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8 months ago
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The French team will play its final friendly match of this international break against Chile this Tuesday evening at the Vélodrome in Marseille. A way to bounce back after the bitter failure against Germany suffered on Saturday in Lyon (0-2), but also to find the answers to the last questions that the Blues staff could ask themselves since this meeting for butter represents the last meeting -you before Euro 2024, which will take place in Germany from June 14 to July 14. Meanwhile, simultaneously, 1,113 kilometers from Marseille, Poland and Wales will cross swords on the pitch of the Cardiff City Stadium in the Euro play-offs, with one of the last three tickets up for grabs. qualifiers for the European Championship. The winner of this duel will automatically join Group D with the Netherlands, Austria and also France. An important match for the Blues who will know this evening who they will have to battle against next June in the group phase.
These two nations, in quite similar situations, have experienced journeys strewn with pitfalls and surprising to say the least. Poland, which came out of a round of 16 at the World Cup in Qatar, finished in 3rd position in Group E behind Albania and the Czech Republic. A disappointment for this team used to qualifying directly without going through the play-off box, as was the case in 2008, 2012 (organizing country), 2016 and 2021. As for Wales, the Welsh Dragons finished 3rd in the group D behind Turkey and Croatia. Far from being a shame due to the status of these two big footballing nations, but Wales often defies the odds during the European Championships, as evidenced by the quarter-finals in 2016 and the round of 16 in 2021. This Tuesday evening in Cardiff, a great European player will remain at the dock in this enticing standoff between Wales, 29th FIFA nation, and Poland, ranked 30th in the same ranking.
The Welsh transition
While the legend Gareth Bale (111 caps, 41 goals) officially retired, Wales had to begin a period of reconstruction by gradually introducing new players and empowering certain young nuggets. Coach Rob Page has focused on introducing younger players over the past year. Ethan Ampadu (23) and Jordan James (19) form the midfield axis while Brennan Johnson (22), Rabbi Matondo (23), Daniel James (26) and Neco Williams (22) also provide rhythm and energy. The Dragons can nevertheless count on a few veterans to better support this transition. Thus, Aaron Ramsey (33 years old), Ben Davies (30 years old), Wayne Hennessey (37 years old), Danny Ward (30 years old) and Kieffer Moore (31 years old) are still called up and represent the touch of experience of the group.
“It shows how far we’ve come in a short time. We are a country where, if we can still be able to qualify while we are still in this transition of introducing young players, and without some of the world class players that we have had, then we are in a good place . Having younger legs does not guarantee positive results, but it gives you the best opportunities., declared the Welsh coach. Wales are on a good seven-game unbeaten run since a difficult period last June, when the team lost back-to-back qualifying matches against Turkey and Armenia. In the event of victory, France will still have to be wary of Wales aligned in 3-5-2 with a very intense offensive game which is determined to accelerate its reconstruction for post-Bale. A team that can look like a little trap in the group stage.
The Last Dance of the Poles
The situation in Poland is a bit special. Since the summer of 2018, the Polish selection has had a total of six coaches. After the World Cup in Qatar, Czesław Michniewicz was sacked the day after the defeat against France in the round of 16. The Portuguese coach, Fernando Santos, took over for only seven months before being fired by the Polish Federation. Michał Probierz only took over in September when Santos were sacked following qualifying defeats to Moldova and Albania. Poland are now unbeaten in the five matches he has managed, but home draws against Moldova and the Czech Republic at the end of the qualifying campaign condemned them to the play-offs. This Euro is very important for the generation of Robert Lewandowski (147 caps, 82 goals) who should play well in his last Euro. Aged 35, the Barcelona player has never been able to take his selection far despite the talent present with Kamil Grosicki (35 years old), Piotr Zieliński (30 years old), Bartosz Bereszyński (31 years old) and Wojciech Szczęsny (33 years old).
“I am convinced that we are mentally strong and well prepared for this match. We have made a wide selection and observed many players and this match will be a summary of our six months of work. During the first two training camps, many players did not play and many were injured. But we have worked to build a team that is dominant and keeps the ball., explained the Polish coach. Certain other executives from Lewy's generation, injured or sidelined, were not present at this truce. This is the case of Arkadiusz Milik (30 years old), Grzegorz Krychowiak (34 years old) and Karol Linetty (29 years old). France knows this opponent well having faced them in Qatar in December 2022. If the Polish Orlys come to overthrow Wales, the Blues would then come across a team with more talent and experience in this 3-4-2 -1 but with much more pressure and doubts due to the instability of the group.
