This is a series of nine, short posts that will be synthesized into one article for World Soccer Reader.
| Team | GP | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| Serbia | 7 | 18 |
| France | 8 | 14 |
| Austria | 7 | 10 |
Group 7
This group seems to have sorted itself out thanks to France’s inability to get three points in Saint-Denis from a Romanian team that was playing without Adrian Mutu and whose only goal came off of French defender Julien Escudé. The 1-1 final saw the French miss out on a number of scoring chances, which has pretty much been their modus operandi throughout the tournament.
In almost every match they’ve played in qualifying, the French have looked the superior team, which makes their standing in the table all the more inexplicable. They have only lost one, yet they have yet to win a match by more than one goal, posted three consecutive 1-0 wins coming into the Romania match. Were it not for Escudé’s intervention, this match would have likely ended that way, too.
For all the talent (and they have loads), France seems to have little appetite for doing the dirty work, making the sacrifices that lead to goals. They have only nine goals in seven qualifiers, despite being able to constantly generate chances. But those chances are always isolated: one player’s individual effort leading to a shot from 18 meters. There is no method, no reliable tactic, no teamwork that can replicate opportunities. They are getting by on talent alone, but they have nobody with the talent for doing the dirty work.
A nation with Thierry Henry, Franck Ribery, Karim Benzema, Yoann Gourcuff, and Andre-Pierre Gignac should not have these problems, but because of them the French are unlikely to catch the Serbs and are one of the nations that other playoff entrants will find utterly beatable when the final four UEFA invitations are given out.
