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France had a helluva time at the 2010 World Cup, and new manager Didier Deschamps seems hell-bent on avoiding such a situation at this year's tournament.
The first casualty is Samir Nasri, a midfielder for Manchester City.
"He has an important status with City, where he starts, which is not the case today in the France team," Deschamps said. "When he is substituted, he is not happy. It is for these reasons that I decided not to retain him."
Nasri, who has drawn comparisons to French legend Zinedine Zidane, also missed the Cup in '10, and the 26-year-old said Tuesday he'd be "fine" watching from home.
France was, for lack of a better term, an embarrassment at the World Cup four years ago, enduring both a player dismissal and team boycott. In the end, les Blues failed to win a single game.
