French hopes rest on final encore from Zidane

PARIS, May 26: France's World Cup hopes rest heavily on the man who took them to the top, let them down and helped them out again.

Zinedine Zidane, the inspiration behind France's 1998 World Cup triumph on home soil and their European championship-winning campaign two years later, is an exceptional player who can turn a match around on his own when on song.

The problem is the great midfielder, who will celebrate his 34th birthday during the finals in Germany, is not getting any younger, has just announced he will retire at the end of the tournament and has looked rusty in below-par performances for Real Madrid over recent months.

France became ordinary after the gifted son of Algerian immigrants shelved his international career following France's quarter-final exit from Euro 2004.

With the team he once graced struggling to qualify for the finals, he returned in August last year, along with defender Lilian Thuram and midfielder Claude Makelele.

The lacklustre qualifying campaign improved slightly towards the end courtesy of the old guard and France won their ticket to Germany. But the troubles soon returned.

EMBARRASSING DEFEAT France narrowly avoided defeat by Costa Rica in Martinique in November, fighting back to clinch a 3-2 success after having been two goals down at the break.

Then came an embarrassing 2-1 home defeat by Slovakia in March that cast serious doubt on the quality of a team who stubbornly claim they can become world champions again.

That defeat was the first for coach Raymond Domenech since he took over in the wake of the Euro 2004 debacle.

A defiant Domenech refused to be downcast despite the setback and sounded confident that France could avoid a repeat of their calamitous run at the 2002 World Cup, which they left after the group stage without winning a match or scoring a goal.

''This is the kind of game that helps you prepare for the future,'' Domenech said. ''I'm certain that this match was good for us''.

Others, starting with former captain Marcel Desailly, would be surprised if France were to shine on the pitches of Germany.

''I'm kind of pessimistic for Les Bleus,'' the now retired Desailly said last month.

''There are new talents in the squad but they still need to gain confidence. They have great potential but they still need to learn how to cope with the pressure. They all belong to great clubs but the World Cup is the most demanding event. You can never take anything for granted there.'' The fact that Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet, who keep scoring for Arsenal and Juventus respectively, often fail to do so while playing for France is Domenech's main concern.

The pair need ammunition and it remains to be seen whether a tired Zidane can give them what they need.

Domenech ignored the creative players who could replace Zidane in midfield, such as Robert Pires and Werder Bremen's Johan Micoud, neither of whom made the squad.

Not only Zidane but also other stalwarts of the great French side of old, notably Juventus midfielder and former France captain Patrick Vieira, appear to be past their prime.

If they can all rise to the occasion once more and live up to their reputation, France might go a long way.

Otherwise, Les Bleus should manage to survive Group G, also featuring Switzerland, South Korea and debutants Togo, but could be sent packing soon after.

REUTERS