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France
Henry Interview with L’Equipe and Alternate Reality Game
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The interview Henry gave to French sports paper L’Equipe has finally surfaced in the English media. I’ve posted the interesting excerpts below. Highlights include Henry’s reasons for not retiring after WC 2006, how he has felt since THAT play-off incident and his thoughts on retiring from Les Bleus before South Africa.
“Oh yes,” the France captain was quoted in Monday’s French sports daily L’Equipe as saying when asked whether retiring from international soccer had crossed his mind.
“Friday, when it all went too far, I was very worked up.”
Henry has been under fire since handling the ball in the build-up to William Gallas’s equaliser that gave France a 1-1 draw on Wednesday and a 2-1 aggregate win.
“It’s not the first time (that I thought about retiring),” Henry added. “After the 2006 World Cup, I thought about it, but it was too early. After Euro 2008, too, but it wasn’t the right moment. There was a generation that needed me.
“Despite everything that has just happened and the fact that I felt let down, I will not let my country down,” he added.
Henry, who issued a statement saying a replay would be the fairest solution only after world government body FIFA said the result would stand, said he regretted the way he had celebrated the decisive goal.
“I shouldn’t have done that but, frankly, it was uncontrollable, after all we had been through,” he said. The 32-year-old Henry, who has scored a French record 51 goals from 117 internationals, blamed the French Football Federation for their lack of support.
“The day after the match, and the day after that, I felt alone, really alone,” he said. “It was only after I issued my statement that the people from the French Federation got in touch.”
But what If Henry had thrown in the towel, who would be the next best choice for captain?
Once I began thinking about it, I realized that the possibility is terrifying. But, before I get ahead of myself, let’s run through the necessary qualities that a captain must have.
- history of achievement and success
- experience playing in big games
- the desire and ability to lead by example
- team spirit
- the ability to handle conflicts that inevitably arise in high-pressure situations fairly and quickly
- the desire and ability to contribute to the team’s strategic planning
- professionalism in-spite of high emotions and conflicting personal feelings
- credibility to challenge the referee, the opposing team and even teammates
- the ability and desire to build relationships on the team– between the captain and his teammates as well as between other teammates
- the ability and desire to motivate and inspire the team to transcend expectations and even their own ability
- the ability to hand the pressure and expectations of being the team captain
Anything else you think is important?
Now, I’ll be the first one to admit that Henry doesn’t score a perfect 10 in each of these categories, after all no one is perfect– but he has demonstrated his ability to have these qualities in most situations.
So what would happen if Henry was no longer on the French team? I shudder to think of the thought, but he is getting old(er) and is increasingly injury prone. So, this is pretty much inevitable even he isn’t planning to do until after next summer. Who could fill his shoes?
The most likely (older, successful, most experienced) contenders include a failed Arsenal captain with a history of fighting with the younger generation, a failed Lyon captain with a history of drinking and driving and a moody nomad.
The obvious choice is Sidney Govou– and I say obvious because he has taken over the France captaincy when Henry was subbed out before (Austria, October 2009). And by all accounts, he is a nice guy that tends to get along with everyone. When Puel made him his captain earlier this year, he described him as someone who “gets on well with everybody, always finds the right words,” and someone that “everybody likes because he is very thoughtful, very good at stepping back to analyse things.” He also has a lot of institutional experience with the French team. He has been apart of the national team for 7 years and has been at Lyon for forever. And, though coaches and players have come and gone– he has managed to remain a part of each coach’s plans. That demonstrates his ability to adapt to different coaches and systems. As Lyon’s captain he was able to lead his team through some inspirational performances, particularly their win at Anfield against Liverpool.
Unfortunately, some of these qualities have been called into question lately when his Lyon captaincy was stripped away earlier this year after a SECOND drunk driving episode in Lyon the night before a game. I can’t say that screams leadership potential, but I’ve never heard of him behaving like this during his seven years with the national team.
Despite these recent errors in judgement, you have to admire the guy for his commitment to Lyon. Some people might argue that it would be harder for a player whose only ever found success in Ligue 1 to have credibility on the big stage with referees, opposing teams or to manage the various egos of the French team. Given that I blog for The Offside’s OM and Ligue 1, I obviously disagree with this opinion. And, even if this was true in most cases, if anyone is an exception to this, it would probably be Sidney. Over the years, he has definitely received offers to play at “bigger” clubs, but he has chosen to stay with Lyon. I think his loyalty is something to be applaud, not punish.
The next obvious choice is probably Anelka, who I believe has also taken the captain’s arm band when Henry has been taken off (please, correct me if I’m wrong). Early in his career, Anelka was a bit of his generation’s Hatem Ben Arfa (who I love, love, LOVE but I am finally to the point where I can recognize Hatem is somewhat flawed). He had cultivated somewhat of a negative reputation as moody, impatient and talented but lazy. He lived a sort of nomadic lifestyle traveling from club to club (ranging from Arsenal to Real Madrid to Bolton) trying to find success. Then, he was signed by Chelsea in January 2008. Things didn’t come together immediately for him though, he only scored once that whole Spring (in the FA Cup competition against Wigan) and he received some bad press for missing his penalty kick in the Champions League final which gave United the title.
Despite his history, Chelsea, the press and fans were pretty understanding and Avram Grant took most of the flack for his poor performance record (Grant primarily used him as a sub). But, things started to change for Anelka once the new season began– starting with him scoring 4 goals against AC Milan in a pre-season friendly. At the start of the 08-09 campaign, he received his chance to prove himself when Drogba was injured and ended up score 25 goals for Chelsea (including 19 in the EPL). This year he has scored only 3 goals in 13 games for Chelsea, but he has scored 2 crucial goals for France since the start of World Cup qualification (against Ireland at Dublin and the winning goal against Serbia a the start of the qualification campaign). Basically, he has been able to step for France when we have needed him.
But, Anelka’s talent and ability aren’t really news- everyone has also marveled at his skill. Throughout his career, his achilles heel has been his attitude…until now. The best thing that has emerged since his transfer from Bolton to Chelsea has been his maturity and newfound modesty. I’m thrilled that Anelka’s career is finally taking off and he has finally found some mental peace (and it gives me hope for Ben Arfa). That said, this is a fairly recent evolution for him as a player so I’m not sure I feel comfortable saying that he could sustain this attitude under a lot of pressure over an extended period of time. For me, he is untested as a leader…and this French team is not the appropriate testing ground.
I also mentioned Gallas as a possible contender previously. Let me preface what I’m about to say with the following: Gallas is an undervalued, amazing player and a great informal leader on any team he plays on. I love watching him play for his technique and his tough, macho style (I love watching him put Nani in his place over and over again).
That said, I don’t think he handles the pressure of being a captain very well given his experience at Arsenal. Though his relationships with the younger players seems fine now, in the past he has been more of an agitator of the generation gap than peacemaker based on his own admissions in his biography. So, I don’t see a formal leadership role for him on this team in the near future.
The last contender, Alou Diarra, only has somewhat of an outside shot. This year he has been an amazing captain for Bordeaux, leading them to second place in Ligue 1 and qualifying as first in their European Group (which included beating Bayern twice and Juventus!). I will admit that I don’t know much about Diarra career before Bordeaux other than the fact that he was somewhat of a late bloomer, having unsuccessful stints at Bayern, Liverpool and Lyon before finding success under Blanc at Bordeaux (though I think he had 1-2 successful seasons at Lens at some point). He has played for the French National team since 2004, but he has only accumulated 24 caps (and 13 of them are substitute appearances), so he is hardly a staple of the first team. Alou’s leadership skills which he displays well at Bordeaux have also failed to translate over to the national team. His persona at Bordeaux is vastly different from his personality when he plays for France. One French sports correspondent described the difference:
I am not convinced by Alou Diarra team in France while I am convinced by Alou Diarra Girondins de Bordeaux. One has the impression that he is shy, he is always holding back. With Girondins, he is aggressive in all his actions. One has the impression that he is reining himself in, even when he is performing well. With Bordeaux, against Juventus, he was enormous despite the complicated (high pressure) context. Then, he was enormous in the second leg in Munich. There is a difference that I cannot explain between Bordeaux’s Alou Diarra and that of the national team. The seasons have passed and he still cannot reproduce [it] here.
Until Alou steps up on the French team and gets himself in a position to regularly hold on to his position with the National Squad, he probably won’t be a serious contender. Which is a pity really because I think he is a fantastic captain for Bordeaux.
There are a few other less controversial contenders– Toulalan and Patrice Evra– who are excellent players and seem like great guys, but they don’t scream LEADERSHIP to me.
Patrice is known as a joker– he seems more comfortable clowning around with his teammates than pushing them to be better.
Toulalan has been throwing me through a loop recently– I’ve always thought of him as a constant calm, even keeled player. But, he has been demonstrating some erratic behavior as of late. A few weeks ago he apparently had to be restrained from attacking his Lyon coach, Puel. Apparently he was insulted by being ordered to “keep it simple” in the midfield and instead of keeping a cool head, angrily retorting that “Just because you [Puel] never knew how to dribble doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it.” I can only imagine what he thinks of Domenech.
Did I miss anyone? Does anyone want to make a case for Ribery or one of the younger squad members?
Abidal has worn the armband a few times, if I’m not mistaken. Not sure of his leadership qualities, but he does have ample experience in the game and several years with the France team.
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Great blog!
“somewhat flawed” — LOL! Had to laugh at your understatement re the very complicated boy that is Hatem. Very frustrating to see him waste his amazing talents by refusing to get his attitude in check.
You’ve actually got THREE Arsenal-related contenders because Govou played for Arsenal for a short while (and scored a fantastic title-winning goal v. Man Utd at OT). And I love watching Gallas give Nani the runaround too. 
On the captain issue…I don’t think strikers or any attacking players make good candidates for captains. I’ve never heard any gooner say Henry was a great captain, he simply wasn’t. The best candidates are defenders and defensive midfielders. They see the game in its totality, unlike forwards. I don’t think Henry’s a good captain for the national team either. Govou’s personality may make him a better candidate but I’d still prefer to have a defensive player in that role. As to Govou’s drinking problem, well Arsenal’s best captain in the last 20 or more years was an alcoholic, Tony Adams (a defender).
As to Anelka, I’ve always thought his so-called moodiness was exaggerated. And his trouble at Arsenal came when he was 18, having traveled outside his country for the first time, didn’t know the language, and he was listening to his 2 older brothers for advice (and they had no understanding of football, they just wanted to get him more money). He has definitely matured, I think he can provide leadership qualities on the pitch, I just don’t think he’s captain material.
BTW, great Anelka story I once heard: a gooner (an ordinary fan) was invited to a table at a restaurant where the following were all sitting: Henry, Pires, Petit, Vieira, Govou and I think 1 or 2 other French players. He wrote about the experience in a fanzine and said that he stayed quiet for most of the conversation but at one point got the nerve to ask “who’s the best French player?” Until then he’d said they were having a lively conversation and often disagreed with each other. But in answer to his question, they all piped up without hesitation and all at once: “Anelka!”
As for Gallas…I’m not one of those gooners who trashed him for his public comments criticizing his teammates. I think the content of his comments about several of his Arsenal teammates was absolutely correct, he just shouldn’t have gone public with them. Gallas was rightly upset at teammates who just weren’t showing up, he saw there were serious problems in the dressing room and identified them in public.
It’s also important to remember that Gallas was actually a pretty damned good captain for most of his first season wearing the armband (07-08). Until the Birmingham game in February of 08, there were no complaints about him as captain. He was showing strong organizing and leadership abilities in a season in which Arsenal led the PL for 7 months (and had Europe’s best midfield). Gallas’ problem is that he feels too much, too intensely, he took the job of captain TOO seriously and TOO emotionally. His famous tantrum at the Birmingham game (which was hugely exaggerated in the English press, people who were actually at the game thought nothing of it) was something I totally identified with. Emotionally, I was right there with him. But it showed just how much he allows his emotions get to him.
BUT, he’s matured since then. He’s learned from the experience. It was the first time he’d been captain of any team and just took it all too personally and too emotionally. But he’s learned from that and has shown a great deal maturity since.
Gallas is a very intense character and he gets angry when players don’t show the proper respect and seriousness toward winning. Since he lost the armband, he’s been a superb defender and continued to show strong organizing skills at the back. His partnership with Vermaelen has been excellent. He has little patience with the immaturity, arrogance and lack of focus/commitment from the younger players. I think the young players deserve to be barracked every once in awhile, the way Adams did. Henry isn’t strong enuf to do that.
^^Sidney Govou never played for Arsenal or scored any title winning goals in OT against United.
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That was Wiltord, I believe, who then went to play for Lyon in the wide right spot for a season or two.
Sarah’s list of qualities is compelling, but there’s one that I think is more important than any she listed: the player has to be an automatic first-choice. That would disqualify Alou and Sidney, and leave us with Anelka and Gallas. Gallas would be the obvious choice, I think; but all of this pre-supposes that Pat Vieira won’t be forcing his way back into the France team – I think he might.
The stuff on Alou Diarra is really interesting. We have a Girondin staying with us this weekend. I’ll get his take on Alou and get back to you (he’s still asleep).
Our Girondin guest (Manu) pretty much backs up Sarah’s account, although he describes Alou as being a reliable Bordeaux player more than an outstanding player. He justifies Alou’s poor performances for France by claiming that everyone who plays for France plays worse than for his club, but admits that Alou does seem especially timid when he plays for France, and that it might stem back to the 2006 World Cup final when he came on for injured Pat Vieira. According to Manu, in that match, no one would pass to Alou, and Alou still might be affected by that.
http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/news/newsid=1140824.html#jacquet+criticises+domenech
Read this everyone.
Oops, I totally spaced out for a moment and confused Govou with Wiltord!
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How old is Anelka?
30
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I’ll make an argument for a new player. If Lloris continues on his current track. By the time Henry retires he could be perfect. I don’t know how well GK captains do, but I do believe he has the mantality.
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oliver khan was good captain. barthez was also good
Anelka doesn’t play enough to really be captain and isn’t that much younger than Henry. I like Gallas a lot but he’s actually the same age as Thierry so if we’re talking post-Henry captain then we probably need to look elsewhere.
Given the options right now I’d vote for Toulalan. He’s a regular starter, a midfielder and really seems to set up the team well. I wish he was a little more creative but maybe I’m just missing Zinedine still. Maybe in 4 years Gourcuff will be ready to lead the team with a World Cup under his belt.
after wc 2010 team
—————-lloris————-
corchia–squillaci–mexes–abidal(c)
—————toulalan————-
ribery——–gourcuff———menez
——–gignac——–benzema——–
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@Thomas: Maybe you are right about Anelka– I will admit that I’m not convinced since he has never captained a team before. It just seems like a lot of pressure to put on someone with so little experience in this area. He could be a huge success or crash and burn.
@Frederic: You were absolutely right. According to the FFF, Abidal was the captain during the friendly against Turkey in June when Henry was injured and in 2007 against Morocco when Thuram was subbed out. I don’t know much about his personality except that he seemed to be well liked by his teammates both at Lyon and Barcelona.
@Sandrahn: Re: Gallas — I agree that I love Gallas’s heart and passion for the game, but when you are managing people you have to adapt your motivation strategies if the first strategy clearly isn’t working. Not all people respond to his type of leadership and “conflict resolution” positively- and it can actually make people unmotivated and frustrated. Another tiny thing that bothers me about him is his obsession with respect- especially about the younger generation showing respect to the older generation- it almost comes off as an insecurity to me. It just seems like he is trying to create a power dynamic actually fractures the team (along generation lines) rather than promoting team unity. That said, I think he is a great informal leader and you need people like him on any team (I’m just not sure if they should be the formal leader). I don’t think the captain has to be friends with everyone, but I do think they have to be able to get along. I’m sure he has learned from the experience, but at the end of the day a lot of this is just who he is.
Re: Anelka – I’m sure his behavior was exaggerated and there are a million players who act the same way and don’t get the media attention he received. But even Wenger has said that his impatience was his undoing in the early parts of his career– and Wenger hardly ever criticizes his players (even past players). Clearly he made some bad professional decisions and he was not getting the best advice from the people he trusted most (his family). I’m thrilled he seems to have mellowed out a bit and seems much more flexible. I always feel bad for young players who are completely misunderstood and misrepresented by the press– I think their “arrogance” and “impatience” is actually a normal reaction for any perfectionist put under that much pressure, but because they are so young they don’t know how to express it in a health way. Great story, thanks for sharing! Clearly that was before Ben Arfa came on the scene though.
@Jeff: Re: Viera – Hmm, interesting point about Viera. I don’t watch Serie A, but I have seen a few articles about him staying at Inter to “fight” for his place. If he can’t play regularly in the next 4-6 months than there is no way he will go to the WC. If he doesn’t go to this WC then I think he is out– too old and not enough playing time (I know, blasphemous words!). I know Henry wants him in the squad so maybe he will get chosen for that reason, but Domenech seems to be holding out…
Re: A. Diarra – interesting story about the World Cup final. Did he indicate the reason why no one would pass the ball to him? You housemate is right that Alou is more of a consistent player than a flashy player, but in Bordeaux’s last two games against Bayern and Juventus I was really impressed.
@Jean-Francois: Lloris is a really timid guy- Patrice Evra just recently gave an interview where he disclosed that the team needs Hugo to be more vocal. I think that if a goalkeeper is the captain, he has to be really loud and aggressive– such as Olive Khan or Casillas. I also wouldn’t say he is an automatic choice– he has a lot of competition from Mandanda.
@Jason: Re: Anelka – Anelka has been playing well and consistently for France for this WC Qualification, but I do think that perhaps we should look at slightly younger candidates to avoid high turn-over in the captain’s position (old age=more likely to be injured, less likely to hold your position and more likely to retire). Having a consistent captain for several years helps to reduce the chaos.
Re: Toulalan: Personally, I think Toulalan is too timide to be a really great captain. I also think he is going to lose his place to Moussa Sissokho soon.
Re: Gourcuff: I don’t think that Gourcuff has the right personality to be a captain– I always hear his personality described at being very “Breton” (a reference to where he is from- Bretagne). I think this means that he is somewhat reserved, cold and aloof– and he has described himself as having a bad temper and really bitter. Lucky for him he has such a sweet looking face to hide those things behind. But, he could grow and evolve.
@Michel-Olivier: I refuse to agree with any post-WC2010 France team that doesn’t have Ben Arfa in it. I would also like to see Cheyrou and Valbuena called up as well. And Nasri might be playing well enough to get a first team position as well too. What about Patrice Evra- he is only 28.
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I’ve got to go with Anelka. He was spectacular last season and has been good this season as well (don’t forget his 3 champions league goals), and his maturation as a player is extremely impressive. Honestly, I don’t think Govou and A Diarra are even close to qualified for the position. They both are/should be fringe players on the National Team and nothing more. Anelka beats out Gallas with Toulalan the second best choice.
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