CHRONIC. Despite countless individual talents, the youth teams in France are showing results far from the announced ambitions.
By Adrian Mathieu
© SWEN PFORTNER / DPA / dpa Picture Alliance via AFP
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CUnlike some of its European neighbors, France can boast of having an unprecedented football reservoir: when Belgium, Italy or even Spain are struggling to renew themselves, the Blues can count on a well almost without talent background. We are not going to complain about it, especially after the dark hours that French football went through with Knysna at its peak in 2010. This era of opulence is well illustrated with the position of central defender. Despite the retirement of Raphaël Varane and the injury of Presnel Kimpembe, Didier Deschamps is spoiled for choice between Jules Koundé, whom he replaced on the right, Dayot Upamecano, Ibrahima Konaté, William Saliba, Jean-Clair Todibo, Wesley Fofana, Axel Disasi or Pierre Kalulu. Just that !
Talents that flourish especially abroad
We would like to see this multitude of phenomena stay a little longer in our dear Ligue 1, and we can only see how much this breeding ground praised from everywhere makes European leaders happy. If the France A team benefits as much from it, we are still unsatisfied with the youth teams. Some generations shine, like the 2005s which won the Euro U17 and the 2002s which triumphed at the international Maurice Revello tournament last year, but our Blueberries can do much better… and their breeders too!
England U21 – France U21: 4-0
Netherlands U20 – France U20: 2-1
France U19 – Norway U19: 1-2Yes the breeding ground is incredible but it would be a question of better supervising them, always as many difficulties for our teams of young people to have results
— Najim Medini (@NajimMedini) March 25, 2023
The France Espoirs team is a good illustration of this colossal paradox between a well-stocked squad at all levels and embarrassing results. The last setback to date, Saturday against England with a heavy score of 0-4, proved that an addition of individuals is not the goal in this sport, where the collective remains the key. After six years at the head of the Espoirs, Sylvain Ripoll has not won any title and, above all, he has never managed to give a dynamic and an identity to this team over time. The Breton coach takes advantage of a system where questioning is not commonplace…
No victory at the Euro Espoirs for thirty-five years
Despite repeated failures, Noël Le Graët continued to consolidate him in his position. It remains to be seen whether the departure of the president of the FFF will lead to the expected changes. Ripoll has the Euro U21 in three months to finally convince us, in a competition that France has not won since… 1988 and the Laurent Blanc generation, Éric Cantona or even Franck Sauzée. In other words, an eternity! And that frustration goes beyond hopes: even a generation as talented as the U19s, with familiar faces in Ligue 1 this season like PSG’s Warren Zaire-Emery and Rennes’ Désiré Doué, broke their teeth against to Norway on Saturday (1-2).
READ ALSOFrance team: Khéphren Thuram, a family habitWith less than a year and a half before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, everyone hopes to avoid the disappointment of Tokyo. The Blues had to send a team B, or even C, to try to bring something back from Japan, and the summer camp improvised by Sylvain Ripoll had only won one victory. But it was above all the two heavy defeats against Mexico and Japan that left a bitter taste. At home, next year, the Blues will no doubt not want to collect the dunce cap. We recall that at the Olympics the national teams send young people accompanied by three veterans, and the French should be able to count on Kylian Mbappé, who has always proclaimed his desire to compete in this event. If, even with such reinforcement, Sylvain Ripoll fails, there will be nothing left to save.