France-Greece Friendly, November 15

Les Bleus’ next qualifying match isn’t till March, so next up they will be playing a friendly on November 15 against Greece. It’s being billed as the great match-up between the two most recent European champions — France in ‘00, Greece in ‘04.

Okay…

Don’t get me wrong. Any day Les Bleus play is a good day in my book. And did I read that Zizou was going to attend? Or maybe that was just a pleasant dream. Whatever. Even the possibility of Zidane getting dragged out of his hermit-hole of retirement would move it far beyond “a good day” in my book.

But honestly. Is there really a point to pulling the players from the middle of their Club seasons and putting their finely-tuned-machines at risk to play a friendly in November? (Lyon, home of nine Bleus at last count, has games on the 10th and 18th, as well as a Champions League game against Real Madrid on the 21st.)

Is this just one last opportunity to cash in on World Cup Fever this year? (And if so…well…Greece?) Or maybe it’s that Coach Domenech wants to try out a bunch of new players, and after he tests them out he’ll need the next four months to run their astrological charts and do whatever it is he does with his tarot cards to see if he can put them on the team. Eh?

(Seriously, though, I am greatly anticipating seeing his picks for this game. If he’s making some post-World Cup changes, now would be the time. Who’s in? And more interestingly, who’s out?)

But back to the point. Maybe the game is just one more chance for Domenech to joyride with the Makelele Mercedes, the Coupet Corvette, the Ribery Rolls, the Thuram Turbo, the Henry…uh…uhh…

(And Laurie’s delightful Exercise in Alliteration comes to a screeching, crashing halt due to the fact that the “H” in Henry is silent.)