Marseilles (AFP)
After having had immense difficulties to build his list, the coach of the France Olympic football team Sylvain Ripoll has perceived "a lot of positive waves" since the beginning of the preparation and ensures in an interview with AFP that 'he feels his group capable of creating "good surprises" during the Tokyo Olympics.
Q: You did not have the players you wanted, some of those who are ultimately with you were far from the selection ... Do you feel like you are starting from a blank page?
A: "No, still not. Some were less watched than others, it's true, but they all were, in one way or another. Timothée Pembélé, Nathanaël Mbuku, Ismaël Doukouré .. . Even though they had never come with the U21s or were not scheduled to be there right away, they had potential for the future and these are boys I was looking at. Sometimes opportunities come faster than I expected. must seize them. "
Q: Conversely, with Gignac, Thauvin and Savanier, you have three players who are used to very high level ...
A: "When I told them about the project, they didn't think about it for five seconds. They were immediately thrilled and extremely happy that we were thinking of them. Between my prior intuitions and what I perceived, it was therefore was very clear. For this list, some things took a long time to emerge, but that, really not at all ... "
Q: What do you expect from Bernardoni and Tousart, who were with you from the start of the cycle, during qualifying for Euro-2019?
A: "Yes, like Anthony Caci. They are high quality boys, with personalities turned towards others, great values. With this whole group, we are going to constitute ourselves, to create a team. The players did not know each other or little time, we had little time, there is a great mix of profiles. But the first week of work gave a lot of satisfaction. "
Q: Do everyone perceive the dimension of the Olympics?
A: "It depends on the history of each one, on the memories kept. But it is a planetary sporting event, with all the best. It is extraordinary, unique, exceptional to have the chance to experience it. . But to live it really is also to have a lot of ambition and the desire to achieve results. "
Q: Personally, do you find the Games inspiring?
A: "Completely. I prayed very hard to be in the Japan group and therefore in the Olympic village, to experience the event in the heart of the reactor. There is a desire to share, to discover, to connect with all these people. champions. And this desire is not incompatible with sporting ambition. On the contrary, I hope that it will bring us to feel the high level, the performance everywhere. "
Q: Between the Euro-Espoirs 2019 and 2021 and these Olympics, you have a third major competition in two years ...
A: "It means that we are on the meetings where we wanted to be. But we have to live up to these meetings and it is true that there was the disappointment of the Euro- Hopes and elimination against the Netherlands. It was quickly necessary to plan on the Olympics, a competition which will nevertheless be special. It's new for me to arrive with a group of such diversity and duty be very efficient in 15/20 days. But I have seen it very well since the start of the preparation. There are a lot of positive vibes, a desire for lightness in the face of the constraints that we have experienced and a great determination to seek a good performance. It may bode well for some good surprises. "
Q: Your group is however not simple ...
A: "We are fully aware of being in a very tough group. Mexico is at the level of Brazil or Argentina, you just have to look at their results and their team. Japan, at home, is given the means to achieve its ambitions. And there is South Africa. At each Olympic tournament there are one or two African teams in the last four. The challenge will be difficult, but we will be harder to play for others too . "
Interview by Stanislas TOUCHOT
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