Thursday, June 08, 2006

Rooney's scan and other World Cup matters

So I was wrong - Wayne Rooney will be fit in time for the second round of the World Cup. I guess playing one game is better than nothing (I'm kidding!).

In other news, Djibril Cisse's out of the World Cup after breaking his leg in a friendly against China. Not that France are hard-pressed to find a quality replacement - they have Trezeguet and Saha who can both partner Henry up front, and it's possible that either Anelka or Giuly will be called up as a replacement. Still, it must be hard on Cisse. He was a substitute during their disastrous campaign four years ago, and his career has hit a bit of a stumbling block recently, so the World Cup would have been the perfect stage for him to prove his critics wrong.

Harsh as it may sound to poor Cisse, France have far bigger problems than replacing him. Their defence is probably their worst in living memory, and they have serious problems in central midfield. Zidane has been rusty all summer, but is untouchable when it comes to team selection. Ribery - the better bet by far - is likely to sit on the bench as an erstwhile colossus of the game fumbles and tries to recapture past glories. For the sake of the tournament, I hope Zizou plays well, but that's not likely to happen.

I may be biased and deluded, but I'd like to see Vikash Dhorasoo start for France, purely because of his desi origins.

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