After a devastating performance for the French National Soccer team in South Africa, they’ve appointed a new coach. Laurent Blanc will now be the man in charge in bringing this squad back to the powerhouse they once were.

He’s started out by making big changes. He’s dropped the entire 23-man roster that was in South Africa for his first game as coach.

The French federation approved of this move. I guess they think it’s the right move and have allowed Blanc to make these suspensions after the embarrassing performance they put on.

He will not deal with the negative energy that came out of South Africa and was publicly displayed as well. The team couldn’t win a game and the players protested against the staff. Laurent Blanc means business and will punish the team for this even though he wasn’t there at the time.

On August 11th, France will play a friendly match against Norway. This will be Blanc’s first game as head coach as they get ready for the 2012 European Championship. In the 2008 European Championship, France also went winless. The last six years have been devastating for French soccer.

The French side faced drama during the World Cup due to the newspapers making things worse. They publicly shared Anelka’s harsh words of former Coach Domenech as he spoke his mind at halftime vs. Mexico. It was the French federation that made the decision to send Anelka home.

It was after this match that Anelka was sent home. Then things got worse once again. Patrice Evra got caught in a situation with their fitness manager. This was also caught on live TV, which was terrible publicity for him and the team. He’s meant to be a leader as he was appointed team captain. After Anelka was sent home, the French team protested and refused to practice.

The entire team was frowned upon not only by the country, but by politicians as well. Lilian Thurman who was a former International player for France publicly said that Evra should never be allowed to play for France again due to his performance off the pitch. Clearly, Blanc has a lot of work to do on the field and off. Time will tell, but expect major changes.

Check out more of this author’s advice on things such as the adjustable weights and soccer goalie gloves.