Thierry Henry’s coaching odyssey continues with France U21s

PARIS — “What are you doing? That’s not what we asked you to do before the game. You’re not executing the game plan at all.”

Thierry Henry is not happy. It’s half-time of the Cyprus v France U21 match last month, and France’s young players are getting a listening ear from their head coach. Henri is calm. Not noisy, but firm and durable. He is also disappointed by his players’ apparent lack of respect for his game plan and pre-match instructions. You wouldn’t think that The blueberries lead 4-0!

This is Henry, the manager. As a coach, he makes it clear that he will not compromise on his ideas or be complacent.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga and more (US)

This word, “complacency,” comes up often in our conversations. At a young age and without much experience, some players could let themselves go a little.

When it’s easy, like in the first half against Cyprus, they played their way, confident in their superiority and believing they would win whether they followed their coach’s game plan or not. Henry hated it.

Besides, the second half was much better; France ultimately won 9-0. And while the two halves looked similar in terms of score, they couldn’t be more different in terms of performance.

Henry wants the effort, not the result. When we met, his first question was what I thought of the start of his term. My answer was that I liked the effort of his teams during matches. “Effort,” says the Arsenal and France legend, pointing his finger. “That’s what I like to hear!

“The most important thing is what happens on the pitch as a team during matches and what our intentions are. The results are secondary and they will probably come as a consequence of what we do together with and without the ball . “.

The afternoon after our conversation at training, watching him prepare the U21 team for their trip to Bosnia-Herzegovina is fascinating. The hosts will play with a five-man defense, so the whole session will be about finding ways to beat that defense, moving the ball quickly and finding the extra man between the lines.

The training sessions were planned in collaboration with his assistants, Gaël Clichy, his former teammate in France and at Arsenal, and Gérald Baticle, former Auxerre striker and Angers manager. Henry insists that what he wants is simple.

“A 4-4-2 positional game with a diamond midfielder and Rayan Cherki as number 10, two attackers, high pressing and a 3+2 construction phase,” he says.

There was a time in his coaching career, notably at Monaco, his first head coaching role from October 2018 to January 2019, where Henry the manager was still actually Henry the player. He had only retired in December 2014 and perhaps still felt better than 99% of those he coached. This time it’s different. He is older – 46 now – and wiser.

play

Laurens sees incredibly bright future for PSG’s Zaire-Emery

Julien Laurens discusses the importance of 17-year-old Warren Zaire-Emery to Paris Saint-Germain, comparing him to Jude Bellingham at that age.

Hearing him give instructions and advice, reposition players, repeat what he wants and make the boys start again when necessary, it’s completely normal. He is certainly better armed tactically, but more than that, he knows what he wants and how to express it.

“I learned so much from my previous experiences, at Monaco and at Montreal Impact,” he said. “I’m a different person and a different coach. Am I better? Time will tell, but I want to.”

After two and a half years without a top coaching job – although he worked as Belgium’s assistant until February 2023 – it seemed normal to him. There is a very talented French generation at U21 level, with Lyon playmaker Cherki, Lens striker Elye Wahi, Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery. [now promoted to the senior side]and the rest.

“I have the same codes as them, the same language, I come from the same background as them too,” explains Henry. “The connection is there. I want to educate the players to improve in their career. Teach them professionalism, improvement. That’s what I love about this role. I want them to understand that ‘you always have to be demanding, no matter what’

Just seeing the players say hello to him, you feel the respect, admiration and bonds he created with them. The way they look at him is telling. You can feel his aura around the team.

So far, these efforts have paid off: victories against Denmark (4-1), Slovenia (4-0), Bosnia and Herzegovina (2-1) and Cyprus (9-0), Austria Friday and South Korea on Monday. The Olympics will take place in Paris in 2024 and the Euros in 2025. The Olympics are another reason why Henry is on the bench.

“It will be a dream to be part of this incredible experience. I was happy before, but now I feel alive,” he says with sparkles in his eyes.

Henry has won trophies and accolades at almost every club [Monaco, Juventus, Arsenal, Barcelona and New York Red Bulls] in his brilliant career and his objective is no different with this French team: the gold medal in 2024 and lifting the trophy in 2025.

“Of course you have to win. If only because your messages are easier to convey when you win.” he says.

This is a job designed to put him back in the conversation when big clubs are looking for a manager. He’s the one showing what he can do. For now, the rebirth of Henry the Manager is going well.