Thierry Henry will have to feel like a construction manager whose picture is still huge. Because with 4 months to go until the Olympics, the coach of the French U23 team has not necessarily made much progress after the draw granted in preparation on Monday in March. 25 in Sochaux (Doubs), against the United States, Les Bleuets’ first opponent at an Olympic Games.
If the French had every difficulty beating Ivory Coast on Friday in Châteauroux (3-2), they think they could get rid of the young Americans much more easily when they were leading 2-0 with ten minutes remaining. in regular time. But the overall drop in intensity in the closing stages proved fatal for them, with two passes conceded in quick succession.
“We were in Olympic mode, with two matches close and we couldn’t finish as we should,” lamented Thierry Henry, who was more disappointed by the cascade of injuries and retirements he had to regret in the comeback than by the result of the race. Olympic Games.
“We knew we were going to suffer at the end of the game, because with all the injuries I couldn’t make any changes. On the other hand, it comes in all directions. That’s just the way it is. I’m satisfied with the game for at least 70 minutes,” added the French coach, who lamented Bradley Barcola’s injury against Ivory Coast and the absences of Lenny Yoro and Enzo Millot, who fell ill between those two warm-up games.
With a completely revamped squad, in which only Manu Koné, the captain, Bafodé Diakité, who had moved from full-back to centre-back, and Maghnes Akliouche retained their places, it took Les Bleuets ten minutes to get into the game. It took two firsts. American twigs and a genuine first chance, a header from Paxten Aaronson that was deflected by Guillaume Restes, the French quarterback, for Rayan Cherki, Akliouche and their teammates, despite everything, to pass first. The Lyon and Monaco midfielders then showed their complete technique. distance, putting the U. S. defense in check with their dribbles.
It was in one of his combinations that Cherki burst into the opponent’s area and provoked a handball by John Tolkin and a penalty converted through Arnaud Kalimuendo (1-0, 26′).
Initially not called up by Henry for this meeting, then recruited after the mistakes of Joris Chotard and Georginio Rutter, Cherki made his way through the crowd at the Bonal Stadium, appreciating the quality of his passes, his dribbles and even his juggling in the middle of the opponent’s half. box. .
After his departure (he was replaced by Elye Wahi in the 78th minute), but also after Bladley Loko fell ill (55′) and Manu Koné injured his left thigh (63′), Les Bleus collapsed. Andy Diouf’s goal in the 79th minute with a good shot allowed them to take the lead (2-0). On the contrary, it galvanized the Americans, who recovered quickly thanks to shots from Griffin Yow (86th, 2-1) and Cade. Cowell (89th, 2-2), either of whom came on a while ago.
“We are ahead of the scoreboard and we have to do much better,” Arnaud Kalimuendo told La Chaîne L’Equipe. Even though we did some smart things in the game, we had to be able to hold on to this result until the end. “
Thierry Henry will meet his players in June in Clairefontaine for a first educational camp ahead of the Olympic competition. Then, Les Bleuets will play 3 friendly matches, on July 4, 11 and 17, against the sides in conflict yet to be determined. base camp near Aix-en-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône), before returning to the United States and New Zealand on July 24 and 30 in Marseille. Les Bleuets will have to wait to find out their last opponent (July 27 in Nice). A play-off between Guinea and an Asian team will be played in early May.
At the same time, the French coach has many administrative obligations to fulfill. In May, the roster of around 100 players established at the beginning of the year will be cut in half. Then, on July 5, the final list of 18 players, adding two goalkeepers, will be sent to Paris 2024 and FIFA. By then, it is hoped that Thierry Henry will have managed to clear the pitch to build a competitive team.