Viva La Vivi

A Group F interview with the West Ham forward, included in France’s provisional squad a year after missing the Euros cut. The piece sets the scene of a genuine new beginning: Corinne Diacre’s six-year tenure ended in March after long-running discontent that had seen Wendie Renard, Kadidiatou Diani, Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Perle Morroni suspend their international careers, with Amandine Henry and Eugenie Le Sommer recalled under Herve Renard. Asseyi describes the new coach as a deeply human figure who taught the squad a great deal in a single week. She reflects on a first season in England as more physical and more technical than she was used to, and credits Kate Longhurst with expanding her vocabulary.