10-07-2025
France took the opportunity to rest and rotate against Wales
France took the opportunity to rest and rotate against Wales – and it worked
Laurent Bonadei is not afraid of change. That much was clear when the France manager omitted legendary captain Wendie Renard, the nation's top goalscorer and most-capped player Eugenie Le Sommer and San Diego Wave's Kenza Dali from this European Championship.
He confronted media and fans' shock with a nonplussed shrug, quoting Albert Einstein's theory of inertia that doing the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome is lunacy.
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Whether Einstein's theory works in the inverse — doing a different thing to beget the same outcome — is another matter altogether, one Bonadei seemed to attempt to answer against Wales on Wednesday as he announced seven changes to a starting XI that had comprehensively dismantled England 2-1 in their Euro opener three days earlier.
As Wales forward Jess Fishlock's goal in the 13th minute cancelled out France forward Clara Mateo's opener, Bonadei's theory looked to have holes, most notably in the space between the altered forward line and mostly altered back-line.
France ultimately emerged unscathed in St. Gallen, making the 15-kilometre trek back to Heiden with a 4-1 victory and a likely last-16 berth in tow. But this match was certainly a testament to the transition state France remain in, the sense of potential but pockets of concern that lurk beneath a pristine surface.
Bonadei warned changes would be made in his pre-match press conference. But as team news emerged, the bowels of St. Gallen's Kybunpark transformed into a frantic, disorientating race of fact-checking. Seven changes? Are you sure?
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In one way, this felt like a bold but obvious flex. Bringing on last season's Première Ligue (the French top-flight) top-scorer in Kadidiatou Diani is a kind of depth few teams in this tournament can muster. Throw in an entirely rotated front three (Diani, Melvine Malard, Mateo), new centre-back (Alice Samoura), new right-back (Melween N'Dongola) and two new midfielders (Sandie Toletti and Amel Majri) and it borders on some kind of hoarding complex, the front door of a French chateau trembling with the sheer weight of this armada.
The opening exchanges seemed to suggest precisely this. Diani slivering between lines, Mateo evaporated and reappeared like some Marvel character. It was she who slipped in down the right and won France's corner in the seventh minute, only to appear in space at the back post moments later, taking a touch and volleying France's first goal with sublime cool.
But when Wales offered riposte, France looked vulnerable. The absence of midfielder Sakina Karchaoui, who was an all-consuming force against England in the centre of the park, felt conspicuous here. Equally, without wingers Sandy Baltimore and Delphine Cascarino, France didn't spread Wales as wide as they did England. Cascarino was especially a miss, her ability to run at and stretch back lines unrivalled in this France squad.
In the opening 45 minutes, France had an expected goals (xG) of 1.22, including Mateo's opener and Diani's penalty, while mustering only one save from Wales goalkeeper Safia Middleton-Patel. Not until two moments of naivety on either side of half-time from Wales — Ceri Holland's poorly-timed lunge on Mateo in the box in the 45th minute and Middleton-Patel's poorly-executed attempt to play out from the back — did France look more like the top-10 side tipped to go deep in this tournament.
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Asked about his decisions to chop and change post-match, Bonadei maintained his decision was one of opportunity against the tournament's lowest-ranked side, with key players against England offered vital minutes of rest while players on the fringes were able to stretch their legs and find their tournament stride.
'I've got 23 players,' Bonadei said. 'Who I play depends on the shape and the form of the opposition and the players. I wanted to give some players a break. I wanted to give others like Toletti and Diani time to play for long periods.'
Bonadei also emphasised the importance of rotation for younger players, a theme of his tenure. Part of his reasoning for his decision to leave out such experienced internationals from his Euros squad was to offer more players major tournament experience. Toletti, for example, played her first World Cup in 2023 at the age of 28.
The majority of France's players are in their peak years (24-29) and there is only one player in each position aged 30 or above. But Bonadei has opted for some very youthful defenders, including 21-year-old centre-backs Alice Sombath and Thiniba Samoura and 20-year-old Melween N'Dongola, who all started against Wales.
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According to Bonadei, Sombath and Samoura decided before the match to swap sides in the back four.
'At the beginning they thought they needed to balance differently,' Bonadei said. 'We [coaches] are here to support them. We give instructions, they follow tightly but sometimes it's important to give them autonomy. When I saw they wanted to change, I thought okay, I'll let them do it. Because for their age they are courageous, they are determined, it shows their capacity to analyse their own game, to understand their strengths and weaknesses.'
The courage was not without complications. Bonadei instructed midfielder Majri, involved in three goals, to be aggressive in attack to the point of forming a front four at times. Both full-backs were also instructed to push high up the pitch. The result was exploitable pockets of space in front of the backline. In the moments when Wales countered with balls over the top, France's centre-backs were faced with more responsibilities.
'It was a problem of displacement,' Bonadei said. 'We were imbalanced and Wales had ambition to get forward. So at times, our defence was in a crisis but that's when we see a young player can progress.'
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For France, the education should be fruitful. The cliche goes that tournaments are not won by teams of 11 but by squads of 23, and Bonadei is savvy enough to make note of that as soon as possible. Despite the rotation, France have scored six goals in their two opening games, all from different goalscorers.
This remains a team in transition but Laurent Bonadei is ensuring that transition is working.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Wales, France, Women's Soccer, Women's Euros
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