It meant that, just as Hodgson was asked after Norway about  playing two men up front, so was Blanc after Iceland.

'Could I play Benzema and Giroud together?' Blanc said. 'It's possible. But then, we would need to rethink the whole midfield and reconstruct it for them to play together.'

Blanc seems unlikely to want to do that, even though Nasri said: 'We leave ourselves exposed a lot with the system we have.'

France face Serbia on Thursday and by the time they play England, Rennes' much-wanted Yann M'Vila will be alongside Cabaye. That will bring more stability. It should encourage a better display, and more public  confidence.

Nasri's reception from the Valenciennes public was mixed, which was better than others received. The team were cat-called from the 35th minute and if England think expectations are low, the attendance at Stade Du Hainaut was 20,850.

Two years after the World Cup debacle, even after 19 games  undefeated, even with Gen '87, France waits to be convinced by France.

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