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Silencing doubts France's Lemerre lives up to predecessor at Euro 2000
Posted: Saturday July 01, 2000 07:05 PM
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) -- When Roger Lemerre took charge of France fresh off its Word Cup win, skeptics doubted he could match coaching hero Aime Jacquet. Lemerre has few left to convince on the eve of the Euro 2000 final. Lemerre's side is stronger and more attractive than the one Jacquet left him in July 1998, and it is a testament to Lemerre's achievements that France starts as firm favorite to beat Italy in Sunday's final in Rotterdam. Lemerre's coaching style is tough to fathom. Humble and introspective, the 59-year-old had an unremarkable, trophyless club career before spending a decade in the obscurity of coaching the French military team. He became Jacquet's assistant just six months before the World Cup. Lemerre, who rarely shows emotion or gives strong opinions, is the antithesis of a modern coach. There are no designer suits or soundbites, and the deadpan Lemerre normally addresses news conferences like a science teacher lecturing a group of adolescents. But behind the scenes he clearly has a close relationship with French players, to whom he has total loyalty. "With Aime Jacquet I was surrounded by a group of players that really fascinated me," Lemerre said after guiding his team to the Euro 2000 final this week. "That is why I took this job. I felt that I was a part of the group and that I had its total confidence." "When you have winners like Deschamps, Blanc and Djorkaeff the team has a culture of victory," he said. "The team is intelligent and motivated, it hates to lose." Jacquet never intended to stay on after the World Cup and the French Football Federation considered approaching a high-profile coach like Guy Roux, Jean Tigana or Arsene Wenger to replace him. But senior players such as Didier Deschamps and Laurent Blanc called for continuity. Lemerre was the obvious choice and at Euro 2000, the French camp has appeared united and harmonious. "He is probably closer to the players than Jacquet," said Patrick Vieira. "We certainly feel we can always talk to Roger." Lemerre is lucky to have inherited a group of talented, experienced players. He has barely changed Jacquet's side -- only four of the current Euro 2000 squad don't have a World Cup winner's medal -- and the likes of Vieira, Thierry Henry and Nicolas Anelka have matured at just the right time. "I was persuaded to take the mission because the players had all the ingredients to continue," Lemerre said on the eve of the Euro 2000 final. "I was motivated by the talents of the players. The hardest thing was to make sure I didn't spoil anything." "In 1998 I was rather admiring of the team. But I had the sentiment that they could go further and they themselves really wanted to do it," he added. But it seems few people know the real Roger Lemerre and whether or not France goes on to become the first world champion to win the European Championship, he will have bittersweet memories of Euro 2000. Early in the tournament, he boycotted the media after a verbal altercation with journalists. On June 15 after being ordered by UEFA to give a pre-match news conference, he lashed out at the press, accusing them of "generalizations, inaccuracies, confusing statements and unhealthy allusions." Even inside the French camp, few knew of the serious illness that had afflicted Lemerre's father, who died midway through the tournament. But Lemerre was back at work that same day, ending his media boycott and leading a training session, even though France had already assured itself a place in the quarterfinals. Petit hopeful of making finalROTTERDAM, Netherlands -- French coach Roger Lemerre said Saturday that he still doesn't know if midfielder Emmanuel Petit will recover from a bout of flu and be available for the Euro 2000 final against Italy. The Arsenal player has already missed two Euro 2000 matches with a ligament problem in his right knee and could take no part in France's training session on Friday. That raised fears that he would miss Sunday's final. Lemerre said he was "a little worried" about Petit's health, adding that he needed more time to decide whether the player would be fit to face the Italians in Rotterdam. Nine out of 10 in France expect victoryPARIS -- Nine out of ten people in France believe that the world champion will beat Italy in the Euro 2000 final, according to a survey to be published on Sunday. Only seven percent are expecting the Italians to win their first European title since 1968, according to the survey, carried out by Ifop for Le Journal du Dimanche. Of those surveyed, 48 percent thought France would 'certainly' win, while 42 percent said that victory was "probable." Of those expecting the worse, four percent said that France would "probably" lose with three percent saying Roger Lemerre's side would "certainly" lose. Three percent of those polled had no opinion. The telephone survey was carried out among 1,003 people over the age of 15 on June 29 and June 30.
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