While the France players claim to have taken several positives out of Saturday's goalless draw with the Republic of Ireland, Sunday's newspapers were scathing in their criticism of Les Bleus and continue to crank up the pressure on manager Raymond Domenech.
Toujours au point mort (Still in neutral) read the headline on the front page of L'Equipe , while Le Journal du Dimanche described the display as "very worrying". Indeed Le Parisien was the only newspaper to muster any words of encouragement, announcing, "Les Bleus failed to beat the Irish despite showing a strong desire and some good passages of play."
The main cause for concern surrounds France's failure to gel as a team, with L'Equipe pointing at the players' inability to assemble themselves properly for the pre-match photo as an example of their lack of coherence.
Four matches into Domenech's reign, the new-look team appears no closer to finding its feet, and after a second consecutive goalless draw at the Stade de France the media is questioning whether they are good enough to qualify for the World Cup.
"We have to ask ourselves if France should already be aiming for second place in the group," L'Equipe said. "With five points from three games - including two home draws and a win against the Faroe Islands - we are already four points off the pace."
Bordeaux youngster Rio Antonio Mavuba was given a miserly 3.5 out of 10 by all three newspapers, though L'Equipe was reluctant to blame him for the result. "His display, especially in the first half, was dreadful, but the question we should be asking is why this young player had to be thrown in at such a difficult time," it said.
The more experienced players did not get off so lightly. "We would love to write that France had done their best tonight, but we know what the best of Robert Pires, Thierry Henry, Djibril Cissé and Mikael Silvestre is, and that certainly wasn't it," added L'Equipe.
Le Journal du Dimanche devoted a whole article to the misfiring Henry, whose muted France displays continue to contrast his sublime form with Arsenal. "So bright in England, so dark in France," was the damning verdict on the striker who has now netted just two goals in his last 11 internationals. "Clumsy against Israel, impotent against the Faroe Islands, Titi is still not receiving the quick and accurate balls to feet that he thrives on."
Fabien Barthez was the one Frenchman to come out of the evening in a favourable light. The newspapers were in agreement that "Fabulous Fab", as he is called in L'Equipe, prevented France from plummeting to a potentially disastrous defeat with an assured display of goalkeeping "reminiscent of his Manchester United days". L'Equipe wrote: "In the first 15 minutes when France played with the look and fear of an away team, Barthez always appeared at home in the Stade de France."
As Domenech takes his players to Cyprus for Wednesday's World Cup qualifier, he will know his position has become more tenuous than ever. The French press, and L'Equipe in particular, have had the knives out since France's friendly draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina in August, and are making it clear victory over Cyprus, who were held at home by the Faroe Islands on Saturday, would not necessarily merit a stay of execution. "The result against Ireland leaves Les Bleus in such a grave situation," said L'Equipe, "that beating Cyprus would not be enough to rectify matters."
