France boss Didier Deschamps has the responsibility of managing the pressure and high expectations placed on his team as the host nation and genuine favourites.
The 47-year-old has restored a sense of togetherness and harmony within the squad. Unlike previous Les Bleus sides synonymous with hostile dressing rooms, since Deschamps has been at the helm, the team has improved on an upward trajectory.
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Tactical setup
Deschamps boasts an astute eye for the game’s subtleties and the success experienced as a player has facilitated his development as a coach and garnered respect from his peers. The former Marseille and Juventus icon captained the national team which won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 championship and self-evidently knows what it takes to be victorious in major tournaments.
Renowned for being one of the most dynamic defensive-midfielders in the modern era, Deschamps will likely continue employing a 4-3-3 system. He has favoured this formation throughout his coaching tenure in international friendlies and the 2014 World Cup with Les Tricolores.
The ex-Chelsea man alters his tactics depending on the opponent, usually utilising a two-man pivot screening the defence against stronger opposition or conversely playing with an inverted triangle in midfield – with two advanced midfielders in front of the anchor. He has also tweaked the structure by reverting to a defensive 4-5-1 line-up to incorporate the plethora of midfielders. A weakness of the Frenchman is he can be stubborn in his tactical approach, sometimes hesitant to change things during a match if his side is struggling.
49 – Only Didier Deschamps (54) & Michel Platini (50) have started a game as France's captain more often than Hugo Lloris (49). Boss.
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) March 29, 2016
Previous tournaments
Hired by the French Football Federation following Laurent Blanc’s resignation after the squad exited Euro 2012 in disgrace, the Brazil World Cup has been Deschamps’ only previous championship. A rocky qualification campaign saw France finish second in their group forcing them to be involved in a play-off match against Ukraine. They lost the first-leg 2-0 away from home and proved many critics wrong, making history, overturning the deficit winning 3-0 in Paris. At the subsequent World Cup he guided his outfit to a quarter final finish – knocked out by eventual champions Germany 1-0.
Conclusion
France will be expected to perform admirably and Deschamps will hope his team’s attractive playing style can promote an endearing effect on the home fans. A relatively comfortable group consisting of Switzerland, Romania and Albania should see Les Bleus get off to the start required to gradually gain momentum as the Euros progress.
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