France takes on Serbia in a must win match in Saint-Denis on Wednesday. Following a disastrous 3-1 hammering at the hands of Austria anything less than three point will be disastrous for France's 2010 qualifying campaign. With the likes of Romania coming up, this game is make or break not only for the French team but also for coach Raymond Domenech who's been in the line of fire following a disappointing Euro.
Domench, as he has done many times in the past, has raised some eyebrows with his team selction. For the match against Serbia, it appears midfielder Samir Nasri as well as defenders Phillippe Mexes and Patrice Evra will be dropped in place of relatively unknown Yoann Gourcuff and Arsenal defender Gael Clichy as well as a return for Eric Abidal.
As much as the players are facing heat from the media and fans, Domenech is getting the worst of it as he is on thin ice with the French football federation who have advised Domenech qualify for South Africa or else.
Domench appears to be doing everything and anything to change things up with this team, which appears to be still suffering an identity crisis following the retirement of Zizou after the '06 World Cup.
While things look grim at the moment in France, Domenech is quick to point out that there is a long road ahead, “Qualification is achieved over a series of matches. There is one coming on Wednesday against Serbia and we will have to be ready...We will have to fight until the end.”
It may however take more than that to keep Domenech around as he has been blasted from every side of the spectrum, and it appears to be only a matter of time before he is guillotined and sent packing.
Serbia goes into the game full of confidence following a 2-0 win over the Faroe Islands and will look to crush the World Cup 2006 Runners-up.
The French squad will be relying on a capacity crowd to help turn they're fortunes around. “We will need the fans behind us,” said goalkeeper Steve Mandana. “I don’t know what kind of reception we will get. But we hope the whole stadium gets behind us, because we need the 12th man.”
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