Silver medalist at Paris 2024, the leader of Gran Canaria will guide a young French team during the two qualifying matches for Euro 2025 against Cyprus, Thursday and Sunday.
“Very happy to be there with the group, a lot of young people, it’s a pleasure”. The only member of the French team, Olympic vice-champion last summer, present at the November gathering, Andrew Albicy, 34, has fangs and does not hide his joy. Faithful among the faithful, the former leader of Paris-Levallois and Gravelines-Dunkerque will officiate as “big brother” within a group as young as it is renewed. 104 caps, that’s more than the rest of his teammates! He takes stock before the qualifying matches for Euro 2025 against Cyprus, Thursday in Nicosia and Sunday in Poitiers.
The French team : “I represent France and it feels good mentally to take a break from the club, to see something else, it’s always nice to come to the windows. Motivation after the Games? Always ! It’s a different group, it will be the first selection for most of the players, you can’t be more motivated.”
Freddy Fauthoux, new coach : “It’s a new character arriving, new systems, a new method, it’s always good to have something fresh. I only knew Vincent (Collet), so it’s a bit strange but it’s always nice to see new faces. The team is very different too. It’s a breath of fresh air, it’s cool. The changes? As it’s a window, it’s always more focused on defense, aggression and more open play, trying to score in fast play because we don’t have many sessions, only four is very little, but with our aggressiveness on defense, we will be able to run and with the athletes we have, it will help us a lot. Freddy? You feel that he is still shy, it’s true, it’s normal, there is always the apprehension of the first training sessions, a new status too, but for the moment, everyone is listening, very focused, it’s going really well. (…) What are the differences with Collet? A little more aggressive, especially in windows with players who are not the same as in competitions. We are lucky to have big athletes inside, who are very mobile, we will be a little more aggressive, we will run more, that aspect. This is what we already wanted to do before but we didn’t necessarily have the qualities to do it during the Olympics. We took a silver medal, so we’re not going to complain (laughs).”
Also read
Basketball: “We are not magicians”, slips Fauthoux at the start of his first internship at the head of the Blues
Nolan Traore? What he’s doing so far is very strong, incredible.
Andrew Albicy
The nugget Nolan Traoré : “We have a completely different game but I can help him with certain things. What he is doing at the moment is very strong, incredible, he has a lot of responsibilities in Saint-Quentin and that will help us for the windows and for the future. We’re already getting to know each other too. Apart from this summer, I haven’t had the time to be around him, it happens gradually and naturally. For his age, he is very strong, athletic, and when he starts to take outside shots, it becomes very dangerous for everyone… All the players are still shy because they are not used to it, It’s their first selection, they are apprehensive, but it will happen naturally. They will play their game more and more, be more confident. (…) We all know each other more or less so it’s easy and everyone has good intentions, the desire to do well, to work well, so it happens naturally and everything goes well. (…) He is discreet on the outside, he is not a big communicator but you feel that he has confidence in himself, that he is at ease, even sometimes a little too much (laughs) . Especially when I defend on him, he is sometimes a little too easy, he has already lost two or three balls (laughs), but he will learn gradually and he will toughen up. It’s normal and not everyone defends like me. It’s normal that he has a little trouble with the first actions but he’s so easy… You have the impression that he already plays as if he had 10 years of experience. It’s already crazy at that age.”
Chypre : “We don’t care who is in front of us, we want to play well and above all win, that’s the most important thing, with style and good play”.
Also read
“Freddy’s strength is that he is still playful in his mind”: Fauthoux, the fiery “Petitou” at the head of the big Blues
I was put in the package with Nico (Batum) and Nando (De Colo, who retired internationally after the 2024 Olympics) but I am still in good shape, I still have good years in my legs.
Andrew Albicy
Candidate for Euro 2025 : “Yes. I’m in good shape. I was put in the package with Nico (Batum) and Nando (De Colo, who retired internationally after the 2024 Olympics) but I am still in good shape, I still have good years in my legs. As long as I am called, I will respond.”
The transition between the madness of the Olympics and the season : “You have time to do it when you come back to the club. I didn’t have many vacation days, not at all in fact, I went straight back to the club and I had the birth of my daughter… It happened quickly for me. But we knew from the start that the rest time would be very short. But I feel very good, no sluggishness, mentally it feels good to come, see new faces, new personalities and a new environment.
His role as leader within the France group : “I try to ensure that we have good automatisms, that we get to know each other. I like to talk and laugh with everyone so that everyone feels confident. It’s going well. But again, it’s normal, these are the first training sessions, the first as a team of several of them, we’ve all been there. More caps than the rest of the team? I enjoy having this role of big brother. And it’s so easy to work with kids who are hungry and want to do well. It’s easy and pleasant to work in these conditions. (….) I’m crazy about basketball, I watch all the games, I pretty much follow what everyone does.
Comments collected at press briefing
