World Cup: France Coach Renard Wary of Morocco’s Lionesses in Round of 16 Clash

The former coach of the Atlas Lions (2016-2019), and coach of the Blues, does not expect an easy encounter on Tuesday at the Hindmarsh Stadium against the Lionesses of the Atlas in the round of 16 of the World Cup. "France-Morocco, it’s special for me, but we have to stay out of it. I’ve already received an impressive number of messages in +212 (Morocco’s country code). But we’re here to put in a good performance, we have to focus on that. The feelings, I keep them to myself," Hervé Renard told L’Équipe.

For the coach of the Blues, "pleasantly surprised" by the qualification of the Lionesses of the Atlas, the duel will be "anything but easy". "They have nothing to lose, anything that can happen is a bonus. France represents something special for Morocco, so it’s simple: they want to make us fall. Getting out of a group by eliminating Germany, that’s the magic of football," he said, highlighting the effectiveness of the 4-4-2 system set up by Reynald Pedros, the coach of the Moroccan team and former coach of Olympique Lyonnais (OL) between 2017 and 2019.

Despite the favorite status of the Blues, Renard prefers to remain cautious and not neglect anything in the preparation of this match. "I have no doubts, I know I have experienced players. There will be no lightness in the preparation," he insisted. The French coach says he is not bothered by the criticism. "There are strong characters in this team, they wouldn’t hesitate to let me know. My character, some like it, some don’t. Sometimes, being a bit too blunt can be detrimental, but that’s how I am."

And he continued: "I can’t hide my feelings. The important thing is that it pleases the players... If the Federation tells me one day that my image is not good to continue this adventure, I will say that I can’t do otherwise. If you ask me a question about Morocco, I can shed a tear because things affect me that way. I certainly have, somewhere, a hidden sensitivity."