France Provisional Euro 2012 Roster: 5 Players Laurent Blanc Overlooked and Why

He did not pull a (Raymond) Domenech, who famously posted a preliminary list of 30 players one month ahead of World Cup 2010 after saying he would only announce the actual 23-man squad, but France national team manager Laurent Blanc still made headlines with his initial list of 26 players ahead of Euro 2012.

With the tournament in Poland and Ukraine some three weeks away (the first match is on June 8), national team managers are beginning to chisel down their squads. Blanc will also whittle his list down to 23 ahead of the May 29 deadline.

Enter France, who after that disastrous tournament in South Africa—they managed just one point in the group stages while humiliating themselves with the whole world watching—have enjoyed a revitalization of sorts under Blanc, who famously led Les Bleus to glory as a player at World Cup '98 and Euro 2000.

They finished first in their qualifying group, losing only once—a shocker in their opening match against Belarus at the Stade de France—and beat out second-place Bosnia and Herzegovina by a single point.

(The two teams had met in the last qualifying match, which fittingly took place at the Stade de France. France tied Bosnia, thus atoning somewhat for their mishap in that first match against the Belorussians.)

They have not lost in 18 matches, and have claimed the scalps of several traditional world powers during that run with wins against England at Wembley (November, 2010), Brazil at the Stade de France in February 2011, and Germany in Bremen this past March.

Blanc has successfully changed the team dynamic from that World Cup catastrophe, bringing in new players at nearly every position outside of goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who was named captain for the Euros; Franck Ribery, who normally starts at left wing; and Patrice Evra, who looks likely to start at left-back this summer.

Many of that new breed are in the provisional roster—Adil Rami, Philippe Mexes (who fell precariously out of favor with Domenech), Yohan Cabaye, Yann M'Vila (who made that provisional list of 30 back in 2010 before being axed for the final roster), Marvin Martin, Loic Remy, Olivier Giroud and Jeremy Menez.

Fifteen of the 26 in the initial list are based in Ligue 1, with the other 11 playing their trade outside L'Hexagon.

Karim Benzema, who has been outstanding for Real Madrid this season (32 goals and 15 assists in all competitions) and Ribery, who has a Champions League final to take part in, promise to play key roles this summer.

But there are some players who may have been shocked, and some more than others, chagrined, to hear they failed to make even the provisional list.

Here are 5 players Blanc may have overlooked in his initial team selection.

Second-top scorer in Ligue 1 a season ago (22 goals for FC Lorient), striker Kevin Gameiro was one of Paris Saint-Germain's major signings ahead of the 2011-12 season.

Expected to lead the line for the capital side, Gameiro got off to a good start to his career at the Parc des Princes, notching eight goals in his first 10 league games this season—including a hat-trick against AJ Ajaccio on Oct. 16.

He went cold from that day forward, however, and has managed just three goals in his last 23 league appearances.

That souring of form has caused him to fall out of favor with manager Carlo Ancelotti, who has now begun sending out lineups without Gameiro, instead preferring attacking midfielder Javier Pastore at the striker position in his 4-2-3-1 formation.

Blanc had advised Gameiro, who was shopping around Europe for a new club last summer, to stay in Ligue 1.

The boss of Les Bleus had said it was "a risk" to leave for a foreign league, as there was always the chance that Gameiro might struggle for a place within the starting XI (just look at Karim Benzema's first two seasons for Real Madrid after leaving Olympique Lyonnais).

Gameiro appeared to heed that advice, but it appears he may need to change clubs again, as he cannot get consistent games with Ancelotti at the helm at PSG.

He has started just three of PSG's last 12 league fixtures, and was an unused substitute in four. Not the kind of run-in to the end of the season that would instill confidence in Blanc.

Gameiro had been one of the 'new breed' Blanc had brought in to the fold after South Africa, earning caps through the European qualifying campaign (he famously fired over the bar against Belarus in the dying moments of that forgettable opener at the Stade de France).

But that is all in the past. It looks as if Gameiro's work has once more been cut out for him if he wants to play a part for France in the future.

Considered one of the best defenders in Ligue 1 at the start of this season, Mamadou Sakho played a key role in leading Paris Saint-Germain to the top of the league table by December.

Like Gameiro, he was one of Blanc's customary selections for France in recent years. And like Gameiro, he has now seen his stock drop and has subsequently missed out on a seat for the bus to Euro 2012.

Once again, Ancelotti's preferences may be to blame.

While Sakho was a starter for the Italian manager during the first few months of 2012, Ancelotti has recently preferred Alex, whom he managed at Chelsea, to him at center-back.

Sakho has been an unused substitute in four of PSG's last six encounters, with his other two appearances coming on in the second half.

He has thus lost his spot among Blanc's first-choice defenders. That the France manager selected uncapped Mapou Yanga-Mbwia, who has thrived with first-place Montpellier this season, says an awful lot.

The surprise pick to go to Euro 2008, Gomis has scored 20 goals in 44 appearances this season for Lyon, roughly one goal per two games: a remarkable return rate for a striker.

Considering that he was named to Blanc's side that faced Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina in their last two European qualifying matches, and even started against the Albanians, Blanc's decision may come as a bit of a shock.

The man who 'pulled an Arshavin at Anfield in '09' and scored four against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League this season did not make a good enough impression during that Albania match, however.

He is a terrific aerial threat, and a sublime finisher in the penalty area, but link-up play is not his strong suit. That was on display back in October, and may have led to his omission this May.

Given the types of strikers Blanc has preferred to lead the line in his 4-2-3-1 formation (Benzema, Giroud of late), it looks like the manager prefers a more mobile option than Gomis.

He has been on the periphery of the French squad for some four years now, earning call ups here and there (I was at the Stade de France for a March 2010 friendly against Spain where Cisse came on as a substitute in a 2-0 defeat for Les Bleus), but he has never earned Blanc's trust.

A fan favorite, Cisse received a rapturous reception when he came on in that match against La Furia Roja.

And while he thrived for QPR since joining from Lazio in January (six goals in eight league encounters, including one in each of his last three matches), it was not enough to convince Blanc to call up the striker.

Cisse has appeared just three times for France since 2008, and at age 30, it would seem the clock is beginning to tick-tock ever more insistently on his international career. This may have been his last chance at participating in a major tournament for Les Bleus.

A tough turn of luck, as Cisse famously missed out on World Cup 2006 after suffering a gruesome leg break in one of France's warm-up friendlies ahead of the competition.

One of Ligue 1's most consistent and dependable performers for years, Mavuba has every right to feel hard-done by that he missed out on the Euros.

He has been far superior to Alou Diarra, the midfield sentinel whom Blanc coached at Bordeaux and has continued to select for France despite the mid's indifferent form, and helped lead Lille to last season's Ligue 1 title and domestic double.

Mavuba should have been chosen. But managers often prefer players they're familiar with—look at how many former charges Jose Mourinho has brought along as he's changed positions throughout his career—and it looks as if Mavuba has fallen victim to that treatment.

Too bad; he could have served France well.