Coupet or Barthez

February 16th, 2006 | by: Chriso |

According to a poll for FranceFootball 69% of French football fans want Gregory Coupet of Lyon to remain the starting goalkeeper for France in the World Cup, with only 28% plumping for Fabien Barthez going between the sticks.

Coupet was in the French squad at the last World Cup but Barthez has been number one at least since France 98 , until he lost the position last year while serving a long suspension.
France conceded only two goals in ten qualifiers so are defensively sound and it would be hard for the coach to change a solid keeper especially for one as eccentric as Barthez.

I watched a bit of the Bolton 0-0 Marseille UEFA cup game last night and while Barthez is a good goalkeeper and a really colourful character you always think he’s capable of dropping a clanger.
Last year he said ‘there are not many seasons left for me, I’ll call a halt in 2006. From all football’. If he spent his time in Germany sitting on the bench I wonder if he’d go through with this.

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athenes65

As a Lyon supporter, I would prefer Coupet, he is a strong an reliable keeper but Fab as a big influence in the french team with the old guard.
The poll shows than the public is fed up with the controversial personnality of Barthez who is really arrogant and not such a role model compare to the clean personnality of Greg.
Anyway with one or the other we should have a decent goal keeper for the mundial.