One year after the success of the Zaire-Emery, Olmeta and Tel generation, the France team puts its title at stake at the Under-17 Euro. The French selection launches its tournament this Wednesday at 16:30 with a first group match against Scotland in Debrecen (Hungary). Germany and Portugal will be the next opponents. The Blueberries have just won 11 of their last 12 games (1 draw) and despite the absence of several elements (Kroupi, Amougou, Zague) they will have assets. Coach Jean-Luc Vannuchi presents the 20 teenagers born in 2006 and 2007 (including the Parisian Joane Gadou Kouakou) who make up his team.
THE GUARDIANS
Paul Argney (Le Havre). "He's coming back from injury. He is a reassuring goalkeeper, with a good footwork. He has matured, he has regained playing time in Le Havre. We are counting on him on this Euro. Among his areas of progress, I would say that he can manage his emotions even better, stay focused on what will happen. Not on what happened. »
Mathys Niflore (Toulouse). "He's ahead in a lot of areas. He exudes serenity and maturity despite his young age. He is performing well in the footwork and does not yet have a big international experience since I outclassed him. He could not make the Montaigu Tournament with the U16 but asserts himself as a successful goalkeeper. It was natural that he was with us. »
DEFENDERS
Paris defender Kouakou Gadou. Photo Icon sport DeFodi Images / Icon Sport
Joane Gadou Kouakou (PSG). "It's a force of nature. He combines power and speed, while being interesting in the use of the ball. He is able to play short, to play long. He has a great mindset. Its integration with the 2006 was very good since it is outclassed. He is a defender who likes to defend, this is not always the case. »
Joachim Kayi Sanda (Valenciennes). "He's a natural leader, one of my captains. Joachim is sobriety on and off the pitch. He is not a great communicator but he is a determined boy who likes to defend as well. He can still improve his long game. »
Bastien Meupiyou Menadjou (Nantes). "The left-hander of the defense. He has a very interesting quality of passing, he goes fast. Small flat, he plays in midfield in reserve with Nantes (N2) but with me he will be in central defense. He has to stay focused for the duration of the game. It is solid and sometimes too easy. »
Aymen Sadi (Valenciennes). "A good defender, very aggressive, in anticipation and interceptions. He has this ability to project himself forward. He too must keep rigor and avoid superfluous gestures but it is a very interesting temperament. »
Nhoa Sangui (Reims). "A left-hander who tactically understands a lot with and without the ball. He is always well placed, with an offensive contribution in the right tempo and a high volume of play. For me he is an already mature player who plays regularly in N2 at Reims. He is ahead of the post. »
Dan Sinaté (Monaco). "He is a successful left-back, able to repeat efforts in the corridor. He made his return to the national team. I didn't take him for a while but he made good progress with his behaviour off the pitch in Monaco. He understood that the international level required a lot of work and rigour. »
Yvann Titi (Le Havre). "Incredible physical potential not yet 100% tapped. This involves exchanging GPS data with Troyes to make it work in the repetition of efforts and high-intensity races. He is a boy of duty, very rigorous, who goes fast, good defensively. He has to bring us more offensively. He will be suspended for the first game. »
THE ENVIRONMENTS
Saimon Bouabré (Monaco). "He is now at the service of the collective and when he is in these dispositions, it is a very interesting element in the use of the ball. He is able to set the tempo, calm or accelerate when necessary. He can play both off-center left or in the middle. It's a richness to have versatile players like him in a group. »
Ismail Bouneb (Valenciennes). "An elegant player. He's an old-fashioned number 10 capable of playing in a midfield three as a number 8 or under the striker. He has a very good first-touch quality in orientation and an incredible volume with almost 12 km per game. He is a very great shooter of set pieces, he has a lot of strings to his bow and a remarkable state of mind. »
Nolan Ferro (Strasbourg). "He is disciplined, rigorous and has evolved well in his orientations. He is now able to make others play. He can both be one of the first rebounders and stay safe when you lose the ball. He is a real good sentinel. »
Fode Sylla (Lens). "A warrior, a captain who alternates with Joachim (Kayi Sanda). He is a stalker, a waste picker and can project himself. He uses both feet. You just have to temper it a little bit because it takes a lot of boxes. His desire to go and recover balls can hurt him, but he is a boy of duty, very important in the balance of the team. He is the one who has the most selections with us. »
Daouda Traoré (Nice). "It's an incredible volume, a box to box capable of breaking the lines with or without the ball. He returns after being injured against Italy in February, undergoing ankle surgery. He played again with the U19s and trained with the pros. He loves duels and fighting. He still has to simplify his game to improve all his recoveries. »
"Going to the end of the competition"
The U17 France Team is preparing to play the final phase of the Euro U17, from May 17 to June 👊
2 The opportunity for the coach, Jean-Luc Vannuchi, to present us the competition and the objectives of the... pic.twitter.com/RxZsLhjfpS
— FFF (@FFF) May 15, 2023
THE ATTACKERS
Mohamed-Amine Bouchenna (Clermont). "A generous boy who can repeat efforts, run a lot and for a long time. To this day he scores less, but he is becoming a very important passer. I usually use it on one side. He does not have the primary quality of eliminating in one-on-one, but in repetition and defensive folds he is disciplined. He is at the service of the collective. »
Tidiane Diallo (Strasbourg). "He's been on the radar for a long time. He had two high-level performances against Italy. He is a talented and confusing player, who understands the game and knows how to use his body to eliminate one-on-one or get inside. He has to channel himself but it's a profile we didn't have. He returned after missing the Elite Tour due to injury. »
Tidiam Gomis (Caen). "He can play all three offensive positions. I use it on one side. He is a very powerful player, not very lively but as soon as he accelerates he makes differences. He still needs to have more stats. It's not enough on the number of goals and assists. It will be for the Euro (laughs). It is capable of doing damage in the corridors. »
Mathis Lambourde (Rennes). "Trained at the INF, he is a left-handed striker, very solid. On my way back from the Tour Elite, I got in touch with Rennes because there was an area of improvement in terms of GPS data that was not sufficient but since then the player is progressing well. He worked well and performed on all those stats in reserve. He is attracted to goal and has scored a lot in U19 this season. »
Yanis Ali Issoufou (Montpellier). "He arrived in Montpellier last season from Nimes. He is quite frail physically but he goes fast and has amazing GPS stats with us. He is not stingy with effort, can play on both sides. He's a good set kick shooter. »
Joan Tincres (Monaco). "He had a very good Gambardella final, he scored 14 goals in 17 years this year. He came with us last year in U16 but lacked a bit of power and speed. He worked well and finished the season very well with Monaco. He is a boy who can repeat efforts, who can take depth. He has progressed well with his back to the game. »
