Echouafni: 'Dabritz? A first-class recruit!'

Coach, what do you make of this first week of pre-season training? 
"I'm pretty satisfied. The players continued to work hard during the holidays... everyone stayed in pretty good shape. We have started with a very heavy work load and the players are starting to feel it in their legs. But that's normal, they  really worked hard this first week."

The first World Cup players are also back... 
"When you're a coach, you want to have your whole squad available as soon as possible. We are coming off an excellent World Cup, and the players that were involved needed a break too. I'm very happy to get five of them back today and the next seven will arrive between now and the end of the week."

One of the World Cup stars is the new German signing Sara Dabritz…
"Yes, she's a first-class recruit. She wasn't expected before the end of the week, but she decided to cut her holidays short to be here as early as possible. We followed her all last season with Bayern Munich. She will bring a lot of experience but also a lot of youthful energy. She was first-choice with Germany during the World Cup and is a great addition to the squad."

What is the plan for the rest of preseason?
"We are currently in the first phase where we are working hard physically to make sure we have a good engine for the whole season. Next week we go into camp near Vichy, before taking part in the friendly tournament in Toulouse and then another in Zurich. We have five friendly matches planned in order to be ready for the first league match of the season against Soyaux on 24 August."