The October gathering, which begins with a match in Oslo on Friday, must clarify the hierarchy of attackers among the Blues, while the prospect of a list of only 18 players for the Olympics looms.
“Please note, the list will be reduced for the Olympic Games.” When announcing his selection for the double confrontation against Norway in the Nations League, the first match of which is scheduled for Friday October 27 in Oslo, Hervé Renard once again reminded that he could not invite everyone to Paris 2024, the real end of his mandate.
In nine months, the French coach will have to limit himself to a restricted squad of 18 players in total, compared to 23 during other major tournaments. “There will inevitably be some disappointments.”he also admitted. But while certainties already seem established on all the other lines, around ten credible candidates are crowding into attack. The October meeting could thus allow the staff to see things more clearly, especially since the September meeting did not particularly allow lessons to be learned.
Behind Le Sommer and Diani, the privileged injured?
Surprisingly, the French team began its Nations League campaign with two victories, against Portugal (2-0) and Austria (1-0), without any of its offensive players registering the slightest aim. Not enough to call into question the indisputable statuses of Eugénie Le Sommer, decisive in the game, and Kadidiatou Diani.
The top scorer in the history of Les Bleues has had an excellent start to the season with five goals already in D1 Arkema, while her new teammate in Lyon is gradually finding her rhythm in a new environment. “Kadi, she’s a diesel. She needs a little more time than the others to start a season. There was the World Cup, she was coming back from injury and she made a lot of efforts. She will gain momentum, I’m sure of it”, reassured the coach.
Behind them, Delphine Cascarino, injured for a long time, and Marie-Antoinette Katoto, who has just returned after more than a year of absence, ultimately present themselves as the most plausible solutions. This is evidenced by the cash response from Hervé Renard on Thursday during a press point, retorting their names to the tit for tat, after a question about the many absentees on the Norwegian side (Ada Hegerberg, Caroline Graham Hansen, Guro Reiten).
A wave of freshness from Paris FC
All the more reason for the current replacements to take advantage of the few minutes they will have against the Nordiques. In this register, the young Vicki Becho (20 years old) regularly performs well, like her notable entries since the World Cup. Which is less the case for Viviane Asseyi, Sandy Baltimore or even Naomie Feller, this time left at the disposal of the U23s.
But the hierarchy could also be shaken up by the freshness of Paris FC’s offensives. Continuing the club’s two exploits to reach the group stage of the Champions League, successively eliminating Arsenal and Wolfsburg – respectively semi-finalists and finalists of the previous edition – Mathilde Bourdieu was called up for the first time by Hervé Fox : “She performs very well, she is efficient. I think it was time for me to call her, reward her and see her at work”.
Already invited to the Bleues last month without playing, the other Parisian, Julie Dufour, “who fly” currently according to the coach has also been renewed after his five goals scored in C1. Asked about the absence of Gaëtane Thiney (37 years old) despite her good performances and her status as co-top scorer in the championship, the Aixois indicated to want “prepare for the future with Bourdieu, Dufour, Becho…” A way of making it clear that he will not hesitate to focus on youth at the Olympic Games. It remains to be seen who will score the good points by then.