Dear Raymond Domenech:

July 8th, 2008 | by: Laurie |

Dear Raymond:

Can I call you Raymond? After almost two years of blogging about your team, I feel like we’re friends.

And I like you. Truly, I do. I want to say that first. I find you entertaining, and your sense of humor sharp and dry (just like I like it), and your ability to deflect criticism from your players and onto yourself second to none. (And you and Estelle fascinate me. I hope she says yes.)

That needs to be said first.

But here’s the thing. You’ve got to change. Things have to be different now. The team we love depends on it.

First thing you need to do? Drop the superstition. Start with getting rid of the astrology, and any other -ology that seems to make decisions easier. This isn’t supposed to be easy. Lifting people up, and dropping them down, picking one over another when it’s somebody you like and you know it’s going to hurt both you and them? Or even more difficult, picking someone you don’t like because he’ll add to the team? It shouldn’t be easy. It should be tough. It should hurt. If it doesn’t hurt, you’re not making the hard decisions that will make the team work.

Second, let go of the past. What worked two years ago worked two years ago. That doesn’t mean it works today. There were at least a couple of players this year with whom you should have had The Talk. The HARD talk. The “We fully recognize everything you’ve given to the team over the years. Retire, now, on your own, and you’ll be remembered with gratitude and love” talk. You chose not to have The Talk. And it cost you. And it cost them.

And even with the younger players, past form doesn’t always equate to current contributions. When Abidal and Malouda were at Lyon together? The left side of the field frequently made my heart sing. No more. Abidal went to Barcelona, Malouda went to Chelsea, and whatever synergy they had fell apart. You didn’t see this until it was too late. And it cost you.

And also? Don’t forget the exhaustion factor. I know you talked about exhaustion, but you didn’t pick your team accordingly. Is it really a good idea to call up so many players from Lyon when Lyon is playing games two weeks before the tournament? Especially when Alain Perrin at Lyon ran his starters into the ground because he didn’t trust his backups? Do you think that perhaps you should have had a plan B? In one of the pre-season, South American games, we saw Karim Benzema come up against the goalkeeper one on one. Back in October, that would have been a simple chip over the top and into goal. This time it wasn’t. The goalkeeper won. Karim was exhausted and burned out. But there was no real alternate plan, for him or for any of the exhausted players.

(And by the way? I supported your decision not to play him against Netherlands, even though nobody else did. The way he was playing, having him on the field wouldn’t have made a difference.)

One more thing: You need to get out more. You need to see your guys play, and not just in one setting, and not just in highlights. Unless you’re watching players regularly, for a full ninety, you’re not seeing what they may or may not add to your team. Don’t delegate, at least not too much. Do it yourself.

We’ve got some tough World Cup qualifiers coming up, and for better or worse, you are the guy in charge. Now’s your opportunity to get creative, because things really can’t get worse. Experiment with a few new players, maybe a new formation (do we really need two defensive midfielders if we’ve got a skilled back line?) People will blame you if it fails, sure. But they’ll blame you more if you stick with the tried and true and that fails. Now’s your chance to shake things up.

Good luck, Raymond. I want you to succeed, because the alternative is that the team fails. And neither of us wants that.

Laurie

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Doumé

Laurie, I think you got it all right!
The exhaustion factor was so very important.
Or also the lack of form. I’m not really sure for instance Sagnol is totally done, but he had been on the bench so long. I’d like to see if he can ever get back to some decent shape, be cause the wing play is really something that can unlock some scoring chances for us. Some of his crosses are just pure caviar; but he has to have the legs to get to the place to deliver them – and be able to get back and defend.
That would make the Sagnolettes *very* happy.

IMO, it’s impossible to form a real opinion on Gomis from what we saw, he barely touched the ball and was easily neutralized; but definitely he would have to adapt his game inorder to get something done.
http://france.worldcupblog.org Laurie

Doume, I so agree about Gomis. Everyody’s ready to chop his head off, but they forget that the poor guy had essentially NO experience with the team. His club form and his game against Ecuador show that he’s not horrible. His Euro play shows he’s not a miracle worker or a savior.

I have no idea where he lies on the spectrum between the two, or if he does have the ability to be strong in international play, but I feel sorry that he’s being scapegoated for so many people’s failures without really having been given a chance.
Aditya

Nice letter Laurie. And I also agree with Domenech’s decision of not playing Benzema against Netherlands.
Michel-Olivier

‘everybody loves raymond’, i still don’t like domenech and gomis.
sandrahn

Great letter, Laurie! You really know your stuff.

Thank goodness SOMEONE is defending Gomis (or at least saying “hold on, we don’t know enuf to judge him”). Sheesh! Amazing that everyone’s ready to pass judgment over him after such paltry evidence to go on. Fact is, NO ONE KNOWS if Gomis is a good or bad choice for the national team. You can’t fully judge players based on an entire tournament, let alone a few minutes of game time. Remember Milan Baros at the 2004 Euro? He was the Next Big Thing for club football. That promise never materialized. Everyone’s raving about Arshavin and Pavlyuchenko. Not saying they don’t deserve praise but who knows how they’ll pan out for club football outside Russia? Then there’s Fernando Torres–who didn’t have a great tournament at all until the final.

The ignoramuses of the world are judging Benzema based entirely on his brief appearance at Euro 2008, labelling him as “overrated” or worse, “crap.” Those of us who actually know the player recognize this as pure idiocy. Then there are those who think they can pronounce judgment over the 2007 German footballer of the year, Mario Gomes, based entirely on his poor tournament form. This is a player who led his team, Stuttgart, to a league title, who scored 19 goals in 25 appearances, who’s known for creating goals out of nothing. Good, even great players, sometimes have mediocre or poor form at tournaments. Average club players can have great form at tournaments.

So stop dumping on Gomis if all you’re basing your opinion on is his form at Euro 2008. If you’ve watched him all season long at St. Etienne and still have the same opinion, then you have a better argument.
set

Domenech watches games here and there. I remember he came here for Bordeaux-Lyon, I think it was two years ago, when Mavuba and Faubert were here. My mom saw Estelle and him shopping peacefully
jeff

I completely agree that the jury is still out on Gomis. He had NO impact at Euro 2008, so I can see where the criticism is coming from, but he hardly had enough time. The jury is still out, but he’s got to do a lot better than he did on the big stage. Saying that he should never get another chance; that, for me, is going overboard.

Benzema is a player I love. I would play him every minute of every game: Netherlands, Italy, Brazil, USA, Faroe Islands: doesn’t matter. After a long season, preseason, midseason: give him the ball.
outa control

Nice letter laurie be sure to email or mail it to him (am willing to chip in the fedex bill).
A couple points: Gomis was a disappointment i think you will agree with me, if performed, then everyone will be singing his praises the same as everyone is dumping on him now. Personally, i think he blew his chances in fact this is my opinion about the the who should be in or out, i may leave out some people but…….. here we go
Coupet – out
abidal – out
turam – thanks for the 2goals as in 98 (hope every thing is ok with hist heart)
Galla – in
sagnol – gone
tulalan – keep
makalele – thank u for everything
ribery – need i say stay
viera – peace out
govou – gone
henry – on the fence
benzima – definately keep
gomis – too bad
anelka – how many chances no merci
malouda – bon voyage
bonsong – n!gger please
diarra – welcome

am sure am forgeting someone remind me please
Jean Pierre

lol@ outa control

u forgot flamini and nasri

I think we don’t need Gomis, ok, he is not maybe not that bad, but he is not playing good enough to be part of Les Bleus. We got enough other good young players so we don’t need him.

I’ll miss Sagnol and the others who retire as well, like I still miss Zidane, but we got a bright future as far as u look to the players.
if u look to the coach, hmmmm, doms if u read lauries letter carefully i think u will be a lottt better

Anyone knows if Henry is retiring?
Steven

Thanks Laurie, not just for the letter, but for all your work on this site.

I’ve got to ask: how legitimate is that ’superstition’ and ‘astrology’ thing he gets tagged with in making player selections? I remember the charge from around the time of the WC2006, but is it possible he was just winding people up?

Also, while Domenech appears tactically inept (to say the least), do you think he had many better attacking options than the ones selected for Euro 2008? If memory serves, wasn’t Cisse on fire in League 1 and also had a lot to prove because of his desire to get back to England. But aside from that … (and, no, I’m not a Trez supporter, at least in the context of that England friendly last spring)
Michel-Olivier

“David Trezeguet has announced his retirement from the international game and he has blamed Raymond Domenech for his decision”.
I wouldn’t be surprise if mexes and henry retired as well.
http://juventus.theoffside.com alessio

I don’t know how after such a terrible display the FFF can decide to let him keep his job. There was nothing positive about that performance. 1 goal in 3 games, ending with 1 point. The fact he left Mexes and Trez at home when he called up Boumsong and Anelka is just unbelievable.

I feel bad for Trezeguet, my 2nd favorite player who just ended his international play because the FFF misguidedly decided to stick with Domenech. Without Zidane and the old group, he has no chance of getting to the semis in WC2010. A terrible coach, and a terrible decision to retain him.
http://juventus.theoffside.com alessio

I’m not sure about Henry, Domenech doesn’t hate him.
Steven

“David Trezeguet has announced his retirement from the international game and he has blamed Raymond Domenech for his decision”.

Thanks Michel-Olivier,

Wow, I guess we should have seen that coming!

What was it that has worked for Trezeguet at Juventus that hasn’t work in the past few years with the French NT?
http://juventus.theoffside.com alessio

Not a shitty coach, not a bad formation, and not using him as a sub. He isn’t a supersub. Besides, with a 1:2 ratio of goals to games, that’s hardly bad.
http://france.worldcupblog.org Laurie

Jeff, I understand about Benzema. I’ve loved his style of play since before his first NT game.

I think my frustration comes from my maternal area. Exhaustion leads to loss of form. Loss of form leads to loss of joy. I never want to see Benzema lose his joy in playing.
ian

I also would like to say that i believe benzema was played in to much of an attacking midfield role in the romania game. he could not find his form because when he got the ball(near half field) anelka was non existent so he had to take on more players. he was not used to the position and played poorly(no excuses). He will prove to be a great attacker for the NT. The future looks good with some young players(Benz, ribery, ben arfa, nasri, sagna) hopefully they will learn to play together as a team, unlike the euro who could not
Alexandre

Ok, here is my new roster (coach withstanding) for what I think is a realistic and potentially strong next move towards world domination:

G: Frey, Mandanda,Lloris

D:Sagna, Evra, Clichy, Mexes, Clerc, Gallas, flex to d:L.Diarra, and Sébastien Puygrenier

possible d replacement [left D only!]: Abidal

M:Ribery,Nasri,Toulalan,Gourcuff,Diaby,Flamini,Taarabt

posible midfield replacemnt: Jeremy Menez

F:Ben Arfa,Benzema, Florent Sinama-Pongolle (22 goals last year and just signed with Atletico Madrid), Briand, and Trezeguet (one more year)

possible forward replacement: Gomis (haven’t given up on this guy)

This is my starting lineup for the next three matches:

G:Frey
D:Clichy,Mexes,Sagna, and Evra
M:W:Ribery, Nasri C:DM: Flamini and AM: Gourcuff
F: Benzema and Trezeguet

That lineup should out talent alone all teams except:

Brazil (Dunga sucks)
Argentina
Italy
Spain
Germany
Netherlands

where some strategy may be required.
Jamie

how young is the french team going to be by 2010?

Alexandre: your line-ups average age by then would be less than 26, which is pretty young (would have been youngest at this year’s euros).

however, this means that today it stands at 24…the kind of side Arsenal might put out! Of course, the area with most youth will have to be the attack (midfield and up front) because this is where France lost it, not just in these euros, but arguably from 2000. Trezeguet is gone, cisse is out of favour, henry may retire before the euros, and govou does not provide many goals as such. Malouda was awful, as usual, and the French midfield was solid, but not creative AT ALL!

Luckily for us, the coach has no option to rely on old favourites anymore, as A. a lot of them are/will retire and B. French fans will boycott his games most likely!

Lets see what happens in august/september – i don’t mind if nothing spectacular is produced, so long as there is a solid foundation laid for the progression of the young team. (no losses, please). !!!
Alexandre

Ok then. If my lineups are too young, then what do you suggest? Whom of the experienced ancients who are washed up, would you keep to help “mentor” these guys? What other young talents did I miss?

I don’t care about winning right off the bat. I say, let them take their lumps and learn the hard way (Much like Spain has recently done with their youngsters…pretty nice results). If they fail to qualify for the World Cup, then they will be forced to further pull together as a team. They have so much young talent, however, I don’t see them failing to qualify.

Once again, there is too much young talent (which has been wasted for short-sighted job security) and it is not too late.
Michel-Olivier

@ Alexandre
your line up is wrong, sagna in central, clichy in the right, please stop watching MLS and watch football from europe.
———–Frey——
Sagna—Mexes–Gallas–Clichy
——-Toulalan——-
Ribery—-Flamini—-Nasri
—Benzema—-Gouffran—-
with domenech around it will never happen. thank god for xbox 360 and fifa 08.
http://www.wickeddeflection.com jeff

I think Sagna would make a very good central defender.
Jean Pierre

Henry is not retiring, isnt it?