players in an effort to stamp out misconduct and determine who he can trust in the future.
'I can't act like nothing happened in South Africa, it wouldn't go down well. I followed the events, as you all did, with a lot of sadness,' he said. 'I was outraged by certain behaviour. It's a delicate situation - there are meetings to be had.'
Les Miserables: France lost two of their three games in South Africa
Blanc intends to speak to Patrice Evra, Franck Ribery, Thierry Henry, William Gallas and Eric Abidal - reportedly the five main rebels at the World Cup - before deciding whether to pick them again. The new boss insists he will select only those 'with the right mentality and team spirit'.
'There are very few people who can tell you what really happened. I think I know a few of them,' added Blanc.
'We will speak about the future, and about what happened in South Africa. I will make my choices, and perhaps among my choices there will be a sporting punishment that means certain players who were present in South Africa are not among my choices.'
On strike: Domenech (left) was powerless to stop the squad refusing to train
Problems in the France camp during the World Cup were revealed by French sports newspaper L'Equipe, which published details of an incident in which Anelka swore at Domenech the day after France lost 2-0 to Mexico in their second group match.
Anelka was sent home, and the next day the entire squad sat on the team bus, refusing to train in protest over Anelka's punishment.
'What shocked me the most, what disappointed me the most, was the behaviour of the squad during the public training session, 48 hours before a match,' Blanc said. 'The decision (to strike) was badly thought through.'
France's subsequent 2-1 defeat by South Africa meant they went out for the second consecutive tournament without winning a game, to follow on from a humiliating first-round Euro 2008 exit.
Blanc said his side must now show some humility. 'At a certain point in time our national team could have said "We're going to the European Championship to win it" but I don't think we'll even be in the top 10 FIFA rankings now,' he said.
'We will need to be a bit humble, given that we're in a total rebuilding phase.'