Actually, France’s big names are mostly past their best now, so while they may look “on paper” to be a great side, their greats are fading fast. A typical line-up would be:
Fabien Barthez - never a great keeper, and way past his best now. Currently warming the bench at Man Utd after some rum performances.
Lilian Thuram - a great player still, but not as good as he was, and he’ll be well on his way to 33 by the start of the tournament.
Marcel Desailly - Desailly, once one of the best defenders in the world, will be 36 by the time the tourmanent ends, and is long past his sell-by date. Chelsea are looking to off-load him.
Mikael Silvestre - one of Man Utd’s average performers.
Bixente Lizarazu - another playing facing his final tournament, past his best, and nearly 33.
Patrick Vieira - an exceptional player.
Claude Makelele - a quality player, and possibly France’s main playmaker, considering a fading Zizou.
Zinedine Zidane - injuries and age mean that Zizou, who will be 32 when the tournament kicks off, is no longer the greatest player in the world. Still good, but now eclipsed by many other quality midfielders, including Beckham.
Sylvain Wiltord - an Arsenal make-weight
Thierry Henry - very dangerous.
David Trezeguet - won’t be one of the stars of 2004.
From the looks of it, France have three great players, half a dozen fading stars, a few make-weights, and a handful of untried youngsters. They are still one of the best teams at the tournament, but I suspect a younger team, like England’s, may find the going easier after a long season of endless league and cup games.