Zidane out of International Retirement???

whiskeyman

I think it will be better for the us with ZZ back.
It's gonna put the French under huge pressure to perform and we will relish the chance to play against their (supposed) strongest side.
We always seem to play better against the best opposite... and Landsdowne is good for these sort of matches!
It has to look as demoralising to the current team if he has to come out or retirement to "save thing" too (as mentioned already here).

thejollyrodger

ZIZU is past his best. France are in serious sh1te and I dont think he will be able to pull the strings like the France of old. Still its going to make for a cracking match but I think we should win.

~Rebel~

Yeah I agree with WhiskeyMan that it could well prove to be to our advantage.
Firstly, the way France have been playing we were looking to be favourites going into that game thusputting a lot of expectation on our team - and you know how Ireland copes with being the favourite and high expectancy? Not very well! This lifts a lot of the expectancy and kinda puts France back as favourites. I have a feeling Ireland will lift their game accordingly and get at least the draw.

Secondly, while Zidane and Makalele definately improve the team, they haven't played in the french setup in a year and have only 1 friendly against poor opposition before facing us so prob wont have that same unity they had before when they get to us. Not only does this help us in that we're playing a team unfamilier with the way they'll play (some of the players will not have played much with the 2lads due to all the replacements that have come in) but they Will be better after they play us, every game together will count, so we could rob the points before the backlash starts and they take max points off the other major teams leaving us both as the leaders, which suits me! I def want Ireland and France to be the 2 that get through.

Finally there could be a bit of unrest in the team for a while seeing as a lot of French players (like Alou Diarra, Malouda and Mavuba) were really upping their games to try and break in to take the places that were previously impossible to get. Now they're straight out in the cold again as Zizou and Maka are pretty much guaranteed starts.

Basically i think it could suit us in the short term (we still have a great chance to get points) and also the long, if france can take points from the others. It puts everything back in our own hands, if we can beat the swiss we should be safe.

Ponster

~Rebel~ wrote:

Yeah I agree with WhiskeyMan that it could well prove to be to our advantage.
Firstly, the way France have been playing we were looking to be favourites going into that game thusputting a lot of expectation on our team - and you know how Ireland copes with being the favourite and high expectancy? Not very well! This lifts a lot of the expectancy and kinda puts France back as favourites. I have a feeling Ireland will lift their game accordingly and get at least the draw.

Secondly, while Zidane and Makalele definately improve the team, they haven't played in the french setup in a year and have only 1 friendly against poor opposition before facing us so prob wont have that same unity they had before when they get to us. Not only does this help us in that we're playing a team unfamilier with the way they'll play (some of the players will not have played much with the 2lads due to all the replacements that have come in) but they Will be better after they play us, every game together will count, so we could rob the points before the backlash starts and they take max points off the other major teams leaving us both as the leaders, which suits me! I def want Ireland and France to be the 2 that get through.

Finally there could be a bit of unrest in the team for a while seeing as a lot of French players (like Alou Diarra, Malouda and Mavuba) were really upping their games to try and break in to take the places that were previously impossible to get. Now they're straight out in the cold again as Zizou and Maka are pretty much guaranteed starts.

Basically i think it could suit us in the short term (we still have a great chance to get points) and also the long, if france can take points from the others. It puts everything back in our own hands, if we can beat the swiss we should be safe.

Thuram doesn't seem so sure today.

«Franchement il n'y a rien à dire. Ce n'est pas une décision prise ou pas prise. Il n'y a vraiment rien à dire. Donc il faut demander à Zizou»

Loose translation = "I havn't a clue. Go ask Zizou, he seems to know everything"


It seems that Zinane told the press that Thuram would come back without asking Thuram first saying "La décision, je l'ai prise moi comme l'a fait Claude (Makelele), comme le fera certainement Lilian Thuram"

"I took the decision to come back just like Makelele and just like Thuram surely will."



He also said that he took the decisiona llon his own with no pressure from anyone else which IMHO is a load of crap. 2 ex players decided to come out of retirement just when their teams chances are going down the drain? The French news tried to interview the 2 players who are most likely to lose their places and boy they weren't happy. They looked as though they wanted to speak but didn't/couldn't...

PHB

Does Keane have one last amazing preformance in him to neutralise ZIdane and Henry somehow? I think he does

lili

i think we should talk after our friendly. ivory coast is a strong team. it will be a good test.
i'm sure about one thing. it's that we will recover a playmaker, that's what france miss the most.

eirebhoy

Fabio Capello confirmed that Thuram will also return.

Zidane will be captain.

Pepe LeFrits

eirebhoy wrote:

Zidane will be captain.

Seriously? If I was Vieira, i'd be very pissed off with that.

eirebhoy

kaids wrote:

Seriously? If I was Vieira, i'd be very pissed off with that.

Aye
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/4129158.stm

Pepe LeFrits

http://skysports.planetfootball.com/list.asp?hlid=297733&cpid=219&CLID=186&lid=&title=Zidane

Zinedine Zidane has revealed a supernatural experience prompted him to end his international retirement.

The Real Madrid playmaker announced last week that he would be making himself available to the French national team again.

Zidane had originally quit Les Bleus after Euro 2004 but has now taken on the captain's armband for the close of the World Cup qualifiers.

He has explained that a night-time visit from a mysterious figure was the catalyst for his decision to represent his country again.

"I don't want people to misunderstand what I have to admit," Zidane told France Football. "But what I actually experienced is quite mystic and I can't really understand it.

"It is irrational even, that is why I am all alone to be able to feel it.

"One night, at 3am, I suddenly woke up and I talked to someone. No one knew about it, not even my wife. Until my last breath I won't say who it was. It is too strong.

"I can't explain that meeting. During the hours I was alone with that person I made the decision to come back to the French team.

"I have never experienced that. I was just dumbfounded in front of the power that was imposed upon behaviour. I had to obey the voice that advised me."

The 33-year-old admits he will now continue to play for the French national team until he quits football completely.

He added: "Do you think I am capable of coming back for only four qualifying matches?

"If Les Bleus qualify for the World Cup in Germany, I will participate in my third World Cup.

"Actually, when I stop with the French team, I will stop everything."

Bizarre.

lili

zidane said in his own site that the guy in question was his brother.
he will nomore talk to the medias

Pepe LeFrits

His brother, Kevin?

eirebhoy

I want to react to the reactions which follow upon the article of France Football that I made last week. I want to say to people whom they interpret badly the things. That afflicts me that one can make similar interpretations. I always was clearly and when one looks at the article of the beginning until the end, I speak clearly about a person, not about religion, nor of something of mystic. In the article, I speak about a person. Up to now it was something of personnel, I did not mean who was this person, but like that was badly interpreted, as people badly interpret the things, I say that this person is my brother. That crosses short to all that is told. There is nothing monk, nothing mystic. That was to remain something of close friend, but today I say that it is my brother, it is all. Until now, it was, I repeat itself, something of personnel, but in comparison with made interpretations, so that that crosses short to any interpretation, I repeat that this person is my brother.
To conclude, until now I always was clearly. I made articles and interviews where I wanted to say to the people how I was. From today and following these painful reactions, I will not have anything any more to say and I will thus say nothing any more but the bare minimum. Thus, I will not have any more a concern with this type of reaction.

lili

kaids wrote:

His brother, Kevin?

i didn't know he has a brother with a such name.
he didn't precise which brother.

lili

you know what?
with zizou, thuram and makelele, i feel confident.
you will not kick us out the wc, isn't it?:)

Pepe LeFrits

It's official, Zidane is a mentalist.

lili

kaids wrote:

It's official, Zidane is a mentalist.

leave him alone please:D

Dont be at yourself

Joke shamefully stolen from football365's letters page:

Rumour has it the voice Zidane heard was the ghost of Sophie Ellis Bexter.

...apparently she was murdered on Zidane's floor.