Former captain Marcel Desailly is pessimistic about France's chances at this
year's World Cup.
"I'm kind of pessimistic for Les Bleus," Desailly was quoted as saying by
French daily Le Parisien on Thursday. "There are new talents in the squad but
they still need to gain confidence.
"They have great potential but they still need to learn how to cope with the
pressure. They all belong to great clubs but the World Cup is the most demanding
(soccer) event. You can never take anything for granted there.
"In 2002, for instance, we had three of the best strikers in Europe and we
ended up without a goal scored," he said referring to Thierry Henry, David
Trezeguet and Djibril Cisse.
Desailly, a key member of France 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000-winning team,
won a French record 116 caps in an 11-year international career.
The 37-year-old former libero, who retired last year, will comment for a
French radio network at this year's World Cup in Germany, which kicks off on
June 9.
France booked their trip to Germany by winning their qualifying group in a
lacklustre campaign that improved only slightly towards the end with the return
of Zinedine Zidane, Lilian Thuram and Claude Makelele.