Five Rennes players join their national squads
Five players from the « Rouge et Noir » squad will be missing at the Piverdière this mid-week. The Reason? Called-up with their selection, they will come back only later this week to prepare Saturday’s derby. A round-up of the absents and their schedule.
This week, Frédéric Antonetti will face another contraint in the run-up to Stade Rennes’ next game. Five players, including three starters in last week-end’s defeat in Auxerre, will be missing in the middle of the week.
Called with their national squad: Yann M’Vila with France, Yacine Brahimi with France U21, Abdoulaye Diallo with France U20, Kader Mangane with Senegal and Georges Mandjeck with Cameroon.
For Yann M’Vila, it’s a prestigious game coming up, against England and in the legendary Wembley Stadium. If Laurent Blanc decides to give him the nod – which is very likely considering the absences – the young Rennes midfielder should be living yet another strong experience in his learning at the highest level.
With his four caps, M’Vila will have a golden chance to show all his qualities and potential to an army of scouts and observers. But also an occasion to confirm – to anyone still doubting – that he already has the talent to play such prestigious games. In other words, the Amiens man will probably have a dreamt occasion to reach another step towards stardom.
Far from Wembley’s atmosphere, it’s in Saint-Gratien’s little Michel-Hidalgo Stadium that Kader Mangane’s Senegal will take on Gabon in a friendly
For Senegal, reviving after the crisis that followed their non-qualification for both the 2010 African Nations and World Cups, the purpose will be to prepare the next two games against Cameroon, which should be decisive in the 2012 ANC qualifying round. They will face a team that isn’t hit by such worries, as Gabon is already qualified for the competition as the organising country.
Mangane, but also Cheick N’Diaye and a cohort of former Rennes players should therefore avoid spending too much energy in this game.
Talking about Cameroon, they decided on a different approach to prepare the double face-off against Senegal. Initially, the Indomitable Lions had planned to play a friendly game too, before it was cancelled. As a result, Georges Mandjeck and his team-mates will only take part in a short training camp in Vichy, France.
Alongside the Rennes midfielder, the presence of Benjamin Moukandjo is to be noted in the squad called for this camp. A key player at Nimes (Ligue 2) for the second consecutive season, the former Rennes trainee replaces Valenciennes’ Aboubakar, injured.
France U21 will also be playing a friendly this Tuesday. National coach Érick Mombaerts is preparing his squad for competitive fixtures starting in the 2011-2012 season only, and continues a strategy of rotation of his group, regularly including new players while founding his tactics on a core of players. Among the players included in the spine of this new “Bleuets”, Yacine Brahimi seems to have earned his place. Vincent Pajot, called for the first time, will try to find his too.
Following two successes against Denmark and Turkey, the young Frenchmen will now face Russia, in a game played at the Stade Léon-Bollée, Le Mans.
Finally, France U20 will be preparing the age category’s World Cup next summer, and will meet this week at Clairefontaine. Abdoulaye Diallo will certainly be happy to return with most of his team-mates from the last U19 European Championship.
Francis Smerecki’s team will complete their training camp with two friendlies, against Monténégro and then against US Orléans (National).
Programme
- Tuesday, 16 november 2010 :
France U20 - Montenegro (friendly), 17:00 in Clairefontaine
France U21 - Russie (friendly), à 20:45 in Le Mans
- Wednesday, 17 november 2010 :
Senegal - Gabon (friendly), 18:00 in Saint-Gratien
Angleterre - France (friendly), 21:00 in London
- Thursday 18 november 2010 :
France U20 - US Orléans (friendly), 11:00 in Clairefontaine
- Photo : srfc.frenchwill.fr