Q: The selection has been largely renewed for several months, when did you feel this need to inject some freshness?
A: "After the 2019 World Cup, where we had favored continuity and experience, we necessarily took stock. Without finding any excuse, we fell in the quarter-finals against the United States, the best world team. But things had to change. Since then, we have gradually integrated a lot of young people to find a balance between experience and youth."
Q: Eugénie Le Sommer has not been selected this season.
Does her status as top scorer in the history of Les Bleues prevent her from being a simple substitute, like Olivier Giroud among the men?
A: "Giving space to young people takes away from others. This season, this has been the case for Eugénie, for others too. We cannot hide the careers of certain players but, what 'You have to see for me - and this is the difficult part of my mission - it's the need to make choices, to have results and to find a balance. Today, the players really want to 'go get something together.'
Blue coach Corinne Deacon in Paris, May 20, 2022 Anne-Christine POUJOULAT AFP
Q: Can the appetite of young Selma Bacha, Melvine Malard or even Sandy Baltimore make the difference at the Euro?
A: "The 23 will have something to contribute, not more the young ones than the old ones. Afterwards they have to find their place. The old ones have integrated them very well, it is up to them to be attentive, serious. at that age we have a little more ardor, physically we are very well. In addition, they have already won in the youth selections, they must bring that experience to the group."
Q: How to find the right compromise between control of the group and freedom granted to the players?
A: "It's a question of dosage. I often tell them: + there are times to work, others to laugh +. The idea is to stay serious in training and during meetings. We don't in fact not long ones, but we do them regularly. The attention span is limited, I was also a gamer! In my time, when there was no Sportscode (a software used for video analysis, editor's note) , it was the VHS tapes and we banged the entire matches, it lasted three lead times. We have to go to the essentials.
Bleues coach Corinne Deacon (cap) in her talk in front of her players at Clairefontaine, April 5, 2021 FRANCK FIFE AFP / Archives
Q: What game principles have you tried to implement?
A: "We evolve over the matches and the seasons. We try to offer things to the players while leaving them a share of creativity. There are principles on which we do not derogate but, despite everything, there are things that we can work on. We try to give them as many keys as possible to then adapt to the opponent. If you only work on quick attacks and in a match you come across a low block, your plan game falls apart. So you have to work on everything - possession, counter-attacks, vertical play, from the sides -, give them several keys and it's up to them to use them depending on the opponent."
The coach of the Bleues Corinne Deacon at the headquarters of the FFF in Paris, May 20, 2022 Anne-Christine POUJOULAT AFP
Q: After the last game in April, you said you had "the ambition to win the Cup on July 31" at the Euro.
Was it necessary to hammer this message to the players?
A: "No there is no need, the Euro is a common objective, which we set ourselves naturally. Today we have all our experienced players available, it is one of their last major competitions. There is no more time to lose. With the staff, we have managed to create this mix between the old and the young, the serious and the less serious, the ambiancers and the others... There is a group phenomenon which will have its importance on the competition and the preparation."
Interview by Jérémy TALBOT.
© 2022 AFP