Djibril Cissé hopes QPR form can earn him a place in France squad

Djibril Cissé wants to continue his end-of-season form for Queens Park Rangers and force his way into France's squad

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By TSR staff Friday 6 July 2012, 10:22 UK

Laurent Blanc did not include Djibril Cissé in his Euro 2012 squadPhoto: Valentin Trijoulet

laurent blanc

Djibril Cissé has revealed his desire to win back a place in the France squad, with the striker eager to continue his impressive form for Queens Park Rangers towards the end of last season.

The 30-year-old scored six goals in eight appearances after joining the Hoops in a cut-price £4m deal from Serie A outfit Lazio during the January transfer window.

Cissé’s chances of being named in Laurent Blanc’s 23-man squad for France’s Euro 2012 campaign were hampered by two red cards against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sunderland.

However, the former Liverpool striker is confident of fighting his way back into contention with Les Bleus if he can continue his goal scoring exploits in the Premier League.

“I was disappointed not be a part of the France team, but it’s up to me now to fight and score some goals next season to get back into the squad,” Cissé told QPR’s website.

“I was close to making the team, but not good enough to be a part of it. I have to score more goals and then I think I’ll be okay.

“I scored six goals in eight games last season, but on the other hand I had two red cards. It was good and bad.

“It could have been more if it wasn’t for those red cards. But we [QPR] managed to stay up and that was most important.”

QPR managed to avoid an immediate return to the Championship after Bolton Wanderers failed to beat Stoke City on the final day of the season, with QPR losing 3-2 to Manchester City.

And Cissé believes the recent additions to the squad – Hughes has brought in Samba Diakité, Robert Green, Andy Johnson, and Ryan Nelsen on permanent deals – will help QPR avoid another Premier League relegation scrap.

“He [Johnson] is a really good player,” added Cissé. “He can score goals and he can run a lot for the team. He can make goals as well. It’s a good signing.

“Competition is good for everyone. We’re going to have to fight for our positions. For me, this is no problem.

“When you have a lot of good players, of course the team is better. It’s up to the club now [to decide if they need to further strengthen], but we had some good players last season. It’s up to the club to see if they need more players or not.

“It was important to build on the squad from last season, because if you want to improve and take the club to another level, you need some new players and you need some quality players – that’s what the club is trying to do.”