After almost three years of absence, the midfielder made his big return to the selection against Portugal. With Grace Geyoro’s injury, she could experience her first start under Hervé Renard on Tuesday in Austria.
The start of his second life in the French team. Amandine Henry applies to join Hervé Renard’s eleven, Tuesday September 26, for the Blue’s second Nations League match against Austria in Vienna. In a wink of destiny, it was against this same opponent that she had her last start in the selection, on November 27, 2020.
Almost three years later, the midfielder made his comeback last Friday by entering in the 63rd minute of play in the victory against Portugal (2-0). A moment that she had been waiting for since being sidelined against a backdrop of strong tensions with the former coach, Corinne Diacre. At the time captain, the ex-Lyonnaise spoke in the media to report a deleterious climate around the France group. An exit which ultimately cost him his place and as a bonus Euro 2022.
A palpable emotion
Injured in the left knee in April when Hervé Renard took office, the player had to celebrate her reunion with the blue jersey for the World Cup. But despite a call-up for Australia, she was forced to withdraw during preparation, this time because of a weakened calf. So, obviously, the Northerner took the time to enjoy when she appeared on the lawn of the Hainaut stadium in Valenciennes, three quarters of an hour from where she grew up and touched her first balls. “It was a moment that I had been waiting for for a very long time, there was emotion. I had played the film several times in my head so it took me a few minutes for me to realize that I ‘was good on the ground’, she admitted after the match.
His performance was also scrutinized by his coach, while the French midfield struggled to maintain its control over the match, an almost constant thing since the World Cup. “She restored stability and impact in the middle after an average of fifteen minutes at the start of the second half and we saw some high-class gestures on certain actions,” noted his coach. A return to business all the more appreciated since she had only started training with the group 48 hours earlier, due to her long trip from Los Angeles.
“At the end of the match, I told her that I missed her. She took on her role as leader, she helped me on the pitch. I know her sadness when she didn’t go to the French team Seeing her there, smiling, wetting her swimsuit… I know she will bring us her experience.”for her part blew away Selma Bacha, her former partner at OL in the mixed zone.
Not yet in Olympic form
“I need to get my bearings because it’s been a while since I was in the selection, nuanced the main interested party Monday during an improvised press point on the lawn of Viola Park, where the 500th match in the history of the Blues is to be held. I have a managerial role in midfield, particularly in communication and positioning.” With the withdrawal of Parisian Grace Geyoro, the victim of a sprained ankle forcing her to leave her teammates, Amandine Henry has a good chance of starting the match against Austria.
“I feel good, I’m going to gain strength. It’s been a while since I last played. We’re going to build up to a crescendo. Tuesday I feel ready to play, I did my preparation based on that.”
Amandine Henry, midfielder of the Bleuesat press point
For his part, Hervé Renard, who should continue a three-midfield system, hopes to be able to field number 6. “If she’s there, it’s for a good reason. I don’t need her as a 23rd player… It depends on her [pour jouer], I ask her almost every day how she feels. If she feels good, we will have to manage the playing time carefully.”, he said this Monday. Freshly arrived in Angel City, the international returned to competition at the beginning of September with a short match, before being lined up for the first time eight days ago against Chicago.
Almost 34 years old, she knows that the nine hours of travel, not counting the time difference, will not always be easy to endure to reach Clairefontaine from California, even more so than when she played in Portland between 2016 and 2017. But she intends to return to being the boss she was to compete in the Olympic Games at home, five years after the 2019 World Cup in France. “Now that I’m there, I want to stay there.”