| Claude Makelele 的个人资料Road to World Cup 2006照片日志列表 |  工具  帮助 |
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6月27日 Claude Makelele - June 27th 2006Who cares about style when you are winning World Cup matches? We certainly don’t in the France squad.
The most important thing of all when you are playing in a knock-out tournament is to win. OK, it is nice to be able to turn on the style and please the neutrals with some entertaining stuff but the No 1 priority is to make progress.
We have done that and made it into the first knockout stage where we are up against one of our oldest rivals Spain.
We are just two steps away from reaching our original target of getting to the semi-finals and if we make it on the back of another couple of scrappy performances, then so be it.
I gather there have been rumours sweeping around Germany about more divisions in the France camp with the so called “older brigade” not getting on with the younger ones.
That is nonsense of course. Players such as me, Zidaine, Thuram and Barthez have gone out of our way to help the newcomers to adjust to the unique World Cup atmosphere.
We believe we have a responsibility to pass on the baton to the new generation of international players after we have left the arena.
It is important not just to do well in this tournament but to make sure the future of French football is in safe hands. 6月21日 Claude Makelele - June 21st 2006Let us ignore the pessimists for a moment and concentrate on the positives. We may not have set the World Cup alight so far but we are still unbeaten in two games and are one victory away from qualifying for the knockout stages.
There is still some hope in the camp. The feeling is if we do get through we will start to show our true face and perform the way we know we can.
Certainly our display against South Korea was better than our opening match against Switzerland and we can expect to make more improvement.
South Korea certainly surprised us with their physical strength and ability to come back after Thiery Henry had scored for us.
The coach’s main message to us now is that we must keep possession of the ball better. Otherwise it is difficult to pinpoint why we have looked so much below our expected levels.
Of course we will be without Zidaine for our next game because of his second yellow card but we reckon we can overcome that.
The criticism from the media back home hurts but we will try to ignore that and look forward with optimism to a more rewarding match against Togo. 6月20日 Claude Makelele - June 20th 2006Even when we are focused on the biggest football tournament of our lives I think it is still important that we remember some of the less privileged people of the world.
Microsoft are helping to promote a charity called ninemillion.org which is aimed at helping the refugee children throughout the world to share the enjoyment of the most beautiful game on the planet.
Nine million refugee kids need our help. Many of them were born into refugee camps and have never left. We can do something for them simply by making a donation and acknowledging their plight.
Part of the charity´s work is to distribute nine million footballs to these camps around the world. Imagine the joy a child could have from the simple pleasure of kicking a ball around. It is something we all take for granted but for them it would be an experience to remember.
I hope anyone who reads this will take time off from watching the World Cup on television and take a look at the ninemillion.org website.
If you can spare some time and some money to donate this very worthy charity you can help bring some real enjoyment into the lives of forgotten kids all around the world. 6月16日 Claude Makelele - June 16th 2006OK, so it was not the result we were hoping for against Switzerland but it was not quite the disaster everyone is claiming it to be either.
The feeling in the camp at the moment is this: We did not lose, we can and we will get better.
We will now focus on our next game against South Korea on Sunday and then on the final group game against Toga on Friday week. Our aim is to win both of these matches, to finish top of the group and to march into the knockout stages.
On a personal level it was satisfying to be voted man of the match by L´Equipe newspaper, though of course the most important factor at present is the team´s progress and not the performance of individuals.
Our collective achievement against the Swiss was not particularly good but our opponents made it hard for us. There is a great traditional rivalry between the two nations and it was always going to be a tough contest.
I have noticed in some reports that the England players have been allowed to spend some time with their wives and girlfriends in between matches. The French squad have never done that because it is considered too much of a distraction.
However, at the moment we could do with some different company. Life in a World Cup squad camp can be boring. After a while using the Playstations and even watching my favourite DVDs can be rather repetitive. 6月12日 Claude Makelele - June 12th 2006I speak for all my colleagues in the French World Cup squad when I say how tragic it is that Djibril Cisse will miss the finals.
He is a personal friend of mine and to see him being carried off during the warm-up game against China on Wednesday was a sickening sight.
The Liverpool striker has not enjoyed the best of good fortunes over the last few years. He suffered an horrific break playing for his club side and fought his way back from that injury with great courage and character.
We all wish him a speedy recover again. But he is understandably heart broken and no words of comfort can possibly help him at this time.
Now we welcome the versatile Sidney Govou into the squad and while he would not have wished to join up with us under these circumstances he will take the opportunity with both hands. He can play as a striker or a wide player and will not let anyone down.
We have had enough of friendly internationals now after the 3-1 over China. We want the real thing to begin. There is an expectancy in the squad – especially among the “old brigade.” Let’s get started. We are ready to take on the world. 6月6日 Claude Makelele - June 6th 2006At the moment the French players are on “automatic.” That is to say we are ticking over quite comfortably and building up to a nice peak for when we kick off our opening World Cup game against Switzerland in Stuttgart on June 13.
Our victory over Denmark was welcome and I was fortunate enough to be nominated as man of the match. We will finish our warm-up programme against China this week before the real action starts. There is a feeling of anticipation in the squad now and confidence is building.
I notice there was a quote from Patrick Vieira in the media the other day when he said he felt we could win the World Cup again. For someone like Patrick to say that is a sure sign things are going well.
A lot is being made, as usual, of the attacking flair, within our squad. As I have said in my diary before we are blessed with some exceptional talent in this department.
But let us not forget our defensive qualities as well. We have a back four who were all champions in their respective Leagues last season - Eric Abiddal (Lyon), Willy Sagnol (Bayern Munich), Lilian Thuram (Juventus) and William Gallas (Chelsea).
Believe me it is easy to feel extra confident when you have such security at the back. If they are doing their jobs then we will always fancy ourselves to score goals at the other end.
Thierry Henry played his first game since Arsenal’s Champions League defeat against Barcelona when we met Denmark and managed to score one of the goals.
If he can capture the form he showed for Arsenal last season then the rest of the world should watch out. 5月31日 Claude Makelele - May 31st 2006If you believed all the media reports, you would think that a revolution had broken out in the France World Cup squad. The truth, of course, is rather different.
The only hiccup as far as we are concerned came when our goalkeeper Gregory Coupet left the training camp when we were up in The Alps. Everyone knows that he was unhappy at being made No 2 keeper behind Fabien Barthez but you would expect that kind of reaction from any professional.
Unfortunately Gregory’s frustration got the better of him and he left the group – but for little more than an hour – and then he returned and things were back to normal.
The only other slight distraction was the reaction of the French supporters in the Stade de France during our 1-0 win in a friendly match against Mexico. Some of the fans decided to boo us and I was not alone in wondering why they behaved in such a way.
As Thierry Henry said in the media, it would never have happened to any club team in England. We were hoping to leave the French capital on a real emotional high as we head for the finals. I can only imagine that the crowd behaved in this way because most of our bigger name players had left the field when the booing started.
Fortunately the crowd gave Zinedine Zidane a good send-off in his last game in the national stadium for the France team. No-one deserves more than this true giant of the game. We are unlikely to see another one like him. 5月29日 Claude Makelele - May 29th 2006When I look around the French squad it is pleasing to see so many players of great quality and experience. No-one has those qualities more than Thierry Henry and I expect him to be one of the stars of the World Cup finals.
Thierry has now committed his future to Arsenal and brought an end to the saga of whether he would stay in London or move to Barcelona. He seems relieved about that.
Those of us who know him quite well have known for a long time that was always going to be his intention but of course we were sworn to secrecy.
He is happy and contented now and has recovered from the disappointment of losing in the European Champions League final in Paris. He will want to make up for that in Germany next month.
I did not watch that game in Paris. It still hurts me too much to think that Chelsea lost to Barcelona and I could not bring myself to watch it.
At the opposite end of the scale we have relative newcomers in the French squad in Pascal Chimbonda and Franck Ribery who have settled into the group very quickly.
I have noticed what an important part Zinedine Zidane plays when we are in the training camp. Everyone looks up to him because he has been such an outstanding player during his career.
But he is a very humble and down-to-earth person who goes out of his way to integrate players like Chimbonda and Ribery into their new surroundings. There is a great team spirit developing and we cannot wait to get started. 5月23日 Claude Makelele - May 23rd 2006Now that we have gathered in our training camp retreat in The Alps we feel very relaxed and the confidence and team spirit are growing among all the players.
Relaxation is important at this stage of the preparations because most of us have been through very tough seasons with our clubs and the need to get some energy back into our bodies.
We have been doing a lot of walking in the mountains because the high altitude is very beneficial to building up our oxygen count and we will feel the full advantage when we return to sea level.
Fatigue is a real killer for the modern footballer but chatting among the guys we have all been remarking how much fresher we feel than when we won the World Cup in 1998.
The pressure was so much greater then because we were playing on home soil. This time, probably because we have done so well in the major championships since then, no-one is taking too much notice of us and we are glad of that because the lack of attention enables us to get on with our build-up reasonably untroubled.
Let’s just say we are quietly optimistic. I hope I have not put a curse on us but only this week I promised my agent Jamie Ladjemi tickets for the semi-final and final and told him I would see him there.
But deep down we are professional enough to realise we cannot afford to look that far ahead. Our opening game against Switzerland in Stuttgart on June 13 is our main focus for the moment because it is vital we get off to a good start this time. 5月18日 Claude Makelele - May 18th 2006Now the World Cup finals are really starting to approach with the names of the squads of the national teams announced. I feel honoured to be selected by the French coach Monsieur Raymond Domenech.
It is a very good squad with a good mixture of young players and experienced ones. A few people have sad to me that the French have been generally overlooked by the tipsters and could be the surprise team. Let us wait and see. We prefer to be ignored and do our job quietly and efficiently.
I suppose the interesting selections for people outside France were Pascal Chimbonda, of Wigan, Franck Ribery, of Marseille. But they were not surprises to me.
I have seen what outstanding form Pascal has been in for Wigan in the Premiership this season and he fully deserves his call-up. Ribery has been magnificent for L’Om and he is capable of taking the tournament by storm if he gets the chance to show his talent.
There was some surprise when the team coach announced that Fabien Barthez would definitely be his No 1 goalkeeper. Gregory Coupet reacted rather angrily but I am sure it was just his disappointment and he will be professional and ready to wait for his chance when the finals begin.
I was disappointed that my friend Nicolas Anelka did not make the final 23 but I suppose the fact that he plays in Turkey means that he did not attract so much attention.
With Djibril Cisse, Thierry Henry, Louis Saha, David Trezeguet and Sylvain Wiltord in contention it was always obvious that some very good forward players were going to be left at home.
This we have headed for the Alps for some altitude training and when we return to sea level we will be ready to put the finishing touches to our preparations. 5月10日 Claude Makelele - May 10th 2006It was a tame end of season for Chelsea and me personally with successive defeats against Blackburn and Chelsea in our final two games. I did not play in either because the boss wanted to give me a breather and have another look at our young midfield player Lassana Diarra.
Now this might be a coincidence but Chelsea have lost three matches this season – the other one was against Middlesbrough – and I was not playing in any of them. It just shows what a valuable member of the squad I am (just joking). I must remember to mention that to the Chelsea board the next time I have to negotiate a new contract!
It was obviously a big anti-climax to end the season in such a manner but all the hard work had been done and it was only natural that we eased off and coasted over the finishing line.
All of our thoughts will now be switched to the World Cup finals, which, at the time of writing this, are now less than five weeks away. I have taken a couple of days off to return to Paris before we all join up together with the French squad
I can feel the anticipation building at home. The French public are expecting big things from us this summer and we do not want to let them down like we have in the last two major championship finals. 5月4日 Claude Makelele - May 4th 2006You only had to see the joy of our celebrations on Saturday to see what it meant to retain the Premiership title. To share the moment with our own fans made it even more special.
When the boss Jose Mourinho threw his medal into the crowd I think he expressed what we were all feeling. We wanted the Chelsea supporters to know how much we appreciated their backing and if they could have all had a medal it would have been no more than they deserved.
However, amid all the wild scenes there was a feeling of sadness for something that had happened during the match against Manchester United.
I am referring, of course, to the injury to Wayne Rooney. A silence fell over Stamford Bridge when he went down holding his foot and that was a real contrast to the noise and euphoria that greeted our title winning victory at the final whistle.
For the England striker to pick up such an injury at any time is very unfortunate but for it to happen so close to the World Cup finals is even more upsetting.
Wayne is a world class player who is capable of being one of the outstanding individuals of the tournament. PLayers of every nation will be disappointed if he is forced to miss the finals.
I am certain that ally my French colleagues will join me in hoping and praying that his recovery is speedy and successful so that he can play some part in England’s World Cup campaign. 4月27日 Claude Makelele - April 27th 2006It is with some sadness that I discovered this week my good friend Zinedine Zidane will retire from football after the World Cup finals in the summer.
I know Zizou exceptionally well from my days at Real Madrid and I don’t need to tell anyone what a superb footballer he is. But in addition to his physical strength, outstanding ability on the ball and gift for scoring outstanding goals, he has a strong mentality and attitude that sets him apart from most players.
He will be missed by fans and players throughout the world and in France in particular where he is idolised as a person and a sportsman. You never hear anything bad about Zizou on or off the field and he is a credit to his profession.
But having spoken to him at length I know that he intends to go into retirement on a real high. That means of course winning the World Cup. He was a big star when we won the trophy in 1998 and despite some claims that he is a fading figure in football, I know that he intends to have the same impact this summer.
I am proud and privileged to have shared the field of play and dressing room with Zizou. He is one of the great players of his generation. Indeed at one time he was the greatest player in the world. I wish him well in his retirement – but first let us make sure he departs having left one more outstanding memory in our minds.
4月26日 Claude Makelele - April 26th 2006Our chances of completing a Premiership and FA Cup double disappeared when we were beaten by Liverpool on Saturday. It was one of those days when, although we did not play to our best form, if we had put away our chances we would have reached the final.
But there are no prizes for finishing second in a knockout semi-final so now we must devote our full attention to clinching the title on Saturday against Manchester United.
It will not be a formality but we have every confidence that we will be raising the Premiership trophy again before the season is over.
How shall I celebrate? Sorry to be boring but it will be a quiet one for me. I prefer not to go on the town for a wild night out.
I think that applies to most French players. We are not great alcohol drinkers. It must be something to do with our upbringing but a few glasses of wine are more than enough.
Usually it is very expensive wine and invariably some of it will be left in the bottle. We do have some strange habits, don’t you think?
The only time I have been known to let myself go and have a real good time is on my birthday. Apart from that I prefer to remain reasonably sober.
But don’t let that stop Chelsea fans having a real good time if we win the title on Saturday. I hope they will be raising their glasses to another successful season. I’ll drink to that. 4月20日 Claude Makelele - April 20th 2006It is becoming more of a regular feature of Chelsea’s games now that the opposition teams are designating a man to mark me throughout the match.
While that is very flattering, I have to say I do find it a little bit strange that they should find it necessary to pay so much attention to a defensive midfielder. Their argument is that so many of Chelsea’s moves start with me winning the ball and they want to cut me out of the match and at the same time reduce our supply line to our more attacking players.
It is a challenge I am enjoying considerably. When you have been in the game for so long, it is always nice to face something different to overcome and the one good thing about opponents taking the trouble to man-mark me is that it gives our other players extra space to exploit.
It was a great Easter weekend for Chelsea with our closest rivals Manchester United slipping further behind in the race for the title. Now we are geared up to seal it mathematically when United come to Stamford Bridge at the end of the month.
Actually we don’t mind where win it or how we win it but I have to admit it will taste so much sweeter if it is in front of our own fans and against the team that has pushed us closest all season.
Before we meet United we have the small matter of an FA Cup semi-final with Liverpool and the double is an achievement we would love to complete. 4月12日 Claude Makelele - April 12th 2006I have mentioned before what a huge part my religion plays in my life. My beliefs are very important to me and so is my relationship with God.
I go to church whenever football allows me but even when I cannot attend a formal service the power of prayer is something I always call upon.
I pray for my family each time I go to bed at night and I pray before mealtimes for the food we are fortunate enough to be given And yes, I also pray before football matches – not just for us to win but to be kept healthy and safe from injury.
God has been good to me in my football career and I would never underestimate the part he plays in guiding me through the good and not so good times.
And of course, we have the Special One on our side at Chelsea. I think Jose Mourinho once referred to himself in that way as a joke but it is a name that has stuck with him.
I know the boss is deeply religious himself and like me believes in a more powerful influence on our lives.
Now we are reaching the Easter time when our beliefs are brought sharply into focus. It is a very important time for all Christians.
And of course it is the time of the football season when every match and every point is important. We are almost there in our quest to win the title but we will not let up until the prize is in our grasp. 4月11日 Claude Makelele - April 11th 2006If anyone seriously believes there are rifts in the Chelsea dressing room and the manager is at odds with the players, I suggest they watch a recording of our 4-1 victory over West Ham.
There were more headlines about us at the weekend and pure nonsense was written about the lack of unity in the camp.
But does anyone really think we could produce a performance like the West Ham game if such things were true? To come from a goal behind after having a man sent off and win so convincingly was a mark of the unity in our camp.
If it did not exist and we were at war with each other there is no way we could have secured a victory in this manner. The people who write these things must have vivid imaginations.
We are moving ever closer to a second title and that is the only thing that concerns us. We have a great spirit in the camp and a manager who believes in his players but will not allow any fallen standards. That is the way we like it.
Meanwhile the focus over the next few weeks will switch to the semi-finals of the European Champions League. I, for one, will not be watching them. I have no interest in the competition now we are out of it.
I have three semi-final defeats against my name – two at Chelsea and one at Real Madrid. I don’t want anymore and I will not be satisfied until I have won the trophy. 4月6日 Claude Makelele - April 6th 2006I am now 33 years-old and have two years remaining on my Chelsea contract. For most players that would signal the end of their playing careers – but not me.
Even when I reach 35 I don’t see any reason why I should not carry on for another couple of years. The reason? I am still in very good physical and mental condition and intend to stay that way.
I am still exactly the same weight as when I was 17 and I feel just as fit. Players do carry on playing a lot longer these days and we saw an example in the Premiership at the weekend when Teddy Sheringham celebrated his 40th birthday by appearing for West Ham.
In my case I think I owe my health and fitness to my father Andre who is a former Zaire international. He is 63 years old, he looks 45 and he is in marvellous shape. By the way whenever I go back to Congo, as the country is now called, I am always referred to as Andre’s son – never Claude. I only hope I remain as fit and healthy as him.
The sort of game I play in midfield means I can conserve energy and do not have to charge up and down the field and I am sure that will play a part in extending my career.
I am still very hungry and ambitious and the thought of winning more trophies for my club and country is something else that drives me on. 3月29日 Claude Makelele - March 29th 2006Rarely a week goes by now without Chelsea making the headlines for all the wrong reasons with the club facing charges for various alleged indiscipline.
This week it was Didier Drogba who was in the spotlight for supposedly cheating with a handball offence in scoring a goal against Manchester City and also for diving in the same game.
Didier is being badly treated but like the rest of us he is prepared to stand up like a man and take it on the chin.
Most of the criticism was very unfair because as I have said in the past, Chelsea have become the team everyone wants to shoot down and accuse of terrible outages.
But if the rest of football thinks we are hiding away in disgrace with out heads hung in shame they could not be more wrong.
The mood of the dressing room is very good and our manager Jose Mourinho is very happy. He loves nothing better than to lock himself away with the players, have a good laugh and joke and enjoy our success.
The manager’s big obsession at the moment is gathering points – the more the better. Victories are coming thick and fast but we will not be satisfied until we have the Premiership under wraps again.
Then when our second successive title is won, we can afford to sit back and let the rest of the league look on with envy. It will be a sweet success and then during the summer we can start to look ahead and continue with the long-term project of more titles at home and in Europe. 3月23日 Claude Makelele - March 23rd 2006It is good to have so many French players coming into form as the World Cup finals approach. I have referred in this diary before to the goal scoring achievements of my international colleagues and now there are a few more chasing those elusive places in the squad.
Manchester United striker Louis Saha has certainly made a big impression since he overcome his injuries and got back into the first team at Old Trafford. He has scored 13 goals and his form must be good if he is keeping Ruud van Nistelrooy out of the team.
All the French strikers know they are going to have to perform something really special if they are to be selected ahead of Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet when we kick off our campaign in Germany in the summer.
In addition we have Djibril Cisse and Nicolas Anelka pressing hard for inclusion. To say that we are rich in striking talent is an understatement but I am of the opinion that the more players we have in contention the better it will be for the French side.
It is difficult not to build our expectations too highly at this stage. I think we have to set our sights on the semi-finals as a prime target and after that who knows? Anything can happen.
On the downside a couple of our players, Jean-Alain Boumsong and William Gallas, were given yellow cards in recent Premiership matches. Such is the competitive nature of life in English football.
Neither of them could be considered violent players but it is one of the hazards of being a defender in the modern game to fall foul of referees. |
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