France and England to Play Friendly Soccer Match
- 13 years ago
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England coach Fabio Capello and his French counterpart Laurent Blanc will both want to end a hugely disappointing year with a win on Wednesday. But they'll try to achieve their aims in different ways.
[Laurent Blanc, French Manager]:
"Yes, it would be nice to win. It's a friendly game so you don't have that absolute pressure of having to get a result that you get with a competitive international. But obviously, it's a prestigious occasion and England and France is a big game. It's always a big occasion. Obviously we want to win; we want to put in a good performance tomorrow night. The problem for us is England also want to do the same."
The friendly game at Wembley Stadium in London brings together two of the biggest under-achievers at the World Cup. It's also where France imploded in the group stage while England was eliminated in the last 16.
England has also improved with three wins and a draw in their four games since the World Cup. But Capello is far more inclined to experiment in Wednesday's game than Blanc is. He's called four players into his squad for the very first time.
[Laurent Blanc, French Manager]:
"It will be a hard fought game obviously and a tight game. I'd like to think we'll be able to work hard as a team but it'll also be nice to have the opportunity to analyze how each player copes with the situation."
Meanwhile the French players who took part in this year's World Cup will give their bonuses to amateur clubs. They also promised to give up their share of sponsorship revenue which is unrelated to performance.
[Florence Malouda, France Midfielder]:
"The players never asked for the money. It was just because it was not a priority for us. We knew we would keep our word and now it's done. It's a great thing for amateur football because for us, that is the same thing as a charity."
England coach Fabio Capello and his French counterpart Laurent Blanc will both want to end a hugely disappointing year with a win on Wednesday. But they'll try to achieve their aims in different ways.
[Laurent Blanc, French Manager]:
"Yes, it would be nice to win. It's a friendly game so you don't have that absolute pressure of having to get a result that you get with a competitive international. But obviously, it's a prestigious occasion and England and France is a big game. It's always a big occasion. Obviously we want to win; we want to put in a good performance tomorrow night. The problem for us is England also want to do the same."
The friendly game at Wembley Stadium in London brings together two of the biggest under-achievers at the World Cup. It's also where France imploded in the group stage while England was eliminated in the last 16.
England has also improved with three wins and a draw in their four games since the World Cup. But Capello is far more inclined to experiment in Wednesday's game than Blanc is. He's called four players into his squad for the very first time.
[Laurent Blanc, French Manager]:
"It will be a hard fought game obviously and a tight game. I'd like to think we'll be able to work hard as a team but it'll also be nice to have the opportunity to analyze how each player copes with the situation."
Meanwhile the French players who took part in this year's World Cup will give their bonuses to amateur clubs. They also promised to give up their share of sponsorship revenue which is unrelated to performance.
[Florence Malouda, France Midfielder]:
"The players never asked for the money. It was just because it was not a priority for us. We knew we would keep our word and now it's done. It's a great thing for amateur football because for us, that is the same thing as a charity."