France’s best finish in their three previous appearances at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup was their fourth place at Chile 2008, a record that the latest crop of Bleuettes are intent on improving at Germany 2010.
The man charged with the task of ensuring they do that is coach Jean-Michel Degrange, who believes that his side can build on the recent upturn in the fortunes of France’s female national teams.
“My predecessor [Stephane Pilard] took his side all the way to the semi-finals and our aim is to match that achievement at the very least,” he tells FIFA.com in an exclusive interview. “The good results we’ve been getting at international level are a reflection of the hard work people are putting in at club level and the desire of the French FA to see our teams make an impact on both the European and international stage.”
If the French are to make further progress this July, they will need to improve their record against tournament hosts Germany, who have proved a stumbling block for them in recent times. Beaten into third place at Chile 2008 by the Germans, the French lost again to their neighbours in the group phase at the 2009 UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship, although they still managed to top the section. As fate would have it the two have been drawn together again in the world finals, where they will fight it out in Group A along with Costa Rica and Colombia.
source:http://www.fifa.com/u20womensworldcup
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