We're starting to get to the heart of the matter. The French handball teams have known since Tuesday which teams they will face at the start of their tournament at the Paris Olympics. And so who will begin the quest of the two French teams to retain their Olympic title this summer, after a historic men's-women's double at the Tokyo Games.
This path, ambitious but within the reach of the French favorites of the competition, began this Tuesday at the Maison du handball in Créteil with the draw for the Olympic tournaments. And so with the choice of their opponents. Yes, because as the host country of the Games, France was able to choose which group to play in, once their other teams were divided into the two groups. A privilege which can quickly turn into a “hard choice”, says the coach of the men’s group Guillaume Gille, depending on the tables. But which allows you to implement your strategy.
Among the women, Olivier Krumbholz opted to let the Scandinavians fight among themselves in the group opposite. France will face Angola, Brazil, Spain, the Netherlands and Hungary. “To be honest, we hoped that Denmark and Norway would not be in the same group, and then we would have gone on the side of Norway. But hey, the two find themselves in the same group, very very strong. We're going to let them tire out a little bit as a group, smiles the coach. We are going to enter these Games quite calmly. »
With the idea that the meeting not to be missed will be that of the quarter-finals, the most important match in the opinion of the coaches and former players gathered at the Maison du handball this Tuesday for the draw.
Software to study all scenarios
And to plan ahead until the final stages, the French staff was able to count on the calculations of a small software: “We brought the teams in and saw almost all the scenarios towards the semi-finals, so that gave us allowed us to decide quickly,” says Olivier Krumbholz.
His counterpart among the men chose a Denmark-France clash to open the Olympic tournament on July 27, placing the Blues in the group of his Scandinavian rival, faced in a number of finals during competitions in recent years . “The rest of the group (Argentina, Egypt, Hungary, Norway) is more balanced, more affordable, whereas on the other hand, we have a very high density which perhaps does not guarantee us first place,” explains Guillaume Gille.
Above all, he sees in this draw the bases of the tricolor course. “We are able to put teams face to face with these first matches which mark the start of our Olympic adventure. This will also allow much more specific work in the preparation of these Olympics. »
Video work and espionage
On the selectors’ agenda? Lots of video work. “You should know that we already have everything in store. We have all the matches for everyone, we have 90% of the matches prepared, sequenced. We will be able to start observing them to be as operational as possible on a tactical level, explains Olivier Krumbholz. And then of course, we will track them in the preparation matches. We have a large, very competent staff, and I think that in espionage, there are a few countries that excel, such as France, Norway and Denmark. »
But the eternal technician of the Blue, who will lead them for the last time at the Olympics, says he “needs a little more time” to refine the settings and above all finalize his list of fourteen players and three substitutes who will participate.
With a view to retaining their Olympic crown, drawing up the list remains the essential step. For both men and women, it will be revealed on July 5. “Until the start of preparation at the end of June, we will observe the athletes a lot to draw the outlines of the team. And we send a lot of desire and positive vibes so that everyone stays in shape and whole", indicates Guillaume Gille, in whose head the list of the lucky ones "is becoming clearer, even if there are a lot of people left. national and European deadlines between now and our next internship”.
The lists being tighter than for other international competitions, it will be necessary to make even more constrained choices, especially given the rather very well-developed squads of the French teams. “It also means that the choice of three replacements is very important because there are positions where we will not have any,” slips Krumbholz. For the fourteen others, however, “the title of world champion lit the way”.