France ready to put pre-World Cup difficulties behind them, says Mateo
Clara Mateo thinks France can put their pre-World Cup struggles behind them as they seek to unite under new coach Hervé Renard.
Les Bleues have been embroiled in a pre-tournament saga involving a group of top players and former coach Corinne Deacon, who oversaw their journey to the semi-finals of Euro 2022.
A revolt by several players - including captain Wendie Renard and Eugénie Le Sommer - eventually led to the dismissal of Deacon, with two-time Africa Cup of Nations winner Hervé Renard installed in his place.
>Once the drama is over, Mateo hopes the team can put their troubles behind them in Australia and New Zealand, where they will face Jamaica, Brazil and Panama in the group stage.
"I think there is a very good understanding between the players and the staff," she told Stats Perform. "We are all doing our part and we are all committed to representing France well at this World Cup.
"As far as we are concerned, we focus on ourselves. We know what we have to do and we will give everything on the pitch.
“[Hervé Renard] puts a lot of emphasis on mentality and cohesion within the group. He brings all his experience from all the competitions he has participated in before.
“You want to listen to everything he has to say. We want to fight for him. They [the staff] have a lot to teach us and we are very receptive. ."
Mateo described his inclusion in the squad as a dream come true, adding that France had learned from their semi-final loss to Germany at last year's European Championships.
"Now that it's become a goal, I think it's a great achievement," she said of being part of the team.
"[But] there is still a long way to go. We want to do well in this World Cup. We are going there with ambitions.
"We have set ourselves the goal of reaching the semi-finals, because it's something we haven't done in the past. We want to reach the semi-finals.
"Obviously, deep down, what we want is to win this World Cup. So we are going to the World Cup with a lot of ambition, and we know that we have this objective."
Clara Mateo thinks France can put their pre-World Cup struggles behind them as they seek to unite under new coach Hervé Renard.
Les Bleues have been embroiled in a pre-tournament saga involving a group of top players and former coach Corinne Deacon, who oversaw their journey to the semi-finals of Euro 2022.
A revolt by several players - including captain Wendie Renard and Eugénie Le Sommer - eventually led to the dismissal of Deacon, with two-time Africa Cup of Nations winner Hervé Renard installed in his place.
>Once the drama is over, Mateo hopes the team can put their troubles behind them in Australia and New Zealand, where they will face Jamaica, Brazil and Panama in the group stage.
"I think there is a very good understanding between the players and the staff," she told Stats Perform. "We are all doing our part and we are all committed to representing France well at this World Cup.
"As far as we are concerned, we focus on ourselves. We know what we have to do and we will give everything on the pitch.
“[Hervé Renard] puts a lot of emphasis on mentality and cohesion within the group. He brings all his experience from all the competitions he has participated in before.
“You want to listen to everything he has to say. We want to fight for him. They [the staff] have a lot to teach us and we are very receptive. ."
Mateo described his inclusion in the squad as a dream come true, adding that France had learned from their semi-final loss to Germany at last year's European Championships.
"Now that it's become a goal, I think it's a great achievement," she said of being part of the team.
"[But] there is still a long way to go. We want to do well in this World Cup. We are going there with ambitions.
"We have set ourselves the goal of reaching the semi-finals, because it's something we haven't done in the past. We want to reach the semi-finals.
"Obviously, deep down, what we want is to win this World Cup. So we are going to the World Cup with a lot of ambition, and we know that we have this objective."
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