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Euro 2012: Yoann Gourcuff Left out of France’s Final 23-Man Roster
Published: May 29, 2012
Blanc announced his the list, which had previously been 25, on Tuesday morning, the deadline for making final changes.
Gourcuff had been a controversial initial selection to the list of 26, having battled injury and struggling to find his form throughout the just-finished domestic campaign. He'd made just 13 league appearances and was not featured in France's decisive final qualifying fixtures back in October.
It was a perfect encapsulation of the difficulty he'd faced when, in Lyon's penultimate L1 match against Ajaccio, Gourcuff was sent off for an untoward tussle with defender Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi. That expulsion caused the Lyon No. 8 to miss Les Gones' final game of the season at a time when he needed games the most.
Gourcuff had hired a personal trainer, but when he started last Sunday against Iceland in the first of France's three friendlies ahead of the Euros, he looked a man shorn of both confidence and match fitness.
That razor-sharp technical acumen that once made Gourcuff the toast of French football was nonexistent, save for a couple well-whipped crosses sent into the penalty area from the right wing.
He looked a step slow and committed far too many fouls operating in holding midfield position behind Samir Nasri, who was granted more freedom to roam. When Gourcuff made way for Franck Ribery in the 75th minute, he left the Stade du Hainaut pitch to a dastardly chorus of boos.
Girard, ever the astute tactician and not one to rush to conclusions, noted correctly that the criticism of Gourcuff, which was shared by the French media in its appraisa...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football
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