A stir among the Blues? Coach Corinne Diacre unveils her list for the Tournoi de France on Wednesday, a new friendly competition with a strong cast, in a context marked by the media release of the international Gaëtane Thiney and changes in the management.
From the headquarters of the Federation, the patron of the French women’s team will announce from 11:30 am the names of the players selected to face Canada on March 4 in Calais, then Brazil and the Netherlands on March 7 and 10 in Valenciennes.
Will Thiney be part of it? The 34-year-old French player, the most capped in the final stages of the World Cup with Eugenie Le Sommer, was told in November by Deacon that she might no longer be retained. Since then, she has made veiled criticisms of the technician.
In an interview with AFP, the midfielder and captain of Paris FC invited her to “modernize” her management and to “draw inspiration” from Didier Deschamps, a technician who “protects his players, loves them, federates them”, suggesting that this was not the case for Deacon.
“There is a lot of disappointment after the World Cup. And all the controversies that followed are up to this disappointment,” replied the coach to L’Equipe. “Afterwards, her words belong to her. I find it unfortunate and regrettable that she acts like that. But it is her right.”
Since eliminating the World Cup-2019 in the quarterfinals against the United States, where she was the holder, Thiney (163 caps) has participated in each rally, but as a substitute.
– New assistant, new head –
Deacon will she rejuvenate the selection for her first list of 2020? This is the speech she made to the players met individually this autumn and summarized as follows: “I want to prepare for the future and the Euro” disputed in England in 2021.
For the time being, the French women have not yet qualified. The playoffs will resume in April, a full month after the end of the Tournoi de France.
This new competition, imagined by the FFF to prolong the “World effect” and revitalize the long international winter break, will be played against three teams from the world top 10, all qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, unlike the Bleues.
If a change is expected on the field, this will also be the case on the bench, with two recent arrivals.
Eric Blahic has been appointed Deputy of Deacon to replace Philippe Joly. The 54-year-old coach, a novice in women’s football, has gone through the men’s teams of Guingamp, Sochaux, Paris or Bordeaux as No. 2.
The staff of the Bleues was also reinforced by Elisabeth Bougeard-Tournon, appointed “FFF delegate to the French women’s team”, AFP learned from the Federation. She will assume a function of representation and supervision, it is explained without further details.
