‘Past’s passe, let’s move on’

France coach Raymond Domenech says his team has to forget about the World Cup and work hard to prove themselves in the Euro championship. The finalists in Berlin take on Scotland in the qualifiers on Saturday. Meanwhile, Spain coach Aragones has hinted a return for dropped Real Madrid striker Raul

CLAIREFONTAINE: France need to put their run to the World Cup final behind them and get ready for a tough Euro 2008 qualifier against Scotland on Saturday, according to coach Raymond Domenech.

“The match against Scotland is the first true rendez-vous on the road to the European championship,” Domenech said. “Before that, we were still in the aftermath of the World Cup.”

France began their Group B campaign with a 3-0 victory over Georgia and an impressive 3-1 win over world champions Italy last month. However, beating Italy was much more like a settling of World Cup final scores than a move towards Euro 2008. “This game has all the ingredients of a great test,” Domenech said. “We are expecting a strong physical and technical challenge in front of a crowd of football-loving fans.”

Top spot will be at stake as the Scots lead France on goal difference after they demolished the Faroe Islands 6-0 and won 2-1 in Lithuania. Domenech has warned his men against any over-confidence and said that competition for places would soon be stepped up. “A priority has been given for a while to those who took part in the World Cup,” he said.

“But this situation is not going to last. I wanted to make it clear that I was still counting on the guys who went to the World Cup. But we must now think about the future and prepare for it.”

Domenech, whose side take on the Faroe Islands on Wednesday, has called up two uncapped players, Olympique Lyon midfielder Jeremy Toulalan and Sevilla defender Julien Escude.

“We’ve developed a way of doing things and I’m not going to break it all up just for the fun of it,” Domenech said. “I’m going to use what works or what I think will work.”

Domenech is eager to avoid the mistake which cost former coach Roger Lemerre his job in 2002 after France suffered a humiliating exit from the World Cup. Lemerre stuck by a team made up of members of the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000-winning squads and Les Bleus crashed out in the first round in South Korea.

Lampard ready to fight for his place

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard insisted on Wednesday that he is determined to prove himself to new England boss Steve McClaren.

Lampard played every minute of this summer’s disappointing World Cup under previous manager Sven-Goran Eriksson despite a slump in form. Though looking certain for Saturday’s European qualifying match against Macedonia and next Wednesday’s game in Croatia, Lampard insists he is not taking his place in the team for granted.
“That is one of the really good and refreshing things with Steve McClaren and his staff,” he said. “From the moment you join up with the team on Tuesday afternoon, there is pressure. You know that you must train well, that you must be around the hotel with your mind on the game and that when the game comes you must perform at your top level.”

McClaren has already stamped his authority on the side by omitting former captain David Beckham from every squad since taking over, and Lampard accepts no one is certain of their place any more.

“This is England we are talking about, not some team that does not have young players pushing for places,” he said. “I have always had the idea that if my level drops I could be out of the team. The thing that keeps the top players on top is that they keep pushing themselves.”

Concerns over Lampard’s form have continued into the new domestic season but he has vowed to prove wrong those who have begun to doubt his ability since the World Cup.

The 28-year-old hit an incredible 23 goals for club and country last season but failed to find the net when it mattered this summer. “After the World Cup, I rued the fact that I had not scored any goals,” he said. “You have to shut your ears off and not take to heart what is being said, because we all doubt ourselves in certain moments.

“I had a few weeks off and now I just want to work hard. The only way you can put things right is on the pitch,” Lampard said.

Aragones says Raul will return

Spain coach Luis Aragones intends to recall Raul Gonzalez to the national team after his recent omission. Aragones dropped Raul for the first time in 10 years last week when he named an 18-man squad for Saturday’s 2008 European Championship qualifier with Sweden and a friendly with Argentina four days later.

“Raul will be in the national team ... because he’s a man who knows how to earn it,” Aragones said on Wednesday.

Aragones, who could be fired if Spain loses to Sweden, praised Raul - Spain’s all time leading scorer with 44 goals from 102 appearances - for a selfless reaction to losing his place.

“Raul made a great remark that it’s the team for which everything is at stake. The national coach might also run the risk of losing or keeping his job but I think this is minor compared to many other things,” Aragones said.

Raul’s omission coincided with his return to scoring form last week. Without a goal for Real Madrid for nearly a year, the 29-year-old striker became the Champions League’s all time leading scorer when he got two goals in a 5-1 win over Dynamo Kiev and added another in a 1-1 league draw with Atletico.

Aragones warned that the game with Group F leader Sweden in Solna was vital, following last month’s humiliating 3-2 defeat against Northern Ireland. “We have to win at all cost. We could draw but that wouldn’t be a good result,” the coach said.