Loisel ponders selection problem

By Christian Châtelet

France national coach Elisabeth Loisel admitted today she faces tough choices to reduce her squad from 29 to 20 names with UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2005™ starting in 18 days in England. Loisel has confirmed that she will give her final 20-name list on 26 May, which is the deadline date for squads.

Training sessions
In addition to the eleven games played this season, Loisel will bring her team together for two further training camps at Clairefontaine before the start of the finals, with the first of those camps to finish on Saturday.

'Tried and tested'
"The squad is made of tried and tested players who are preparing for their last tournament and very young players aiming for their first successes," Loisel said. "By bringing in young blood we force the older player to work hard to keep their places. I admit choices will be tough when I'll have to name only 20 players."

No pressure
Still aiming for their first semi-final, France will be underdogs in Group B with Norway and Germany favourites for the section's two places in the last four. "We will travel without any pressure on us," Loisel said. "The mix we've created can take us a long way, so why not to victory?"

Practice games
The current Clairefontaine training camp will end with two practice games. Much of the coaching focus has been on stress management. "It's a key factor at this level of competition," said Loisel. France will start the competition with a game against Italy in Preston on 6 June.