In the front row of the single stand of the René-Binet pitch, standing with his hands in his pockets, Franck Raviot observes the young players of Olympique de Marseille facing those of Toulouse FC.
In Sens, in Yonne, the Tournoi Sans Frontières (TSF) was played from April 7 to 10, which brings together the cream of footballers under the age of 14 each year.
The best from France and some from abroad (Porto, Dortmund, Tokyo...) were invited to this Easter weekend, when the gray sky did not drive away the hundreds of people, children like grandparents, to enjoy simple, authentic but also spectacular football.
Because it is a meeting of talents, in which most of the 2018 world champions such as Ousmane Dembélé, Blaise Matuidi or Raphaël Varane participated.
Franck Raviot knows a lot about it.
If he is first identified as the goalkeeper coach of the France team, a position he has held since 2010, he performs the same function at INF Clairefontaine, the hopeful pole of the French Football Federation ( FFF).
It is under this cap that he sponsors the 28th edition of the TSF in Sens, where his sharp eye detects promising boys more quickly.
A good young player, "
is by definition someone who feels football, who has a different relationship to the game from the others because he is fully involved in the game in the broad sense of the field
," says Raviot.
The importance of having “solid foundations”
Rio Mavuba, a former midfielder for Les Bleus (14 caps between 2004 and 2014), is now responsible for pre-training at the Girondins de Bordeaux.
He was present at Sens, for a tournament in which he himself participated when he was younger.
In a little prodigy, what should alert is "
beyond what they do, what they manage to see even if the realization is not at the end
", believes Mavuba.
Match between the U14s of Lille and Brest at the Tournoi Sans Frontières.
Gilles Venet
Of all the aspects of football, the one that matters most to a youngster, without a doubt, is technique.
The young player, "
he can express himself more easily from the moment he has solid foundations, and these foundations are above all technical
", says Raviot.
“
What I watch the most is the relationship the player has with the ball
,” agrees Mavuba, attentive to “
the quality of the first touch
”.
The athletic dimension, low coefficient
By “
technique
”, should we therefore understand the control of the ball?
Or rather the pass?
The dribble?
"
Technique is not a gesture, it's all gestures
", professes Raviot.
Among young people, you have to dwell on this, and not fall into the trap of physical domination.
“
We see that in the athletic fields, it is disproportionate,
continues Mavuba.
There are players who are a little more made, others morphologically behind.
»
OM and PSG met in the semi-finals of the Tournoi Sans Frontières.
Gilles Venet
Ignoring a boy for a size deficit is the mistake that several French clubs made in the 2000s with Antoine Griezmann, world champion and vice-captain of the France team, or Mathieu Valbuena.
Conversely, young colossi rely only on their imposing silhouette and do not acquire “
the base that every footballer must have
”, explains Raviot.
Once arrived at adults, where the physical gap is less, the difference in level is obvious.
Easier to shine for attackers?
To get an opinion of the technique of a young player, he still has to have the ball.
Then comes into play the complexity of the position, and a possible disadvantage for the defenders.
"
We may have a tendency to have, wrongly, a more pronounced observation towards certain positions
", recognizes Raviot.
Hence the importance of “
knowing how to play without the ball, knowing how to move when and how.
The young player should not be observed only when he has the ball at his feet.
What does he do when the ball is away from his zone?
»
A young goalkeeper must assume his responsibilities, which is not easy at that age.
Franck Raviot, goalkeeping coach for the France team and INF Clairefontaine.
There is also the specificity of the goalkeepers.
What should give a flea in the ear watching a young doorman?
“
The main thing is that he is fully involved in the game,
explains the man who had Hugo Lloris, Steve Mandanda or today Mike Maignan under his orders.
The young goalkeeper should not be limited to his game as the last defender, because he is also the first attacker of his team, the first raiser, He must have an influence in his area and outside.
»
The young last bastion must "
assume his responsibilities, which is not easy at that age
".
“
You have to combine your concentration on the ball, language, verbal communication,
Raviot list.
This set of things makes the task difficult.
You have to be patient with a young goalkeeper.
»
Patience is the mother of virtue
Patience, an essential ingredient in the search for promising young people.
You have to spot them young, yes, but not too young.
“
When they are in the college years (11-15 years old), so much can happen,
warns Mavuba.
They may have a changing center of interest, be in a period of growth, injuries or Osgood-Schlatter disease
(which affects the knees of children and adolescents and often forces them to stop sport for several months, editor's note)
.
»
For Franck Raviot, it is a question of “
hurrying slowly in the work, respecting the stages of learning, of pre-training
”.
"
If there was a good age
" to estimate a player's future with some semblance of assurance, "
it would be around 15-16 years old
", Mavuba gauge.
OGC Nice won the 2023 edition of the Tournoi Sans Frontières, in Sens.
Gilles Venet
But “
we cannot allow ourselves to be driven by certainties,
insists Raviot.
There are so many elements that cannot be controlled that to be certain about the future of a young boy would be extremely clumsy and wrong.
There is the mental aspect, glorified in top-level sport, and the environment, a sensitive subject in money-flowing football.
Are the parents trustworthy?
Who is this agent who has already made contact with a young schoolboy?
“
You should not consider these young boys as miniature adults,
slips Raviot.
They are pre-teens, each stage of life is to be fully respected.
»
It's important to see the attitude he has when the ball is lost, when he misses a pass, when he doesn't receive the ball...
Rio Mavuba, head of pre-training at the Girondins de Bordeaux
If some young people are still looking for themselves on a field, others already give off personality, perceptible in their communication and their body language.
“
Even if at that age they can still change, and fortunately, it is sure that the attitude and the behavior are very important,
approves Mavuba.
It's important to see the attitude he has when the ball is lost, when he misses a pass, when he doesn't receive the ball...
"
Annual tournaments like that of Sens are "
good revealers
", Raviot needle.
The Nice U14s dominated those of Paris Saint-Germain in the final (2-0).
Their midfielder and N.10, Nassim Laarej, was voted best player.
"
He was very consistent, at that age it's complicated
," comments Rio Mavuba.
More consistency over 4-5 years, and the door to the pros will be ajar.
