The Vieira dilemma
So, it’s official, well sort of.
Patrick Vieira will miss the Romania game, that much is sure. It was recently announced on major French media sports sites.
But what about the rest of the tournament? Domenech is keeping his cards close to his chest–and he can. No decision has to be made until June 8th, the eve of France’s first game.
In the meantime, Mathieu Flamini has been drafted in to train with the squad and is in line to replace Vieira.
Before we go any further, I would like to write a disclaimer of sorts, call it the Flamini factor!
The following is in no way a critique of Flams, I’ve said it before, I think he should be first choice not 4th or 5th as he currently is. I just intend to try and be as realistic as possible…
Ok, so Pat’s out and we don’t know if he’ll regain his fitness. Some might say “leave him in the squad to get fit, he can still be a very good player”, while others will justifiably exclaim, “good riddance! he should never have been included in the first place, he’s past it!”. Indeed, getting injured could be a blessing in disguise for us. It would force to Domenech to look elsewhere to replace the ageing Vieira and it allows Flamini to get into the squad.
I think this is a delicate situation with a number of different angles…
For all his recent injuries, Vieira did prove at the close of the Serie A season that he can still contribute. He was involved, he scored some goals. He started Inter’slast 6 league games, went 90 minutes in all 6, scored 2 goals and had 3 assists. He also started the Coppa D’Italia final and went the full 90. So, that’s 7 games of 90 minutes, and he was productive: one of those 2 goals and all 3 assists aided Inter to victories. The other goal in that 7 game span helped secure a draw. I think we can say, if he’s fit, he can make a difference. And , it seems he can last a full 90, which has been a concern of mine in the past.
But, we know that’s a big if. Domenech, being the (overtly?) loyal manager that he is, seems intent on allowing Pat to get fit. Should he though? Is his faith misplaced? Are we better off having Flams come into the squad and compete for minutes? After all, he had a great, great, year for Arsenal. We know he’s in top form!
I think this is where my disclaimer comes in…I don’t think Flamini should be in the squad come June 8th. Even if Vieira still isn’t fit.
Of course, if there’s no chance of Vieira regaining his fitness before the Holland game on June 13th, then I acquiesce. However, if he can prove he’s fit in time for that match, and subsequently the Italy crunch, then I think he should have his place in the team.
Yes, it’s a risk. We risk losing him for the entire tournament. We risk not having the quality of Flamini.
Some players are the worth the risk.
Part of me feels he can still bring something, whether it’s determination, leadership, or his natural ability. Of course he has to be fit to deliver those skills. But what’s Flamini going to bring? An extra warm-up jump suit? ‘Cause that’s all he’ll be wearing if he gets included in this squad. That’s where my real problem with this lies. We know Domenech, he’s made his choice, he knows his hierarchy. And that order goes something like this: Vieira/Maks, then Toulalan, then Diarra, then Flamini. Who’s going to start alongside Makelele on June 9th? Toulalan or Diarra, I think most of us agree on that one. It’s perhaps different to whom I want to start, but hey, I don’t think Raymond reads this blog!
If Flamini were really in line for a start or some serious minutes, then I’d be all for him having his place. But let’s face it, the Romania game is a must win so Doms will go with what he’s comfortable with. The next 2 games are going to be insanely tough so again it will be about the “system” and not about giving players a go because they had a good domestic season. And then what? Quarterfinals? More pressure, more of what Doms feels good with.
If Vieira can deliver like he did towards the end of the Serie A season then I think he can still make difference.
But that, I guess, is the Vieira dilemma.
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Tonight is the final warm-up game for France. It comes against Colombia, at the Stade de France. The South Americans are coming off a 1-0 loss to Ireland last week. We should learn a lot about what Doms is thinking, notably who he will partner alongside Maks. I wonder if Flamini will get much beyond a few minutes. After the 0-0 draw with Paraguay i think we all would feel a lot better if we banged a few goals in! Certainly if some of our forwards (Henry, Benzema, Anelka) could get on track. Another clean sheet wouldn’t be bad for morale either, especially considering we were already boosted by the fact we allowed the least amount of goals in all the European Qualifying (5, along with the Czechs and the Dutch). Let’s hope for a good performance! Allez Les Bleus!!!
–Stéphane F.
