Room for doubts? The promising Espoirs generation of the France team was destabilized by a severe correction in England (4-0) on Saturday and must react this Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. against Spain in Vannes, three months before the Euro under 21 years. This friendly preparation match for the European Championship (June 21 – July 8) is worth more than expected: a success would allow Sylvain Ripoll’s men to save face and regain confidence, while a new defeat would plunge them into concern ahead of their summer goal in Romania and Georgia.
The French under-21s, led by Amine Gouiri, Rayan Cherki and Benoît Badiashile, know that they are playing their place for the Euro on this gathering, the last before June. For a large part of them, it is even a rare opportunity to shine in the eyes of the coach a year and a half before the Paris Olympics, where some big names of the Blues could want to enter a reduced list (18 players, including 15 born from January 1, 2001).
Wounded
But the roust suffered in Leicester by the Bleuets revives the debate on the level and the involvement of this generation, rarely beaten against weaker formations (14 matches in a row without defeat before Saturday) but guilty of swings in concentration, as in the Faroe Islands in September 2021 (1-1) or against Norway more recently (1-1 in November 2022). The catastrophic second period on Saturday against the English, candidates for the European title, in any case showed the limits of this group when several executives are absent (Eduardo Camavinga and Khéphren Thuram with the Blues, Adrien Truffert and Maxence Caqueret injured…).
“It’s not reassuring, but there are slaps that can put things back in place”, launched Sylvain Ripoll on Canal + after the meeting. The Breton technician has not been spared physical glitches since, since Pierre Kalulu left the rally for calf discomfort, before the announcement on Monday of the package of Warmed Omari, another central defender. The Rennais will not be replaced.
After having offered a first selection to six players in England, Ripoll risks being tempted to align his best eleven against Spain to avoid another disappointment. This could smile on Gouiri and his Rennes teammate Arnaud Kalimuendo, substitutes at Leicester. On the other side of the pitch, the Spaniards have fewer big names in their squad than England. But they remain on a series of eight victories in a row and are also applying for the European title, which the Blueberries won only once… 35 years ago.