As for the Coupe de France, which combines amateurs and professionals, the Youth League promises to be somewhat unbalanced.
This Champions League reserved for under 19s brings together teams from around thirty European countries.
The problem?
Everyone has their own rules related to the health crisis.
The most concrete example concerns PSG, which will play in Sevilla on March 2-3.
Stéphane Roche's team played its last official match on October 25 before the end of the national championship.
The Andalusians, them, continue their journey and chain meetings.
"We need to find a collective dynamic," says Stéphane Roche, coach of the U 19 Parisians.
It's good to be able to project on this goal.
Until now, the goal was to be able to respond to requests from the pros.
We had more individualized areas of progress without a vision for the Youth League or the championship ”.
Physically, can PSG end up in danger after four months without an official match?
After internal oppositions between U 17 and U 19, the capital club resumed friendly matches last week, the first against Dijon (1-2).
“We are gradually returning to controlled costs,” explains Stéphane Roche.
Against Dijon, we had to run a lot.
But the return of a goal is stimulating ”.
🆗🏆⚽️
The draw for the 32nd finals of the @ UEFAYouthLeague has taken place, the young Parisians will go to the lawn of @SevillaFC.
The matches will be played on March 2 and 3.
🔴🔵 #AllezParis
- Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) January 27, 2021
The state of mind is similar to Angers, the only French representative to receive, the Red Star of Belgrade.
"For us, it is a great emotion because it will be our first appearance," explains Abdel Bouhazama, director of the SCO training center.
We are torn between impatience and the fact that we are facing a club that has already played 21 league games.
In any case, it's a real motivator for the players.
We had no visibility, no possibility of projecting ourselves.
And what I saw today after the draw is a real dynamic, a craze ”.
"The experience is ultimately rich"
For Stade Rennais, which will travel to Saint Petersburg, and OM, which will meet in Liverpool, the challenge promises to be immense.
In the absence of an official meeting, the Bretons reviewed the work organization at the U 19.
Today, Denis Arnaud, boss of the Rennes training center, believes that the delay "is minimal".
“We took advantage of this period to test new things, modify working methods,” describes Denis Arnaud.
The experience is ultimately rich.
We have much more individualized, targeted areas for improvement, strengths too.
Young people feel even more valued and concerned with this support ”.
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The four French clubs involved now hope not to be subject to new constraints by March 2 and 3.
The format of the competition has changed this season in the face of the coronavirus crisis.
The meetings are unique and eliminatory.
Sixty-four teams are vying for the title, held by Real Madrid.
PSG reached the final of the competition in 2016 with a generation led by Ikoné, Augustin or Nkunku, losing only 2-1 to Chelsea.