Former France defender Frank Lebouef says watching Les Bleus and England at Euro 2024 has been “boring” and hopes both countries lose in the semi-finals.
Lebouef, who won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship in a glittering playing career, has been unimpressed with both teams’ approach in Germany.
France, who play Spain in Munich tonight, have mustered just three goals en route to the last four – two own goals and a Kylian Mbappe penalty – while England have managed five but not shown any attacking fluency.
Lebouef told Get French Football News: “Deep down of course I support France, but for the sake of football, I want the final to be Spain versus the Netherlands.
“Spain and Germany proved that it’s possible to play another way, and the Netherlands changed their style after the group stage – it’s a different team now. Okay they suffered in their last match, but they played football. And it’s interesting to see that some countries are able to play offensively.
“Yes, you need a defensive structure, I’ve no issue with that and Didier Deschamps is the perfect example of that way of thinking.”
🥁 Introducing your final four…
🇪🇸 Spain
🇫🇷 France
🇳🇱 Netherlands
🏴 EnglandWho wins it? 🤔#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/vkQOd2Yb0x
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) July 6, 2024
📰 Table Of Contents
No ‘alchemy’ in France or England line-ups
Lebouef believes both Deschamps and Gareth Southgate are guilty of trying to shoehorn their best players into a starting XI rather than picking their best team.
He added: “The difference between club and international football is that there has always been the challenge to find the alchemy with players who come into the international team but don’t have time to work together.
“That’s the job of the international manager – to work out who is capable of playing with whom. And I’m sorry but Gareth Southgate, he doesn’t know how. He is incapable of changing his team, he doesn’t know how to find that alchemy. And it’s his job.”
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Do what Jacquet did!
Lebouef cited France’s World Cup triumph 26 years ago as an example of a team being selected over individual brilliance.
“In 1996, Aime Jacquet didn’t pick either Eric Cantona or David Ginola,” he said. “You’ll need to ask him why, there must have been a reason as they were the two best players in England. But they weren’t in the France squad and they weren’t picked in 1998 and we became world champions.
“That’s the challenge of the international manager. Taking the best current players, the ones who cost the most money is easy. I could also be England coach and say I’ll take [Bukayo] Saka, [Phil] Foden, Jude Bellingham, [Harry] Kane.
“But to say, listen Foden, Jude Bellingham plays like this so I can’t play you as it won’t work out, so I’m going to play Anthony Gordon on the left because that will work with Bellingham, that’s the international coach’s job – it’s not just to take the biggest names.
“Okay, England are in the semis, if they win the Euros everyone will be happy because England has won nothing since 1966, it’s great for England. But God it’s boring! We’re so bored! The same with France. And yet we keep Deschamps because we win.”
England take on the Netherlands in Dortmund tomorrow night.
