Would you be able to compile a list of 22 players in two or three months, without knowing them beforehand? Julien Mette and Florent Toniutti, yes. Originally from Bordeaux, they joined the staff of the Republic of Congo's U20s a few months ago. While they were scheduled to participate in the U20 AFCON, they ultimately had to register at the last minute for the prestigious Maurice Revello tournament, facing a major challenge: to form a competitive squad as quickly as possible. "We registered over a hundred names, which we then narrowed down based on availability, and especially the impossibility of bringing in players from the Republic of Congo. So we had to focus on the diaspora," says Florent Toniutti. Already Julien Mette's assistant coach for the Djibouti national team (2019-2021), the video analyst scoured the Transfermarkt website and watched Wyscout videos to profile the players they had listed. "I mainly did the research online. Julien, with his contacts, called agents, sporting directors, and training centers to gather as much information as possible. We wanted to make the most competitive team possible." Despite only three training sessions before the first match and three opponents qualified for the U20 World Cup, AS Congo finished in seventh place after a final victory against Panama (1-0).
Brief
Despite only three training sessions before the first match, Julien Mette and Florent Toniutti's AS Congo finished seventh in the tournament / ©Tournoi Maurice Revello