As host country, exempted from the need to qualify

Offense		Defense
Organization		Experience
Talent		Capacity to surprise

It has actually been 12 years since the last time France appeared in the World Cup, in 1986. At that time, the team centered on Platini aimed for the championship (and wound up in third place), but this time the French have the home field advantage and will really be aiming for the championship.

There can be no denying the power of the French team. First at goalkeeper, since the discovery of drug use by Rama, who had been a veritable god of defense, Barthez has taken over the regular spot completely. He is highly regarded for his aggressive jumping out and there are no worries here.

The defense is strong enough to be No. 1 or No. 2 in the tournament. Basically, the French use a 4-2-2 (with a trend recently towards a 3-5-2). In the center are Desailly and the veteran Blanc while Thuram is set on the right. There have also been suggestions to use Thuram at center back, but Coach Jaquet's plans are unshakeable. On the left side, Laigle of SAMPDORIA is the most powerful candidate. However, if the recent three-back system is used, Blanc will be in the center with Teyuram on the right and Desailly on the left.

The midfield, which traditionally has had superior talent, is strong this time too. The two main pillars are the defensive Deschamps and the offensive Zidane. There is a fierce battle underway for the other two spots. At this time, Boghossian and Ba have pulled away from their rivals. For the forwards, which is a problem, Djorkaeff is set. After him, the candidates are Dugarry, Pires, Guivarc'h, Trezeguet, and Mohris.

*FEDERATION FRANCAISE
DE FOOTBALL.
[Address]

60 bis Avenue d'lena,

75783 Paris cedex 16

*10th World Cup
(1930, 1934, 1938, 1954,
1958, 1966, 1978, 1982,
1986, 1998)
No championships

Zinedine ZIDANE
* Midfielder

Zidane is one of the best stars in the tournament and holds the key to a hometown championship for France.

Together with Ronald, Zidane is the other candidate to be the main star of the tournament. He is highly reputed as a successor to the Platini lineage, but features an even more contemporary playing style than Platini. Specifically, Zidane has fantastic dribbling and passing in common with Platini but Zidane also has the stamina and strength to run all round the grounds for 90 minutes. In particular since his transfer to Juventus, Zidane has completely digested the knowhow of organizational soccer and has become able to sacrifice himself for the team. Zidane teams up superbly with Djorkaeff, who is a similar type but more offensive, to produce many goals.

Aime JAQUET

During his playing days, he had a brilliant track record including five championships with Saint Etienne and since he has become a coach he has steadily moved along the path to daylight. He took over as the national team coach in 1994. He succeeded Urie, who suffered defeat in the regional qualifiers and continued his unbroken progress. Jaquet's greatest success has been to end the era of Kantona, Zinora, and Papan, change over to a team centered on Zidane and Deschamps, and make the generational change successfully. This time, with the home field advantage, he is aiming for the much sought after World Cup championship.