Nice-Première: What do you think of the list of 23 and the choice of Barthez as number 1?
Brice, Saint Etienne supporter: I find this list quite good, especially with the inclusion of Ribéry. My only disappointment is the non-selection of Anelka! He had been very good in the recent selections, and he wasn’t chosen. I would have seen him in place of Cissé.
In midfield, unfortunately, we can’t take everyone, and Giuly, Micoud, Pires… remain on the sidelines… It’s a pity!
In defense, the surprise Chimbonda! I was surprised at first, but after thinking about it, I believe there aren’t many options for that position. He was voted the best player in his position, so why not!
As for the goalkeepers, there was no surprise for me, Barthez has the experience, he has the advantage of having played with many in defense, and is one of the pillars of this selection.
Aymeric, Lille supporter: For me, the big surprise was the non-selection of Nicolas Anelka! I think he made a significant contribution in the last matches and is much more valuable than Cissé or Saha… I am also surprised that Domenech selected players like Anelka or Clerc in recent months only not to retain them and take players never tried before (Ribery, Chimbonda).
Regarding the goalkeepers, it’s a detail, and I don’t even see why it was necessary to announce who would be the starting one, but I would have preferred Coupet. Barthez is hit or miss, an exceptional match or a disaster…
Manu, goalkeeper of FC Carros: I find the list quite balanced. There are the undeniable starters on one side and players who will be happy to be there on the other, knowing they will play little or not at all. They will be ready at any moment to replace a starter. They won’t be there to sulk because they are not playing but to help France win the World Cup! It’s useless to take Micoud or Pires just to not play them. Raymond Domenech is right to leave them at home!
Regarding Barthez, I find it normal that he is the starting goalkeeper. He has many more arguments in his favor than Coupet. He has much more experience in major international competitions than Coupet. He also has a very big influence on the players of this team, but also on his opponents: an attacker will be more impressed facing Barthez than Coupet because he is more renowned. He is one of the rare goalkeepers to have already won one out of two duels just by his presence in front of the goal scorer. One duel out of two is won by talent and sometimes by chance!
Gaëlle, coach of OGCN women: For the list, I would have taken one more midfielder like Guily instead of a defender like Sylvestre, Réveillère instead of Gallas, and a pure striker instead of Dorhasoo like Anelka. But it’s true that these, Guily and Anelka, have strong characters and could have disturbed the group if they did not play.
Otherwise Barthez is undoubtedly the number 1. He’s a keeper for big events even if Coupet had a better season. The number one goalkeeper for the French team is Barthez.
