What if France had finished in the worst place of their group with this 3rd place? Some think so in view of the table to come with Turkey in the round of 16 of the EuroBasket, before potentially meeting Serbia in the quarter and possibly Slovenia in the semi-final. But before making plans for the comet, it will already be necessary to pass over the body of the Turks, 2nd in their group, behind Spain.
It will be at noon on Saturday, and this unusual schedule will already be a key element. Physiologically and physically, the players are not used to playing such a schedule, and the most « awakened » team could take over from the start of the match. Another even more important element, learned at the start of the day, was Shane Larkin’s package.
The beheaded Turks
Even if the Blues could be deprived of Guerschon Yabusele, and Shane Larkin had been injured for several games, it is a serious handicap for Turkey deprived of their playing master. Especially since Ergin Ataman went to Germany without an understudy, and that he used his leader, in selection as in club, to the rope (49 minutes against Georgia when he was already injured…) .
It is Sehmus Hazer who should start the match, and he will now be the weak link in a formation which lost against Georgia after two extra times and a stormy end to the match, then against Spain, again in the last seconds.
Even without Shane Larkin, Turkey remains strong. We also saw it in preparation when she stood up to Slovenia without him. For this, it relies on a trio of NBAers in top form with a Cedi Osman who assumes his role as leader and always as dangerous when he has space, a Furkan Korkmaz at ease in FIBA basketball , and an Alperen Sengun who is not far from being the revelation of the tournament.
It is perhaps the pivot of the Rockets who will be the greatest danger of the Blues by his technique, his mobility but also his quality of passes. Guershon Yabusele would perhaps be the ideal defender to oppose him, and if he is absent, Rudy Gobert will have to be vigilant, and he will have to rely on his experience. As we saw against Spain, Alperen Sengun doesn’t like to be pushed around, and he still struggles to control his nerves.
Watch out for stray bullets
On paper, and given the absence of Shane Larkin, France seems to be the favourite. The workforce is richer, and Thomas Heurtel could once again be decisive in his role as joker.
We will also have to watch the choice of Vincent Collet to start the match. Shane Larkin absent, will he modify his starting five by removing a defender (Andrew Albicy or Terry Tarpey)? As the formula works well, we bet he will stay on this five because it is through defense that the Blues enter their matches better.
The most important thing for the Blues will be to limit the lost balls. Especially since Turkey is one of the teams losing the least. Per match, Evan Fournier’s teammates lose about fifteen!
Another important area of play is 3-point skill. The Blues are not exceptional in this area (35.5%), but it is clearly a weak point among the Turks with only 30%. The temptation would therefore be to close the racket, and force the Turks to shoot from afar. But Furkan Korkmaz and Melih Mahmutoglu are trigger-happy, and you’ll have to be wary of a heat stroke.
To help him thwart the Turkish traps, Vincent Collet has a spy in his ranks: Amath M’Baye. Guerschon Yabusele’s understudy has joined Anadolu Efes Istanbul, the club coached by Ergin Ataman, and he is ready to play a trick on him: » » It is a pleasure. I will play against my coach next season. I hope I can win to come to training and break his c…… every day. »
Finally, it should be remembered that France has not lost in an official match against Turkey since 2010. It was at the World Cup, and the Turks were playing at home. This will not be the case this time even if, in Berlin, Turkey will be able to rely on the strong local Turkish community to have strong support against the Blues.
THE LAST THREE FRANCE – TURKEY
September 22, 2011 : France – Turkey (68-64), Eurobasket
September 12, 2014 : France – Turkey (76-53), Eurobasket 1/8 finals
July 9, 2016 : France – Turkey (75-63), Olympic Games qualifications
TELEVISION
Canal+ 360 at 12 p.m.