France Must Take More Risks, Says Ribery

The 25-year-old Ribery is aware that a bad result in Romania could cost coach Raymond Domenech his job.

France's lack of adventure contributed to their lacklustre start in the World Cup qualifying campaign, midfielder Franck Ribery said on Thursday.

The inspirational player, who has been sidelined with an ankle injury since June, will be returning to international duty against Romania on Saturday.

In his absence France started their qualifiers with a 3-1 defeat by Austria before beating Serbia 2-1.

"What I felt during the last two matches is that we were afraid to try things," Ribery told reporters at the team's base outside Paris. "We must take risks. We're France, we've got good players. We must enjoy ourselves on the pitch."

Ribery, who said he felt fit enough to play 70 minutes, is expected to play on the right wing with Yoann Gourcuff taking over the playmaking duties for the Group Seven match in the Black Sea Port of Constanta.

"He's a player who reads the game well, who's always in a good position and who feels at ease with the ball," Ribery said of Gourcuff. "He could be useful for me for one-two combinations and could find space for me."

The 25-year-old Ribery is aware that a bad result in Romania could cost coach Raymond Domenech his job but the Bayern Munich player did not want to get distracted by the speculations.

"It's important not to think about what's behind us," he said. "We must think only about the future and concentrate on the three points we need."