And three! Les Bleues de Corinne Deacon retained control of the friendly Tournoi de France after a meeting without much relief or inspiration, Tuesday, February 21, against Norway (0-0).
The Tricolores packed the last quarter of an hour of the meeting without finding the fault, after having long chased after the ball and their ideas. Already crowned in 2020 and 2022, they will be content to conclude with a new title in the competition created by the French Football Federation.
At the Raymond-Kopa stadium in Angers, well stocked for the occasion (11,445 spectators), Corinne Deacon continued her tactical experiments by giving back the keys to the team to a majority of the usual executives, breaking with the workforce review operated against Denmark (1-0) and Uruguay (5-1). The coach has made the Tournoi de France a test laboratory, as announced, with a view to the World Cup next summer in Australia. And, as in the previous two games, it felt on the overall performance, sometimes timid, sometimes tasteless, of his troops.
"I have answers to my questions"
"I know you, I know that doesn't satisfy you. But we were in preparation and I have answers to my questions, "said Corinne Deacon to journalists at a post-match press conference.
Follower of the "glass half full", the boss of the Blues had the merit of innovating through all this friendly competition, even if it means placing certain players in an unusual role, and she will probably be satisfied with the lessons learned.
On Tuesday, she set up a fairly new animation under her mandate, which began in 2017, with a hybrid system that mutates depending on the situation: a rearguard with three players in the offensive phase, with five when defending against rising balls opponents. The tactical animation appeared perfectible and not always adapted to the aligned players. Winger Sandy Baltimore, in particular, was not always at his best in his defensive withdrawals, before his exit through injury (left leg) at the end of the first period.
The midfielder did not weigh much, like Charlotte Bilbault, and the general performance did not seem very ambitious against the Norwegians who, without their Ballon d'Or 2018 Ada Hegerberg (in the recovery phase with Olympique Lyonnais), had the main objective of exploiting tricolor errors. The Scandinavians did not miss it and Guro Reiten gave goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin two big thrills, saved by a post (44th) and her crossbar (45th) in actions where her defenders, in particular the quasi- novice Maëlle Lakrar, were too wait-and-see.
Two more warm-up games in April
Offensively, the Blues struggled to organize quality collective transitions, too often trying to make a difference on personal initiatives. Kenza Dali, for example, tested the goalkeeper from afar (5th) and fired set pieces for the head of Wendie Renard (26th, 27th). Baltimore, part of the French half, also landed a nice shot (35th), exiting the skylight through the Norwegian door. Positioned center-forward, a position she enjoys little, Kadidiatou Diani has also been too hesitant or imprecise despite several attempts.
“We didn't score a goal tonight so there is at least the offensive animation to refine, admitted Corinne Deacon. But two wins and a draw in this type of tournament, in seven days apart, is good. »
In the radius of individualities, the returning Estelle Cascarino pulled out of the game for her third tenure in three games. Delphine's twin sister, back in selection after almost two years of absence, delivered an honorable copy both as axial and left side.
“We are evolving in a different system, the objective is the World Cup, it is up to us to adapt, explained Grace Geyoro, midfielder of Les Bleues. As I said, we are not necessarily used to playing in this system and it shows. Now it's up to us to adapt if the coach thinks it's the right system for us."
Settings to be found during the next preparation for the Mondial des Françaises which will host Colombia and Canada, on April 7 and 11 in Clermont-Ferrand and Le Mans.
