French are in the mood

France, in a much better mood than before their 2002 World Cup fiasco, are determined to restore pride in Germany and their recent form suggests they might.

A goalkeeping spat and negative headlines have failed to spoil the atmosphere in the French camp and several players have said the squad is far happier than at the same time prior to the previous campaign.

"I don't want to talk about the past too much but I can say things are different," midfielder Patrick Vieira said this week.

"There is an excellent atmosphere in the team. This is a new group with many new players. We're starting a new adventure and we all believe it will be a great one."

What Vieira and company want to avoid at any cost is what happened in 2002 when France, then the defending champions, were sent packing after failing to win a match in the group stage and could not even score a goal.

From the outside, French preparations for this World Cup have been all but smooth.

Coach Raymond Domenech argued with his reserve goalkeeper, Gregory Coupet, who cannot accept being number two behind Fabien Barthez. So upset was Coupet that he briefly left France's camp in the French Alps last week before deciding to return.

"It's easy to understand Greg's frustration," said defender Lilian Thuram. "It's a good thing it happened early in our preparations. Had it lasted, it could have got worse and damaged the atmosphere in the squad."

Then came whistles and boos from the Stade de France crowd for the coach and several players during last Saturday's 1-0 friendly win over Mexico.

Domenech had been criticised before that for saving his first comments for one of the team's sponsors, a mobile phone operator, after unveiling his World Cup squad last month.

The fact that his partner is a sports journalist for a television channel who has access to the team even when other media are barred from getting close also earned the coach headlines he could have lived without.

Despite all that, the players keep smiling and appear to be making progress on the pitch.

France looked promising in their penultimate outing before the World Cup, offering a convincing show to beat Denmark 2-0 on Wednesday in Lens.

The previous time they had met Denmark, France had lost 2-0 to disappear from the last World Cup.

If Zinedine Zidane, who has looked sluggish lately, can recapture his brilliant best for his final encore and if Franck Ribery lives up to his tag as the exciting future of French football, France can justifiably feel optimistic.

"We're not the favourites, that's Brazil, but we're strong outsiders with the team we have," said Vieira. "I believe we can go all the way."