The neo-coach of the Bleues unveiled his first list of 26 players on Friday during a press conference during which he was questioned on various subjects.
Focus on the World Cup and the Olympics. The day after his appointment as coach of the French women’s team, Hervé Renard presented himself, Friday, March 31, to the press to reveal his list of 26 players who will join Clairefontaine on Monday to prepare for the friendly matches against the Colombia (April 7 at Clermont-Ferrand) and Canada (April 11 at Le Mans). The French technician then spoke about his arrival, his choices, his objectives and several individual cases. Franceinfo: sports looks back on his first words as coach of Les Bleues.
The return of the experienced Eugénie Le Sommer
Eugénie Le Sommer returns to Hervé Renard’s group. The Lyon striker, who has not worn the tricolor jersey since April 2021, returns to Clairefontaine: “My message is very clear with Eugénie: she has an incomparable experiencerecalled Hervé Renard.
Top scorer in the history of Les Bleues with 86 goals in 175 selections, the Lyon striker, strong in her leadership, will be a major piece for this gathering, assured the technician: “We really need her experience and intelligence in the game. I can’t wait to see her in action. As they say: ‘welcome back’!“
Wendie Renard and the captaincy
It was she who launched hostilities against Corinne Deacon by announcing her withdrawal from the selection. Wendie Renard and her are part of Hervé Renard’s first list. Taulière of the selection, the OL defender should soon have a discussion with the Lyonnaise about the captaincy. “I always have the habit of warning the interested parties before the press. So I will already have a discussion with her”he replied, but he also wishes “take the pulse of this group since it will be a discovery”.
The injured Katoto and Henry in contention
By announcing that he had contacted the players currently injured and therefore absent from his list, Hervé Renard knew that he would be questioned about some of them. Marie-Antoinette Katoto, the Parisian prodigy who was part of the revolt against Corinne Deacon, and Amandine Henry, shunned by the coach, are the two main ones. “Marie-Antoinette (Katoto) is an important player in this team. My dearest wish is for her to be with us [au Mondial]. She is six months after her operation [d’un genou]there is still time.” As for the Lyonnaise, he opened the door: “I wanted to know how she was doing, I wanted to know her state of mind. I was reassured on this point. She is one of the pre-selectable players. There will be more than 23 players to start the internship for the World Cup . Some will have to prove that they belong.”
Last square objective
Less than four months before the World Cup organized in Australia and New Zealand, from July 20 to August 20, Hervé Renard has little time to get an idea of his group. A year later, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will follow. The technician knows he is expected and has clear objectives: “It is necessary in both competitions, at least, to reach the last four“, he assumed. Better, if there is an opportunity to win, it will not be necessary “not deprive yourself of it“.
The estate of Corinne Deacon
Inducted Thursday at the head of the Bleues after the ousting of Corinne Deacon on March 9, Hervé Renard said he was “focused on the present and the future” of the French women’s team. “What happened before is none of my business”he added. After the recent revolt of certain executives of the group, it is also a question of marking a real breaking point with the choices and methods of its predecessor. From now on, “a page is turned“.”The important thing today is to move forward but we can pay tribute to Corinne Deacon who has achieved excellent results.“, he admitted all the same.
Succeed in uniting a group
For this new sporting challenge, Hervé Renard knows that he will have to acclimatize to a women’s team, a first for him: “You don’t behave the same way with a male group than a female one“, he acknowledged.
This will go through “a little more communication, explanations, tolerance but also harshness at other times. We will have to create a united group. We are together, we are not divided”, he insisted, referring to the fact that he will discover each of them. “The staff and I are very motivated. We can achieve great things if we are united, if we have a remarkable state of mind. That’s what I’m going to focus on”
Kheira Hamraoui, a choice “above all sports”
Present at the last gathering under the Deacon era, the PSG player Kheira Hamraoui was not called by Hervé Renard. “It is above all a sporting choice“, justified thee tricolor coach after having joked by saying “I didn’t follow the case.” The former coach of Saudi Arabia nevertheless confirmed that all the problems posed by the case of the Parisienne had been taken into account: “When you form a group, there are a lot of elements that come into play.” As a reminder, Kheira Hamraoui had been the victim of an attack, the main suspect of which was his teammate Aminata Diallo.