France Sans Zidane Need a New Attacking Vision

Some two hours before the kick-off in Zurich, a group of about 100 France fans were chanting loudly outside the Letzigrund. Then an equally boisterous Romanian mob arrived and a sing-off ensued. Both choirs were giving as good as they got until the Romanians nonplussed Les Bleus by breaking into a melodious rendition of ''Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques, dormez-vous? Dormez vous?" The surprising lullaby hushed the French into submission and set the tone for what was to follow in the stadium - including on the pitch.

France were subdued and uncertain, particularly in the first half. And Romania did not have to be anything more than compact and disciplined to stifle Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema, the duo they dreaded the most. France often begin tournaments sluggishly - that's the price they pay for having players who hook up with the national team on the back of seasons with big clubs who've been competing on many fronts all the way to the end.

Not that Florent Malouda can claim to be jaded after his in-and-out season at Chelsea. He and Eric Abidal were perhaps the most lackluster of Les Bleus in the first half, the full-back making virtually no effort to even get into the opposing half. Indeed, with Claude Makelele off the pace and Ribery struggling to get into the game, only Jeremy Toulalan injected dynamism into the French midfield, though that was still not enough to prevent a yawning gap appearing between France's defence and attack - with the result that they really only created chances when long balls from Willy Sagnol to Nicolas Anelka caught the Romanian defence off guard. Even then, Anelka's sloppy finishing spared them.

You could argue that another reason for France's lack of menace compared to the talent available to them is the fact that international footbal no longer attracts the best managers. Raymond Domenech is certainly not the brightest of French visionaries. But, in fairness to Domenech, he recognized the failings of his team tonight and clearly instructed Les Bleus to be more assertive in the second half. They increased the tempo and both Sagnol and Abidal began to offer options going forward. You still had the impression that William Gallas and Lilian Thuram's refusal to carry the ball out of defence (as Laurent Blanc used to do) forced Makelele and Toulalan to constantly retreat deeper than they would otherwise have needed, but that is the sacrifice you make when you choose that defensive pairing. In return, they give solidity: for all the nimble work of Mutu and the impressive Banel Nicolita, Romania never truly troubled Gregory Coupet.

Domenech could still have done more to lift his team. Introducing Bafe Gomis was wise, since his zest and power could be expected to shake things up, though, as it transpired, he could get no more change out of the diligent Romanian centre-backs than Anelka had done. Despite Abidal's slight improvement, Patrice Evra should have been deployed down the left. And Samir Nasri should have come on before the 77th minute - and in place of Malouda rather than Benzema. Indeed, the longer the game wore on, the more likely a strategic Romanian sucker punch looked.

This was the first post-Zidane tournament - the first time France have played without a play maker. They did not achieve the tempo and cohesion that would make their new style work. Nasri may be raw but his creative capacity could have helped make the link. The other thing that will help is time. But with Holland and Italy coming up, France don't have much of that.