This Tuesday, the U17 team of France faced Denmark. A 1-0 defeat for our young blues at the Pierre de Coubertin stadium in Cannes. The rematch will take place on Thursday morning.
The legendary Pierre de Coubertin stadium, which has seen the greatest legends of the French team play on this pitch, is hosting the footballers of tomorrow this week. A first test match, with the aim set on the Euro U17. “We’re going step by step. Obviously, we want to qualify, but we must first go through the Elite Round (preliminary round) in Hungary. We are preparing, and we are going to live a great story. We will have to play against Hungary, Sweden, and Norway. Today was an excellent opponent for our preparation,” tempers coach José Alcocer. A solid opponent, and one considered among the best in Europe.
A dull match but some reasons for satisfaction
Firstly, the goalkeeper. Lucas Lavalée, in his third selection, delayed the inevitable for a long time. Unfortunately, in the 80th minute, he couldn’t stop a final Scandinavian offensive. Undeniable qualities on his line and a kicking game that is still losing ground, but already excellent. Beside him, number 10, Salim Ben Seghir. The player from Nice had a strong first half before being substituted. “We are managing the squad, let’s not forget that. Salim has very good qualities and an interesting profile, but he is still fragile. It’s part of the game to manage and protect him. Opposing us was a very athletic team. Thursday is a new match, and we must manage the entire stage,” explains the one managing his 20th match with this 2003 generation. The young player from Nice, playing at home, enjoyed unwavering support from the stands. On his left side, he exhibited his technical skills despite a low position. He could have even opened the scoring in the first quarter-hour, but the Danish goalkeeper didn’t allow him this pleasure.
“We work on several systems; today, that was the plan”
The spectators at Pierre de Coubertin could observe it, Salim Ben Seghir and his Nice teammate Tom Louchet were positioned very low on the wings, leaving Matthis Abline alone on the front line. “It’s a team that plays a lot on width. We wanted to absolutely avoid the quick switch on the wings, to not concede a goal. We noticed it when we were slow to respond; it cost us dearly. The idea was to defend deeper while advancing to disrupt them. A match is a power struggle. Today, it wasn’t in our favor,” analyzes the Corsican. A 4-2-3-1 on paper which in reality was more of a 4-4-1. Much dedication from our young blues, but too many technical errors. “We adapt our system according to the players. It will change again on Thursday, and I invite you to come and see for yourself.” The rendezvous is set for the rematch on Thursday in Cannes, late in the morning.
