The new captain of the French team, Griedge Mbock, affected by a calf, is increasingly uncertain for the entry into the Bleues in Euro 2025 this Saturday (9 p.m.) against England, reigning European champion, leaving the first doubts.
This vagueness around the physical state of the defender and pillar of the group throws a serious doubt about the central defense of the Blue.
SOMBATH OU Samoura?
In the event of a package of Brest captain, Laurent Bonadei will have the choice between Alice Sombath (21, 4 selections) and Thiniba Samoura (21, 7 selections) to play alongside Maëlle Lakrar, who is in the recovery phase after several matches of absence. In lack of rhythm, the Real player, 25, was also exceeded on Friday in the first period against Brazil.
The other two players – Sombath played against Belgium and Samura against Brazil in friendly – have very little experience in the big meetings, while the coach has chosen youth by not summoning the emblematic defender Wendie Renard, 34. Estelle Cascarino, 28, is absent due to a serious knee injury.
The right side Elisa de Almeida can also play in central defense but has not played this position with the new coach. Last Tuesday, during an intense training session in Clairefontaine during the preparation course, Mbock, 30, felt pain and injured muscularly in the right calf.
Elongation? Contracting? Tear? No medical press release was published by the French Federation. Despite “reassuring examinations” in the words of the coach last week, she declared against Brazil last Friday (3-2 victory) and did not resume collective training.
A general package not yet envisaged
For the past week, the Parisian, “monitored day -to -day”, has been left at rest and has done indoor care. On Monday at the Blue Training Center in Switzerland near Lake Constance, she did a few shopping with the crampons away from the group and hit the ball a little, just like Tuesday.
But Wednesday, she did not move to the training grounds and stayed at the French team hotel to do some indoor exercises and to have care, a source close to the Bleues staff told AFP.
For the moment, his participation in the euro is not at all questioned, said the source, but that against England, on Saturday, is very compromised.
These precautions taken by the Bleues staff and this uncertainty recall those around Wendie Renard, touched in the calf at the World Cup in Australia, and Eugénie Le Sommer, injured to adductors during the last Olympic Games. “She is a player who has a lot of experience,” said Laurent Bonadei last week, not wanting to take risks of a “recurrence” or a “relapse”, but he then kept “hope”.
Contacted by AFP, the entourage of Griedge Mbock had not responded immediately.
At the start of the season, an ankle injury removed her from the field several months: when she had just joined PSG, she did not play from the end of September until December 13, then was touched at the hamstrings, according to a source close to the club.
From this date, she was no longer embarrassed and chained the matches with her club and in selection, with which she was appointed captain following the non-conqueror of Wendie Renard.
“She is a great player, who puts a lot of impact in her way of defending. He is a very elegant and very calm captain, we love our captain and I hope she will be at the top of her form for this euro, ”launched on Tuesday, attacker Melvine Malard.
All the other players were present at training Wednesday and therefore available on Saturday (9 p.m.) for the shock against England in Zurich: Amel Majri, also touched in the calf, resumed on Monday with the group and Selma Bacha, victim of a crutch on Friday against Brazil, is also completely recovered.
