Thirteen matches. This is the difference between the number of matches played by Steve Mandanda (1 official match with OM) and Antony Martial (14 matches with Manchester United) since the end of confinement. To assert that the 23 Blues advance in this League of Nations with disparate playing times is far from anecdotal.
The gatherings of the France team often highlight this type of difference that the followers like to point out. But there they take considerable proportions between residents of Ligue 1 such as Steven Nzonzi or Eduardo Camavinga (2 games with Stade Rennais) and other players whose European championships have come to an end (Rabiot, back with the Blues , has played 9 games with Juventus but the last of which dates back to August 7 against Lyon).
Study the physical condition of each player
“This is the particularity of all the gatherings in September,” agrees coach Didier Deschamps. There have always been differences in athletic form because the championships do not start at the same time. There it will be even more important because some players are returning from a vacation period, others have played championship matches, others have resumed and are in full preparation. We will have to adapt. “
And first of all carefully study the physical condition of each selected. It is the job of Cyril Moine, the new physical trainer of the Blues, who will not be idle during this rally.
“We should not try to rebalance training loads, but seek freshness and therefore recovery. We are not trying to put all the players at the same level, analyzes Laurent Bessière, director of performance at RC Lens. If a player has a potential of 45 minutes, we will not be able to make him play an entire game in five days. These are the level indicators of fitness and physical and mental freshness that must be identified by studying the data and listening to the feelings of the player. Insist on recovery for those who have a lot of games, and for those who lack pace plan a week with a peak in intensity. “
Didier Deschamps, who had little taste of the postponement of Lens-PSG two days after Croatia, has a very precise idea of how he will manage the transition between the trip to Sweden (Saturday, September 5) and the reception of the Croatia (Tuesday September 8). If the world champions (Lloris, Varane, Kanté, Griezmann, Giroud, Mbappé) must hold for the first meeting, a rotation will undoubtedly be organized during the second match barely three days later. “The recovery is very short between the two games. We will already think about the first meeting, but there will be an impact on the second game because I do not want to take any risk with the physical integrity of the players, ”warned Didier Deschamps.
