The French team’s training session on Tuesday was more lively than expected.
In Clairefontaine
6:44 p.m., Pibarot field in Clairefontaine. Antoine Griezmann jokes with a steward, quenches his thirst and does not hide his smile. Sweaty, the vice-captain of the Blues, who is coming off a failed Euro, gave himself up in a 9-on-9 half-court match where his role, during the first half, was to organize the game as a joker. A studious atmosphere for this international return.
During this exercise, in a more intense pace than expected for a second training session, the Blues offered intensity under the eyes of an attentive Didier Deschamps on the touchline. On several occasions, the coach made his voice heard, demanding rhythm, accuracy and efficiency. “Move over”he repeated in front of the twenty or so journalists present along the railing and facing 200 spectators.
A less light session than expected
During this opposition, a Barcola-Mbappé-Olise attack was tested by the 1998 world champion. A first indication in view of the meeting against Italy? The closed-door session scheduled for Wednesday will confirm or not this trend. On the other side, a Dembelé (replaced by Griezmann)-Thuram-Kolo Muani trio was seen. In search of efficiency and freshness, after a Euro that failed in the big widths on the offensive level, the French team must pack the Parc des Princes.
Mbappé takes advantage of his dad, Griezmann has the gift of ubiquity
At the end of the session, Kylian Mbappé took advantage of his dad’s presence on the edge of the pitch to chat and show a big smile. The rest of the troops went to the locker rooms. As an anecdote, Antoine Griezmann, a big fan of the Olympic Games, missed three French medals at the Paralympic Games during the session… but his communications team worked for the famous “medal alert” on his social networks.
