Valbuena criticises Blanc treatment
Marseille's Mathieu Valbuena has hit out at former France boss Laurent Blanc for giving him the cold shoulder during Euro 2012.
Valbuena, 28, was a member of the squad that reached the quarter finals in Poland and Ukraine, however, he failed to make an appearance with Blanc preferring the likes of Marvin Martin, Jeremy Menez and Hatem Ben Arfa.
Since the summer arrival at Les Bleus of Didier Deschamps - Valbuena's former manager at Marseille - the midfielder has featured in all four of France's fixtures.
And now the former Libourne man, who has made an excellent start to the domestic season with three assists, has revealed he does not have the fondest memories of representing his country under Blanc.
"I had a good game against Germany (the 2-1 victory in February) so I didn't understand why I stayed on the bench during Euro 2012," he told Le Parisien. "I didn't understand why he [Blanc] had no confidence in me anymore.
''I asked a lot of questions to myself. I couldn't go to ask him if he had a problem with me. I felt it was unfair but I didn't want to cause any trouble.
"Setting a good example towards the squad was essential, but I had to control myself. Without my father to calm me down, I would have exploded."
