French national coach Corinne Diacre believes that the Netherlands is the favorite for the quarterfinals at the European Championship in England. The two top countries will face each other in Rotherham on Saturday.
“The Netherlands is defending the European title. So if there is one who has to be the favorite for this match, it is them,” Diacre said at her press conference at the New York Stadium on Friday. “And everyone keeps telling us we won’t make it through the quarter-finals. So I doubt we’ll see the favorite now.”
Diacre was referring to the quarter-final trauma of France: in the last six major tournaments (World Cups, European Championships and Olympic Games), the French women were eliminated in the last eight, while they were always the favorite for the overall victory. France is also one of the big contenders at this European Championship.
Diacre’s squad has often been reminded of that fact in recent days, but according to captain Wendie Renard, that is not an item in the dressing room at all. “It’s not a goal in itself to progress beyond the quarter-finals, even if it’s been a few years since this happened. It wouldn’t be a liberation either. We have to stay focused and start as well as in the past games. “
Captain Wendie Renard and national coach Corinne Diacre spoke on Friday about the upcoming quarterfinal against the Orange.
Captain Wendie Renard and national coach Corinne Diacre spoke on Friday about the upcoming quarterfinal against the Orange. Photo: Getty Images
‘Miedema would like to play this match’
France is also concerned with the question of whether Vivianne Miedema can play on Saturday after a corona infection. Orange national coach Mark Parsons was unable to say at his press conference on Friday whether the star player of the Netherlands is sufficiently fit for the top game.
“It is normal for the coach to keep that a secret,” said Renard, who as a central defender normally has to play Miedema out of the game. “But I’m sure she really wants to play this match. She has a lot of qualities and is a world-class player, but we also know that the Netherlands is more than just Miedema.”
France-Netherlands starts on Saturday at 9 p.m. (Dutch time) and will be played at the New York Stadium in Rotherham. The winner of France-Netherlands will face Germany in the semifinals, which dealt with Austria (2-0) on Wednesday.