This article is part of the Guardian’s Euro 2024 Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 24 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from two countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 14 June.
Prospects
France approach most major tournaments as one of the favourites these days – and they have their recent success to blame for that. While this will be Les Bleus’ first tournament for a long time without Raphaël Varane and Hugo Lloris, there is plenty of continuity within this side; the midfield and attack will probably be a copy-paste of the 2022 World Cup side that reached the final in Qatar. With the shock return of N’Golo Kanté, now plying his trade in Saudi Arabia, this is a France side that has a familiar feel and one with the right mix of youth and experience.
They qualified serenely, winning all matches bar the final game against Greece, when an experimental side was fielded. With only three goals conceded in the campaign, including two in that finale, it is clear France will be difficult to break down, even if there are question marks surrounding the individuals that will constitute Didier Deschamps’ backline.
Since Varane’s international retirement, the manager has failed to settle on a centre-back partnership. The plentiful choice hardly makes his decision any easier while the biggest question mark in this side revolves around the right-back position. Deschamps has – at times – publicly bemoaned a perceived lack of options there and has called on the governing body to help encourage strength in this area. Jonathan Clauss is in the squad, unlike 2022, but a more defensive option à la Jules Koundé is likely to be favoured.
An uncharacteristically shaky international break in March raised a few questions but, once they kick into tournament mode, France are imperious. All signs suggest they will have no problem being so again and a run to the semi-final will be seen as the bare minimum.
The coach
There is continuity on the pitch and continuity on the sidelines too. Despite talk of a post-World Cup departure, Didier Deschamps remained in post, even extending his contract to 2026. There were calls for a fresh approach from some quarters but his efficient, albeit at times unspectacular, philosophy was seen as the route to sustained success. Given that his style is copied most notably by England’s Gareth Southgate at international level, such an approach has merit. Why deviate from the template that France themselves set?
The icon
When Kylian Mbappé was given a free pass to skip Paris Saint-Germain’s final Ligue 1 game of the season against Metz, he took the opportunity to attend the Cannes film festival. There, he was only one of many stars, but in his own field none shine as bright as Kylian, certainly not in France. Ligue 1’s poster boy, PSG’s all-time top scorer and France’s captain, the 25-year-old approaches the Euros off the back of a season in which he won the Golden Boot for a sixth consecutive year in the league. He has signed for Real Madrid but first will look to lead Les Bleus to glory in his first tournament as captain.
One to watch
At €45m Bradley Barcola represented an expensive punt for PSG, whose move for the young winger was based upon a promising second half of the 2022-23 season for Lyon. Harshly described as a “little lamb” by one French pundit after a series of timid performances, notably in the Champions League, Barcola has grown in stature. However, his omission from Deschamps’ squad in March looked to have ended his Euros dream – the manager doesn’t have a habit of calling up uncapped players for major tournaments. To have deviated from that policy and selected the 21-year-old speaks volumes for the winger’s ability.
The maverick
It is not that Benjamin Pavard didn’t have any impact in Qatar 18 months ago, it was simply that he didn’t have a positive one. Deschamps said that the Internazionale defender “wasn’t in the right frame of mind” to play in one of Les Bleus’ matches and in the words of the France manager was “not happy with [the] situation” in which he found himself sulking on the sidelines. The cause for his mauvaise humeur was never divulged but having earned his reprieve, the 28-year-old will be looking to make the right kind of impression in Germany.
after newsletter promotion
The spine
Mike Maignan has inherited the No 1 jersey from Lloris, who retired as France’s most-capped player. Lucas Hernández’s injury is a big blow but in his absence Dayot Upamecano is the most established centre-back in this team. Antoine Griezmann, now playing in a deeper midfield role, has never been more important and influential at international level, as demonstrated by his absence in the March friendlies, which brought an end to a world-record 84 consecutive international appearances. Up front, no player is as influential as Mbappé, the Golden Boot winner in Qatar who is already closing in on the France all-time scoring record, currently held by Olivier Giroud.
Probable starting XI
Celebrity fan
There is a patriotic obligation for heads of state to support the national team but few do so with as much gusto as the Marseille fan Emmanuel Macron. The president seemed to shadow Mbappé in Qatar and has recently been “exerting the maximum pressure” for the forward to be released for the upcoming Olympics too. Judging by the Mbappé-less pre-Olympic squad, those attempts appear to have been fruitless, but expect to see Macron displaying a whole range of emotions in the stands in Germany this summer.
Culinary delight
Sausage is the staple of the matchgoing fans’ diet in France. Within that, there are regional variations, most iconically, the Galette Saucisse, a Breton speciality consisting of a grilled sausage wrapped in a pancake, which has become synonymous with Rennes. The club’s fans recently made an attempt to export the local delicacy beyond the borders of La Hexagone by offering them to away fans during Milan’s recent Europa League visit. Time will tell if it is adopted as warmly as France’s other famous dishes.
France team guide written by Luke Entwistle for Get French Football News
