“How symbolic is this meeting for you?
We had prepared for this eventuality. We prepared for the match by supervising our opponent for a long time. A perfect job was done. Now we have to obtain this qualification on the ground. About me, I have wonderful memories of my stay in Morocco. Now, on to football. Even when we play a game with friends, we do it to win it. We are here to qualify.
Can you give us a little update on the state of health of your troops?
Overall everything is fine. Maëlle Lakrar had a small alert on a small slip. We managed a bit like with Wendie (Renard), it is she who will decide today, according to her feelings, tomorrow morning, if she is able to participate in this match or not. A workforce that is entirely at my disposal. There was a good turnover against Panama. Some have gained playing time, others have preserved themselves a little bit. Everyone is ready for this important game. Grace trained normally yesterday, 100%. She will be there. She is an essential player for this France team, through her experience, through her percussion qualities, in recovery.
Is it more difficult to defeat a team that relies on a lot of players who play for the same club as is the case for Morocco with the Rabat club?
It’s an international match, we too have players who play for the same club. The important thing is to respect the opponent, to respect a round of 16. When we qualify for the round of 16, we have a lot of quality, the Moroccan team is not there by chance. It’s up to us to prepare well and make sure we qualify for the next round.
On the other bench there will be another French coach, Reynald Pedros. This is a first in the World Cup. So the French coaches are not so bad?
The training of French coaches is very good. We are lucky to be well trained. Some manage to export, there are not enough of them. It’s a bit of a downside. With world football that is changing enormously, we will have to export a little more. This is a message for French coaches. You just have to have a desire to discover, to adapt to all the parameters of a new country. Afterwards, we can live wonderful adventures. There will only be one Frenchman left for the quarter-finals, I hope it will be me. »