In the vast XXL Hall of Beaujoire, in Nantes, Guillaume Gilles’ players have begun the home stretch of their preparation for the next Euro (January 10-28) in Germany. Nothing geographical but, to go well to the East, the Blues had therefore decided to go through the Tunisian experience and its selection coached by Patrick Cazal.
Before facing Brazil at the same place on Saturday at 4:30 p.m., Guillaume Gille’s men delighted the Nantes public. “Tunisia, like Brazil, will not prepare us for the problems that the more traditional nations of the European continent will pose to us,” explained the coach before the match. But these meetings are part of this very intense week. These nations are certainly a little exotic in terms of references, but are excellent opponents to allow us to gain strength. »
From the start, the Blues went into Euro mode and played like a steamroller. There was desire and confidence to be found and the French did not hesitate. Leading 3-0 then 7-2, the instruction to clip the wings of the Eagles of Carthage was perfectly respected. Everything was moving quickly and well in the circulation of the ball and quickly, the fate of the match was in no doubt.
After only eleven minutes, Patrick Cazal had already burned two timeouts in order to put the Tunisians back in the right direction. “You are too nice in defense,” he shouted to his players already trailing by eight goals (11-3). The little bit of pressure worked for a while with a return to only -4, 12-8. But the Blues actually managed their match calmly by trying several tactical combinations.
Desbonnet holder in the cages
At the break, France logically led 20-13. Smiling, goalkeeper Rémi Desbonnet (Montpellier) enjoyed his first period and his tenure while he is still in the balance for the position with Charles Bolzinger and Samir Bellahcene. “We had a very good first period,” he said at the break. We were able to test different tactical devices that we have been working on for some time. And it’s great. We are going to build up our strength little by little but it is already bearing fruit. »
The second half was then just a formality with calm management of the result, the changes and the playing time for almost everyone. And inevitably, some lack of rigor in defense then appeared. But nothing prohibitive. In the end, France won (35-26). The main thing is that the confidence was built while waiting for the final rehearsal on Saturday against the Brazilians.
