++ [ originally posted by Alex ] ++
Frankly, I didn't think Henry was all that. I say that because I know what he's capable of and to me his performance, although efficient in terms of goalscoring, was by no means dazzling. Basically, he created very little (despite his 25 assists in the EPL this year), or at least far far less than I expected. A pairing of Henry-Cisse never worked and seemingly only Govou could remedy that situation with some deeper runs instead of waiting for the ball. It should be mentioned Zidane wasn't playing so offensive support from midfield was unimpressive.
I kind of agree .. but Henry had to somehow cover for Zizou's absence .. he had to work his way deeper and create chances which is not an easy job (sort of Del Piero's) and requires alot of effort .. he created himself many chances and also provided assists to his team-mates .. he could've scored a hat-trick in the final had he been more lucky .. anyway, Henry was voted the Cup's best player.
++ [ originally posted by Alex ] ++
Mexes was indeed very good. Gallas was okay in the final, otherwise he was unstable and IMO nowhere near the class of Mexes. Kapo did not have the best run of form and showed some flashes but leaves a lot to be desired in his overall game. Pedretti played every game and it wasn't until the final I thought his selection was warranted. But even then for a defensive anchor, he wasn't involved in the action as much as one would expect. And of course I'm disappointed that Monaco aces Rothen and Guily didn't shine. Rothen got injured, Guily played a bit more but shows a lack of experience with this team and failed to adapt.
I was impressed with Kapo, that's why I added him to the list .. he scored a goal and played well .. I've also seen Rothen play before he got injured but thought that he had nothing special to offer France .. even though I still think he deserves another chance because of his exploits in club level .. as for Guily he always try to dribble past players even though there is always an easier route (passing!!) .. I always thought he was going to be substituted in the final match against Cameroon but Santini kept him until the end ..
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I forgot to mention Rustu Recber's performance in the tournament .. I was kept shell-shocked by him .. he was miserable with crosses and always at fault .. I wonder what Barca are thinking right now !!