France 2019 Women’s World Cup

Here’s a quick guide to the World Cup hosts, France, in 2019.

The French team will be one of the most exciting teams to watch in 2019. The first, and most obvious, argument to pick France as favourites for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup is that they are home favourites. Women’s football is massive in France, and the financial support for the women’s side matches that. The professional club Olympique Lyonnais has the highest salary average in the world. The club consistently draws massive crowds for their home matches. In their most recent games against Nigeria and Canada in future World Cup venues, the team drew over 10,000 fans per match.

But are they any good?

The French national team is currently ranked #5 in the World, sitting closely behind Canada and Germany. In the most recent SheBelieves Cup in the United States, France tied the United States, with several close chances for the French team in the final ten minutes of the match. The French side also shocked women’s football viewers by beating a top German team 3-0 in the tournament. Their final result in the 4-team round robin tournament was a 4-1 loss to England, an unusual result for the two teams. Although the team has consistently competed with the top rosters in the world, the French national team seems to struggle when in tournament play. In the London 2012 Olympics, the French national failed to snatch a bronze medal off of the modest Canadian side. The French national team dominated in the bronze medal match, having double the crossing and shot opportunities, but managed to allow a transitional goal in the dying minutes of the game. In 2015, the French team also failed to finish in the top 3, losing to Germany in their quarter final match. Again, the French national team statistically dominated the game, but lost to the Germans in penalty kicks after a late German comeback goal in regular time. In the Rio 2016 Olympics, France once again did not reach their potential. The Canadians backed up their 2012 win by once again knocking France out of Olympic medal contention, beating them 1-0 in the quarter final round.

Are they going to be any different than past years?

The team just experienced a coaching change, appointing head coach Corinne Diarce to take over for Olivier Echouafni this past August. Diacre served as the assistant coach to Bruno Bini, who was the first to ignite the French team to push towards being one of the best national teams in the world (Diacre takes over, 2017). Similar to the Canadians, a coaching change this close to the World Cup could be difficult for the squad to adjust to, but after limited success under Bergeroo and Echouafni it could be the exact change France needs.

The team itself is also undergoing some large changes.  Two of the best players in French history retired recently. Camille Abily and Louisa Necib both finished their careers after the most recent Olympic/World Cup cycle. Necib finished her career with 145 caps and 36 goals for the national team, becoming one of the highest goal scorers in French history (Louisa Necib, n.d.). Abily finished her career with 181 caps and 35 goals for France. Both players have been awarded French Player of the Year (Camille Abily, n.d.). That being said, France is allowing space for new international stars, showing lots of hope in players like 21-year-old Valerie Gauvin.

Who are the players to watch in 2019?

Personally, this is one of my favourite squads in terms of individual skill. Although the team plays a dynamic style of football, they rarely stray from their usual attacking formations and movements to play out of the back. Where the team comes alive is in individual creativity and technical dominance. Amandine Henry and Eugenie Le Summer are the two stars of the team. Both players have been featured on FIFA pro best 11 teams and Ballon D’or nominations. The striker and attacking midfield combination they provide is critical to the French attack, creating the majority of their goals. Their leadership will also be important going into 2019, serving as captains for the team.

Wendie Renard is also a crucial player for France. The monstrous centre back leads the back line, providing the team with more buildup than her partner centre back Mbock Bathy. Renard has tallied 19 goals in her international career which is quite a high number for a defender (Wendie Renard, n.d.). This is due to her incredible height advantage, and it could be a saving factor for France off of set pieces in 2019.

The youngster to watch? In 2018 Valerie Gauvin has been interesting to watch. With just 9 caps and already 5 goals, Gauvin seems to have taken her international opportunities at pace. A young striker who is also capable of playing attacking midfield, Gauvin possesses the same technical skill as older players but brings a new era of football, one that hasn’t been tarnished by past tournament defeats.

 

The French side has the skill to win the World Cup, but as any football spectator knows it takes more than talent to win a whole FIFA tournament. If Diacre, the veterans, and the new faces perform together, the home squad could be frontrunners to win in 2019.

 

References:

Camille ABILY. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.fff.fr/equipes-de-france/toutes-les-joueuses/fiche-joueuse/2219621801-camille-abily

FIFA.com. (2017, August). Diacre takes over as France women’s coach. Retrieved from http://www.fifa.com/womens-football/news/y=2017/m=8/news=diacre-le-nouveau-guide-des-bleues-2905854-2905936.html

Louisa NECIB- CADAMURO. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.fff.fr/equipes-de-france/toutes-les-joueuses/fiche-joueuse/1706234367-louisa-necib-cadamuro

Wendie RENARD. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.fff.fr/equipes-de-france/toutes-les-joueuses/fiche-joueuse/2979312436-wendie-renard