This is the story of the glass half empty. The one where the French women’s team hit 33 times (!!!) against the Netherlands for 13 shots on target and only one goal scored, which is after the end of regulation time. Enough to feed some concern before rubbing shoulders with Germany, two more days of rest in the legs. “We did not give you an answer on the offensive aspect, at least not in terms of efficiency, regretted Corinne Deacon, Sunday, after the meeting. On the other hand, in terms of opportunities, of dangerous situations, we are well ahead. This is the story of the glass half full, the one that interests us.
Let’s say it frankly, we vibrated on a lot of French offensive sequences. Collectively, there was everything: movement, combinations to get you off the couch, worked passing circuits… “It’s a shame that Katoto got injured, because I think this team would have been a machine, analyzes Thierry Asseloos, former assistant to former coach Philippe Bergeroo. Little Bacha is stunning, there are individuals capable of making a difference, but above all I am marked by the collective. There are combinations that we haven’t seen in recent years. »
Saving mental strength
Everyone agrees that Les Bleues martyred the Dutch defending champions, who would probably have left England with a big suitcase had it not been for a crazy match from their Interstelaar goalkeeper, sorry, van Domselaar. We wouldn’t be surprised to learn that Wendie Renard has endless nightmares of her attempt miraculously repelled by Manuel Neuer’s female alter-ego in the 90th minute.
Annoying, but are we really entitled to complain when we witnessed from afar the agony of poor Wilms and Casparij, who lived the same nightmare awake for 120 minutes facing Diani’s technique, Cascarino’s speed and Karchaoui then the madness of Bacha on their respective corridors.
Of course, this could all have ended badly. Dominating without scoring is rarely a good idea, especially in these knockout matches and when your name is France. Thierry Asseloos has bitter memories of these matches, which, like the quarter-final of the 2015 World Cup lost against Germany, should have turned out in favor of Les Bleues but did not. “We need a little more efficiency and success. I notice that there have been hits on the posts, in recent years it has not smiled on us. But the mental toughness shown by the players against the Netherlands is perhaps what we lacked to give us this success. Especially since now, there is no longer the pressure of the quarters. »
Solid, resilient Bleues, impervious to the tension and various frustrations that high-stakes matches can cause, this is also Corinne Deacon’s opinion of her team. “This group could have let go because they gave a lot, tried a lot, and what I liked was that they didn’t give up. He continued to insist on keeping the game plan fixed, each remained in its place. »
Devastating physical power
And everyone kept running. Beyond the tactical and technical satisfactions of the Bleues, we must pay tribute to the coach, because the work of physical preparation undertaken upstream of the competition and this peak of form on July 10 seem to have their effect.
“I had some echoes internally, Asseloos tells us. Corinne Deacon prepared this Euro very well, there was real work that paid off. Against the Dutch, we witnessed a real athletic performance. We have to see now what it will give against the Germans who are a little more powerful and will have more freshness. Besides, they won’t take away only two days of rest from me, it’s an aberration. »
Sign of a new serenity and absolute confidence in the physical strength of her group, the coach does not make a big deal of this disadvantage. “When you win you always recover faster. It’s the calendar, it’s like that, we knew it from the start. We will do as we usually do, we will adapt. “We are not going to take that as an excuse, abounded Kadidiatou Diani. We’re going to go out there and give it our all. “At the table of the France team, the glasses are rather half full.