Soccer-France aiming for united front in Women's Euro clash with England
ZURICH (Reuters) -France will put on a united front when they play England in their Women's Euro group opener in Zurich on Saturday, the team said on Friday, despite former captain Wendie Renard and record goal-scorer Eugenie Le Sommer being left out of the tournament squad.
Coach Laurent Bonadei, who has spent a lot of time defending his decision not to bring the duo to Switzerland, told reporters he would be rotating his team at the Euros if that is what it took to end their wait for an elusive first major trophy.
"In my mind, all the players who are part of this group have their chance to bring their stone to the building of this team," he said. "Tomorrow there will be 11 players who will start this match but I can already tell you that those who will start the match against Wales will be different."
France are drawn in Group D with England, Wales and Netherlands, with the top two going through to the knockout stage.
Bonadei's new captain Griege Mbock is set to miss the game through injury but the French have sought to foster a strong mentality in which every player is ready to step up, regardless of age or experience.
"It's true that there have been a lot of changes over the past year but we remain a strong group, the French team. Of course, we have responsibilities that may be different at certain times but everyone has a role to play in this team," midfielder Sakina Karchaoui told reporters.
"We are all present for each other, we are building a strong team, we have worked on all aspects. Now, there is a very good competition coming and it is up to us to show what the French team has to offer."
(Reporting by Philip O'Connor, additional reporting by Elena Rodriguez; editing by Clare Fallon)
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