Breaking the French connection
Published:Friday | July 21, 2023 | 12:06 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
Buoyed by the upbeat atmosphere in training, national senior women assistant coach Xavier Gilbert says that he feels that the girls are eager to get their Women’s World Cup campaign under way, putting the final phases of their plan in producing what would be a shock result against France.
The Reggae Girlz are slated to travel to Sydney from their base in Melbourne before Sunday’s Group F opener against France, which kicks off at 5 a.m. Jamaica time. The Reggae Girlz’s focus has been on being tactically ready to face Les Blues, the fifth-best team in the world, and have been encouraged by their 1-0 win over Morocco in their warm- up game on Sunday, a game in which Gilbert felt that they executed some of the things they wanted to do against the French.
“Part of that game was also being used to prepare for some of the things that we wanted to do against the French team. We did some of that. Even the goal that was scored was as a result of what we did before in terms of playing forward. There are lots of positives that we took out of it,” Gilbert said.
In the training session on Wednesday Gilbert said that he felt that the team is eager to get their second World Cup campaign under way based on their attitude in the session.
“They were buzzing from the get-go from just before the warm-up, and we saw it right throughout the session. It was just to show that the girls are ready to go. The session was pretty much how can we exploit some areas that we think will be left available by the French and also how to curtail some of their strengths in terms of how we defend, especially in the wide areas,” Gilbert said. “We know where they want to exploit us, and they are going to want to counter-press a lot and try and force us through the middle.”
France, led by head coach Herve Renard, lost their warm-up game against Australia on July 14, and Gilbert said that while they are noticing areas where they can be dangerous, they have to be mindful of how dangerous they can be
“We saw where they struggled a little bit in terms of playing out of the back and coming under a little pressure. We saw how they play up front, and we have to be mindful how they attack and how they defend,” Gilbert said.
While the Reggae Girlz will go into the game as big underdogs, Gilbert said that it should not hinder fans from believing that they can achieve a significant result in a tough group.
“Sometimes you dream, and the dream becomes a reality, so nothing is wrong with that, but I think we have a good chance. If we play smart and contain them as we go along, it will get easier for us,” Gilbert said.
This will be Jamaica’s first meeting against France.