Guendouzi congratulated Gouiri (from behind) last fall. – FRANCK FIFE / AFP
- The France Espoirs team is playing the three matches this month which will decide whether or not it will be in the Euro finals this summer.
- Despite an often unrivaled squad on paper, the Bleuets no longer manage to shine in this age category.
- Less concerned players, fuzzy game identity, 20 minutes looks at the reasons for these repeated failures.
Koundé, Kamara, Guendouzi, Tchouaméni, Faivre, Gouiri, Edouard… This is no longer a selection, it is a Christmas list from a recruiter from RB Leipzig. The composition of the France Espoirs team, which begins its European Championship this Thursday against Denmark, is terribly exciting on paper. That players among the biggest prospects of their generation, to which we must add, sorry for the other nations, Camavinga and Ikoné, called in A lately but left at the disposal of the coach Sylvain Ripoll for this competition. Aouar was also, but he had to forfeit injury.
“A devaluation” for those who have already visited the A
With such gear, it is written, France will ride on the competition in Hungary and Slovenia. Except no. Finally, we hope so, of course, but history calls for caution. If the competitions of the Espoirs were played on the scoresheet, the Bleuets would certainly not have a Euro (1988) and a final (2002) to their list. This age category (up to 23 years old) is undoubtedly the most specific of the youth selections, with players often already installed in clubs and who do not always perceive it as a way to showcase themselves.
“It’s a selection that is very, very difficult to manage,” says Pierre Mankowski, coach between 2014 and 2016. I am used to saying that it is like the reserve of a professional team. Some have already tasted the first team, and when they come back they take it as a devaluation. Others are motivated to go up, but after a while they realize that there are very few places above and can demobilize a bit, especially when you have to play against small countries, on pitches. difficult, for a competition less media than their championship and the European Cup. All this means that as a coach, you are never sure of what you will be able to put in place and the state of mind of the players. “
Historic downgrades among world champions 98
“We must approach the work differently,” confirms the current incumbent, Sylvain Ripoll. You have to get to the point, have two, three clear ideas, a common reading so that in a minimum of time they all have a fairly precise idea of what we want to put in place. The stability necessary to build a collective that holds up is a luxury that a technician in this category can rarely afford. This is even more true for 15-20 years, with young people launched earlier and earlier in the deep end and who have not been taught how to deal with patience and frustration.
“It’s a question of status, explained Didier Deschamps in a cross interview with Sylvain Ripoll organized by West France, in 2019. For our generation, it was a springboard, an honor to be in Hopes. Today, the Bleuets are already holders in their clubs, prestigious for some. They have already acquired a lot of things, (…) and have only one idea in mind, to be with the A. At the Château, that’s all that matters. “
The first example of downgrading that comes to mind, chronologically, it is the Henry-Trezeguet duo sent back to the lower floor by Roger Lemerre a few months after July 12, 98. Violent. “It hurt me to go back, but I could not let down the friends of my generation, remembered the former Arsenal scorer for the magazine The Blizzard, in 2014. People said I didn’t care about this team, but three months earlier I had lifted the World Cup trophy. Once, we were traveling with the Espoirs in the same plane as the As, I was quite seated in the back when a few weeks earlier I was ten rows in front. I haven’t forgotten that. “
If not everyone comes back after winning the most beautiful trophy on earth, the little shovel in the noggin is still painful. This can rub off on the rest of the group, and the ghost may also be tempted to overplay to show that he is a bit above the others.
Clubs not much more motivated than some players
Perhaps it was this nervousness that had led Djibril Cissé to knee an opponent during the France-Portugal dam in 2003, for which he had been called in as a backup. The Bleuets were taken out by Ronaldo’s team and had not seen the Euro. The Auxerrois had missed him the Euro des grands the following summer because of his suspension. “There are so many parameters to manage, breaths Mankowski. You have to take care of those who have been there from the start, of those who come back, to ensure that their integration goes well and is accepted by others, to do it in an intelligent way. It’s a very difficult chemistry to find. “
Beyond the players, we must also do with the will of the clubs. Some are already grumbling at the idea of seeing their proteges play a slightly diminished World Cup qualifying match, so a friendly with the U21s in Georgia, any excuse is good to cut it. “The clubs are reluctant, I know it because I was on this side too, explains Mankowski, passed by the bench of Lille or Strasbourg. They say “you go to the selection, be careful not to hurt yourself, we have an important game after”. And then at the slightest knock on the ankle, they call their guys back. “
Ripoll learned to know. Two stories to illustrate the point: In May 2017, he called Théo Hernandez… who would never come to Clairefontaine. “It was bullshit. Let’s say that I was not pushed to go, ”he said two years later. In 2018, JK Augustin, back with the Bleuets after a quarrel with the coach, does not make the trip, officially for muscle fatigue. RB Leipzig will line up for a friendly match this week.
Ripoll no longer gives gifts
The former Lorient coach cashed in, and learned a lesson, also inspired by the management method of Didier Deschamps, whom he was able to observe closely by being invited to the base camp of the Blues during the World Cup in Russia. ” Guys need to make sense of the present momenthe said to West France in 2019. Because even if we have the ambition to go to A, we cannot be there and already have our heads above it. You need players who are both happy to be there despite everything, and hyper invested. “
It is with this idea that he carefully selected his players and prepared the qualifying campaign for the Euro which starts. “We’ve been working with this group for almost 18 months now, there are things that have been put in place.” All that remains is to integrate – or reintegrate – the reinforcements from above. “Sometimes, coming back to the Espoirs is a necessary step to return there better, says Ripoll. It depends on the meaning you give to your coming. “
Mattéo Guendouzi, captain since the injury of Jeff Reine-Adelaide, will remind them of the guiding principle of this group. “We know each other perfectly, we know what we want to do. The objective is to win the Euro, assures the midfielder of Hertha. I am convinced that there is something very beautiful to be done. And not just on paper this time.