France train young guns on Kaunas

Friday, 23 March 2007
by Christian Châteletfrom Paris
The absence of six key players for Saturday's Group B game in Lithuania has given France a chance to call up a raft of exciting young prospects.
Absent starsThe loss of the quality of Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Franck Ribéry, Louis Saha, Mikaël Silvestre and David Trezeguet would be a catastrophe for most European sides, but France coach Raymond Domenech is taking the opportunity to cast his net wider.
Young hopefulsInto his squad for the weekend qualifier - and Wednesday's friendly against Austria - come Olympique de Marseille's 19-year-old Samir Nasri, Chelsea FC's 22-year-old Lassana Diarra, Arsenal FC's 20-year-old Abou Diaby and Olympique Lyonnais' 19-year-old Karim Benzema. "Being selected was the last thing I expected," said Diaby. "First I felt euphoria, followed by a little bit of apprehension, but I have been welcomed into the fold. It's a great thing just to talk with players like Lilian Thuram or Claude Makelele." Diarra added: "I'm ready to play of course, but just being here is awesome."
Late bloomerDomenech's untried talents are not solely youngsters. At 28, AS Monaco FC's on-loan forward Frédéric Piquionne had all but given up hope of international recognition - until he saw the squad. "I never even got a provisional call-up or youth cap," he said. "I was in a cold sweat when I saw my name on the list on television, then the phone started ringing." Whether Piquionne gets to play against Lithuania is a big question. Nicolas Anelka is the favourite to start in place of Henry and Trezeguet, and Benzema may partner him. "I'm sure I can play and I'm prepared for that," said the teenager.
'They are good enough'Nasri could also get the nod. A natural No10, he has been touted as the new Zinédine Zidane - like 'Zizou' he hails from the Marseille suburbs. However, he is wary of treading the French hero's footsteps. "Zidane suffered from being compared to Michel Platini," he said. "I don't want that pressure. Zidane is Zidane. I am Samir Nasri." Not a name familiar around the world, yet Domenech insists he knows what to do with all his new arrivals against Lithuania. "I roughly know who will start," he said. "We can only put 18 names on the team-sheet but if I selected them, it's because they are good enough and have a lot to offer." The chance to prove that comes in Kaunas.Additional reporting by Eric Frosio
©uefa.com 1998-2007. All rights reserved.