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'Winning mentality' France gets another trophy, confidence before World Cup
YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) -- With a year to go, France is ready to defend the World Cup. That much is clear. With a string of fringe players and minus its top stars, Les Bleus still dominated the Confederations Cup. While many other teams also were under-strength, they beat Brazil 2-1 in the semifinals to extend their lead in FIFA's world ranking and beat Japan 1-0 Sunday to clinch a treble of tournament titles -- the world, European and Confederations Cup. It proved the French need not depend on Zinedine Zidane alone. Zidane, a two-time FIFA Player of the Year, led France to the World Cup in 1998 and to the European title last year. But the Confederations Cup was won by the likes of Robert Pires and Willy Sagnol. "I can only hope the newcomers will be as brilliant in the future too," said coach Roger Lemerre. "Next year, we will be here again with a team which is just as competitive as three years ago," he added. France stumbled once here, when Lemerre fielded his B-team and lost 1-0 to Australia. But otherwise, it was a smooth ride, with 12 goals in five games. "Some said we would be on holiday here, and we proved we weren't," said Robert Pires, who is steadily developing into the midfield general that Didier Deschamps was in 1998. "Pires showed here he is great," said Lemerre. He proved it with a couple of great goals, an across-the-pitch effort against Mexico and a stunning right-foot volley against Brazil. His Arsenal partner Patrick Vieira was just as outstanding, using his height and bulk combined with close control skills which often made the difference in midfield. A major drawback -- his temper -- also is coming under control. "I have more confidence in myself now and my head is clear," he said. Competition for midfield places will be especially tough, considering Zidane and Barcelona's Emmanuel Petit weren't here but will be back at World Cup time. "We all will have to fight extremely hard because we all want to play for France -- everyone wants to play for France," said Vieira. While Lemerre tested youth early on, he also knew he could still rely on the veterans. Captain Marcel Desailly, Frank Leboeuf, Bixente Lizarazu and Christian Karembeu made up a defense for the final. And their experience was vital in the final. "With 1-0, the impossible can always happen," said Lemerre. The only problem was a lack of finishing. In both the semifinal and final, France had a flurry of great opportunities but ended up with mere one-goal victories. Of its 12 goals, five came in the opening game against South Korea. France's young strikers Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet were sorely missed. For all the agility and punch of Sylvain Wiltord and Nicolas Anelka, their finishing should have been better. "The forward line worries me somewhat," said admitted. Then again, at the 1998 World Cup, France got little help from its forward line -- not a single striker scored after the first round. This time around, there is flair and flamboyance. Finishing is a detail. The Confederations Cup final was France's last competitive match ahead of the World Cup opening game in South Korea on May 31 next year. As defending champion, they automatically qualify for the tournament. France underlines strength in depthYOKOHAMA -- France had no sooner lifted the Confederations Cup on Sunday night than a number of their senior players warned that the world and European champions can still get better. Patrick Vieira's 29th-minute header gave Roger Lemerre's side a 1-0 win over Japan at International Stadium Yokohama and secured France's third major title since 1998. The French became only the second country to hold a hat trick of major international titles at the same time, following Brazil -- winners of the 1994 World Cup and both the Copa America and Confederations Cup in 1997. While the scoreline may have flattered Japan, the manner in which France -- missing big-name players such as Zidane, Henry and Petit -- dominated Sunday's final served to underline their position as the best team in the world. "We have now proved we can still win without Zidane and other stars. That has given us even more confidence," said Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf. Vieira added that the strength in depth of the current French side has given the team extra motivation. "The new players who have come in all have real quality and so everyone wants to fight for their place. The spirit amongst the players is fantastic," said the Arsenal midfielder. Nantes playmaker Eric Carriere, who had never represented his country before the tournament, was one of the players who made the most of the chance as France topped Group A after crushing co-hosts South Korea 5-0 and Mexico 4-0. France's surprise 1-0 loss to Australia in their second group game had more to do with Lemerre's team selection, as Mexico quickly discovered. "Vieira and Robert Pires are the backbone of the post-Deschamps generation. But players like Carriere and Mikael Silvestre show the base of new talent in France," said Lemerre. London made France's 2-1 semifinal win over Brazil was made in London, with Pires of Arsenal and Chelsea's Marcel Desailly scoring a 54th-minute winner in Suwon. But, as Leboeuf said after the final, the French have a "winning mentality" which has filtered through to even the new players in the squad. A case in point is Carriere, who hardly put a foot wrong the whole tournament, scoring twice against Mexico in Ulsan and providing a spark in Sunday's final when he replaced Youri Djorkaeff in the 65th minute. Defender Silvestre, used to picking up trophies at Manchester United, is another who did his future prospects no harm playing alongside Desailly, Leboeuf and Lizarazu. "We have a wonderful balance of experienced players and new young players forcing their way into the team," said Vieira. "Our confidence is sky high." Leboeuf revealed after the final that it had been a "nightmare" traveling to games in South Korea because of the frequent traffic jams. On current form, that could be the only way to slow this French team down.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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