Above all, do not relive the disillusionment of Rio. The watchword is clear within the French volleyball team, which still has its elimination in the throes of the group stage of the Olympic tournament five years ago. Despite their two victories in three dry innings against Canada and Mexico, the Blues saw the door of the quarter-finals close in front of them at the last moment, due to their loss to Brazil and the victory of Canada. against Italians who are already qualified and hardly inclined to play the game in favor of their European neighbors. Hence a certain bitterness that continues to fuel conversations, even if the French had fallen into the famous group of death with all the future podium - Brazil, Italy and the United States - as an entry for the less indigestible.
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We couldn't run into a stronger hen.
Now we have no choice.
Laurent Tillie
Bad luck, Tokyo is in line with Rio with a group again very strong. "
When we see the level of play of the Brazilians, Americans, Russians and Argentines, and that we know that we are part of their group, it is the best of the best,
" said the French coach, Laurent Tillie. “
We couldn't come across a stronger hen. Now we have no choice. From Rio, we know that even doing our job sportingly, it may not be enough in the face of adversity. So this year, we have to take into account the possibility of improbable results in other matches and we will need at least three successes.
“To start if possible on Saturday against the United States (2:45 pm), so as not to relive the disastrous start of 2016 against Italy (defeat in three sets).
Maximum input aggressiveness
“
Maybe we were too happy to be in Rio, which reduced our anger to go for a medal,
” Earvin Ngapeth analyzes. “We didn't get there with the right frame of mind. We said to ourselves: “
Great, here we are!
Except that was where it all really started. Result, in the first game, we took a big slap and behind, we struggled the whole tournament. Hence the importance, in Tokyo, of arriving in the first game against the United States with maximum aggressiveness. ” An opinion shared by its captain, Benjamin Toniutti: “
There are bound to be lessons to be learned from Rio.
We had played very badly in the first game and even if afterwards we were able to raise our heads well, it was not enough.
We have learned that in such a competition, with such a level, you have to be very aggressive from the start.
We must immediately be very determined to show others that we are there, and to keep our destiny in hand as well.
"
Read also: The Tokyo 2020 medal table
Third in the last Nations League, the Blues had dominated the Americans (3-1) there a month ago, but also Brazil (3-0), Russia (3-1) and Argentina (3- 0). Only Tunisia was missing to complete this future Olympic table. Nevertheless, Toniutti is wary of this competition more preparatory than anything else. ““
The United States were disappointing in the Nations League, but I'm sure their level will be very different at these Games. It's a very complete team.
"And the passer to continue his analysis concerning the other opponents:"
Tunisia, we do not know too much because we have not faced it for a long time. She has a player, Wassim Ben Tara, who had a great season in Poland, whom we should be wary of. Argentina have a relatively similar playing style to ours, with a lot of defense and very technical. It's a less physical team than the others, but very well organized. Conversely, Russia is arguably the most physical team in the world, with enormous builds. Its only possible weakness will lie in the fact that many of its players will discover the Games. The Russian team is built both for these Games, but also for the World Championship that it will organize in a year. Finally, Brazil is one of the two favorites, along with Poland, in their own succession, with talent everywhere.
"
Hunt the ghosts of Rio
To impose itself immediately against the United States would allow the Blues to chase away the ghosts of Rio, even if Laurent Tillie also took care of it from the start of the preparation: “
I started the course by talking about Rio.
As soon as I had my whole team available, on our first meeting, I only got the players who were in Rio to speak.
I want this experience to be used.
And they said, spontaneously, everything that seemed essential to me.
They shared their emotions and their experiences.
I think it was an important moment.
This debriefing had to be done from the start, for it to have a strong impact.
All the quality of the work that we provided in preparation and during the League of Nations comes, in my opinion, from this debriefing.
»All that remains is to export it to the Japanese capital.
