⚽ France – Key statistics from the Euro Cup ⚽
Appearances in euros: 10
European titles: 2
Finest end: Winners (1984, 2000)
Euro report: W21 E12 P10
Objectives scored: 69
Greatest victory: 5-0 (towards Belgium in Euro 1984)
Participant to look at: Antonio Griezmann
World rating: 2nd
Group nickname: Les Bleus (The Blues)
Group calendar:
- June 17: Austria vs France (Dusseldorf Enviornment, Düsseldorf, 21:00 native time/19:00 GMT)
- June 21: Holland vs France (Leipzig Stadium, Leipzig, 21:00 native time/19:00 GMT)
- June twenty fifth: France vs Poland (BVB Stadion, Dortmund, 18:00 native time/16:00 GMT)
Find out how to observe our Euro 2024 protection: Euro 2024 on Al Jazeera
Euro 2024 is the fifth consecutive main match during which France will enter as favorites.
They’ve reached the ultimate in three of the final 4 World Cups and European Championships, and have been one save away from Emiliano Martínez from being consecutive World Cup champions in Qatar 2022.
This astonishing degree of consistency will be attributed to the seemingly inexhaustible pool of expertise from which the nation can draw.
Take, for instance, how the emergence of Mike Maignan and William Saliba has offset the retirements of Hugo Lloris and Raphael Varane. Or how Aurelien Tchouameni has completely plugged the Paul Pogba-shaped gap in midfield.
Equally, Marcus Thuram’s performances for Inter Milan this season have proven that he’s able to have the baton handed to him as soon as Olivier Giroud retires. The unbroken provide chain of expertise has reached one other French workforce on the eve of its subsequent main match, Euro 2024.
Tradition is essential
The workforce tradition that coach Didier Deschamps embraces has added one other dimension to his continued success.
Regardless of the worldwide superstars at his disposal, his genius lies in how he will get them to place their egos apart when enjoying for the nationwide workforce. The collective replaces the person, and it’s a precept that Deschamps has adhered to.
The reintegration of Adrien Rabiot and Karim Benzema, two gamers with whom the coach had fallen out up to now, earlier than Euro 2020 demonstrated this. Benzema scored 4 targets in 4 video games within the COVID-19-delayed match, whereas Rabiot established himself as a key pillar in France’s midfield.
Deschamps’ administration fashion is the proper mixture of belief and benefit. N’Golo Kanté’s choice for Euro 2024 is the most recent instance of this.
The 33-year-old’s profession has been suffering from accidents in recent times – he final performed for France in June 2022 and made simply 9 appearances for Chelsea within the 2022/2023 season. After shifting final summer season to Al Ittihad, the place he made 44 appearances, Deschamps believes Kante can as soon as once more be an asset for his workforce.
“He has had a full season, though not in a European league, as he performs in Saudi Arabia, the place he has regained full health,” Deschamps stated when saying his workforce on French tv channel TF1.
“And I believe along with his expertise and his background, I am satisfied that our workforce shall be stronger with him.”
The injection of expertise into the workforce has been accompanied by an injection of youth, with 18-year-old Warren Zaire-Emery and Bradley Barcola each known as up.
Griezmann the glue guy
Superstar Kylian Mbappe is the obvious centrepiece to this France side – the 25-year-old topped Les Bleus’ goals (9) and assists (5) charts in their unbeaten qualification campaign for Euro 2024.
However, as was the case in Qatar in 2022, the heartbeat of the team remains veteran forward Antoine Griezmann.
The Atletico Madrid star has been a constant presence in Deschamps’s managerial reign. His record of playing 84 consecutive games for France came to an end in the March friendlies against Chile and Germany, which he missed through injury.
Griezmann’s versatility makes him indispensable to Deschamps.
He came of age at Euro 2016 as a second striker, scoring six goals to win the Golden Boot.
At Euro 2020, he often found himself playing on the left of a front-three forward line to accommodate Mbappe and Benzema.
With France reeling from injuries at the 2022 World Cup, Deschamps decided to deploy him in midfield. The experiment worked, with Griezmann notching up the joint-highest assists total in Qatar.
It is a role he will reprise in Germany this summer, and at age 33, this is Griezmann’s last chance to win the trophy that has eluded him in his storied France career.
France’s latest appearances within the European soccer championship have been marked by anguish.
At Euro 2016, they misplaced the ultimate in additional time to Portugal at residence.
Simply when it appeared like they have been advancing at Euro 2020, they suffered a stunning elimination towards Switzerland within the spherical of 16.
Victory on the 2018 World Cup doesn’t do justice to the extent of dominance France has proven during the last decade. This 12 months’s Euro Cup presents a golden alternative for Les Bleus to seal their legacy as one of many biggest nationwide groups in historical past.
⚽ France’s definitive squad for Euro 2024 ⚽
Captain: Kylian Mbappé
Goalkeepers: Alphonse Areola (West Ham United), Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Brice Samba (Lens)
Defenders: Jonathan Clauss (Marseille), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), William Saliba (Arsenal), Jules Kounde (Barcelona), Theo Hernandez (AC Milan), Ferland Mendy (Actual Madrid), Benjamin Pavard (Inter Milan), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern) Munich) )
Midfielders: N’Golo Kante (Al Ittihad), Eduardo Camavinga (Actual Madrid), Adrien Rabiot (Juventus), Antoine Griezmann (Atlético de Madrid), Aurelien Tchouameni (Actual Madrid), Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain), Youssouf Fofana (AS Monaco)
Ahead: Kylian Mbappé (Actual Madrid), Bradley Barcola (Paris Saint-Germain), Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain), Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich), Marcus Thuram (Internazionale), Randal Kolo Muani (Paris Saint-Germain), Olivier Giroud (Los Angeles FC)
You may observe the motion on Al Jazeera’s devoted Euro 2024 match web page with all of the match build-up and stay textual content commentary, and keep updated with the group standings and real-time match outcomes and instances.