Didier Deschamps, France First name on Jacquet's team sheetFrance's skipper and midfield general Didier Deschamps is the first name coach Aime Jacquet puts on the team sheet. Deschamps is a superb ball winner and tireless midfield machine whose industry is almost indispensable in France '98.The 29-year-old Juventus player has done it all at club level, winning European Cups and domestic league titles with both Juventus and Marseille.Deschamps is just three caps short of the 76 of Maxime Bossis, in second place on the all time list behind Manuel Amoros who has 82 appearances for France. Eric Cantona may have labelled him a mere `water carrier' but Jacquet and Juventus coach Marcello Lippi rate him tops for his professionalism, high physical work rate, good ball winning and tactical perception.Davor Suker, Croatia Sukerman to Sukersub - and back againDavor Suker wasn't exactly an unknown coming into Croatia's first ever World Cup campaign. But followinga poor season with Real Madrid, `Sukerman's' star appeared on the wane. Real moved in swiftly after Suker, then with Sevilla, blasted three goals at Euro 96 when Croatia reached the quarters.But last season saw him spending much of his time on the bench as Fernando Morientes and Raul stole the limelight. However Croatian coach Miroslav Blazevic kept faith with the 30-year-old striker and from being Suker-sub with Real he has blasted four goals at the World Cup to re-emerge in style from Spanish shadows. Suker was marked out for greatness from an early age when he starred in Yugoslavia's World Youth Cup success in Chile during the 80's, scoring six goals.But it would take a Civil War and a change of country before he could make the leap to the senior World Cup stage.Drazen Ladic, CroatiaGuardian of ambitionsDrazen Ladic is the guardian of Croatian ambitions as the skilful Eastern Europeans chase a place in the final on their World Cup debut with hosts France standing in theirway on Tuesday at the Stade de France.The Croatia Zagreb goalkeeper, a veteran at 35, is his country's most capped player, having racked up 44 caps since making his international debut in 1990 in a 2-1 win over the United States. Ladic and his teammates showed they had really arrived last Saturday in beating three-times champions Germany in their quarter-final at Lyon, and Ladic himself was one of the stars of the show, making a stunning reflex save from Oliver Bierhoff with the game finely-balanced at 1-0.The statistic makes Ladic, one of nine Croatian ever-presents, the meanest keeper at the World Cup - along with Fabien Barthez of France.Lilian Thuram, FranceOutstanding in defenceTalented right back Lilian Thuram has been outstanding in France's defence which has yet to concede a goal in open play. Laurent Blanc's golden goal and penalty which won France their last two matches, and the return of Zinedine Zidane against Italy have been major talking points in France.Butthe performance of Thuram, defensively solid and alert though rarely spectacular, has been one of the reasons why France's outstanding back four have conceded just a Michael Laudrup penalty at France 98.Thuram, with surely only Brazil's Cafu a better wing-back at these championships, is fluid going forward, rarely squanders possession, passes intelligently and get back to cover well in defence.Perhaps the biggest compliment the Guadeloupe-born Thuram earned this season was being named the best defender in the Italian league, which has the best defenders in the world, in his first season with Parma whom he joined after seven years at Monaco under Arsene Wenger.The 26-year-old can play in the centre of defence or as a defensive midfielder but Jacquet has preferred to use him as a right-back in most of his 37 international matches.
