SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - France train ahead of their World Cup clash against Uruguay

Record ID: 453840

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - France train ahead of their World Cup clash against Uruguay
  • Date: 11th June 2010
  • Summary: KNYSNA, SOUTH AFRICA (JUNE 10, 2010) (REUTERS BUS CARRYING FRENCH PLAYERS AT TRAINING GROUND FRANCE COACH RAYMOND DOMENECH DISEMBARKING FROM BUS PHOTOGRAPHERS PLAYERS DISEMBARKING FROM BUS PLAYERS WALKING ON PITCH FORWARDS THIERRY HENRY AND FRANCK RIBERY WALKING PLAYERS GATHERED ON PITCH DOMENECH PLAYING WITH BALL VARIOUS OF FORWARD NICOLAS ANELKA TAKING FREE KICK WITH RUGBY BALL MIDFIELDER YOANN GOURCUFF TRAINING TEAM JOGGING ON PITCH VARIOUS OF PLAYERS DOING WARM-UP EXERCISES GOURCUFF AND TEAM MATES WARMING UP PLAYERS ON TRAINING GROUND MORE OF GOURCUFF WARMING UP VARIOUS OF GOALKEEPER HUGO LLORIS TRAINING VIEW OF TRAINING GROUND
  • Embargoed: 26th June 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA6G8T0T6ENMRT0FM25JYCY8ZK4
  • Story Text: France held their final training session at their training ground in Knysna, South Africa on Thursday (June 10) before flying off to Cape Town later in the day.
    France, the 2006 finalists, come into their opening match against Uruguay on Friday (June 11) after an unimpressive warm-up campaign culminating in a 1-0 defeat by China.
    Coach Raymond Domenech, who has long laboured under a cloud of fan and media doubt, has sprung something of a surprise for his farewell party by introducing an attacking 4-3-3 system in recent games.
    While the new approach has succeeded in shaking off some of his side's reputation for dull play it has also exposed them defensively.
    It hardly seems the ideal time to start experimenting and Domenech, with little time to hone the new tactics, picked the same outfield starters in all three friendlies in an effort to speed up the process.
    The three front runners are effectively two wingers and a striker with Nicolas Anelka being preferred to Thierry Henry.
    Following the match against Uruguay, France face Mexico in Polokwane on June 17 and South Africa in Bloemfontein on June 22.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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