France boss Didier Deschamps hungry for more ahead of Euros

Tough at the top

A side containing the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Paul Pogba beat Croatia 4-2 in the Moscow final three years ago and is now, Deschamps hopes, hungry for more. "Nobody can take away what we have done. It will always be there, but we need to tell ourselves that we can't just stop here, we need to go and try to win more titles," he said before warning of the looming threat from the likes of England, Spain, Belgium and several other sides at the Euro which kicks off in a month's time. "You don't just win by clicking your fingers. The other nations are progressing, working hard, not sitting still. We need to have that ambition. When a tournament starts we want to go as far as possible." France's first game will be on June 15 against Germany, who had been as close to a sure bet as there is in international football before unravelling at the last World Cup, going out in the group stage.

 Since then they have suffered an embarrassing 6-0 defeat by Spain in the Nations League and lost at home to North Macedonia in World Cup qualifying. Coach Joachim Loew will stand down after the Euro, and their slide is perhaps a warning to the French of what can happen. "It is very, very difficult to get to the very top, but it is even harder to stay there. You always need to challenge yourself. We can't go higher, but sometimes there is not much in it to prevent you from dropping away," Deschamps added. France have lost just three times in 28 games since the World Cup, despite Deschamps making regular changes in personnel and in playing style. That has included sometimes abandoning the 4-4-2 formation that was the foundation of their success in Russia for a back three, for example. "I felt that I had to mix things up. It is not just about surprising the opposition but also about surprising yourself sometimes," he said. Deschamps will name his 26-man squad for the Euro next week. His squad will get together on May 26 and will play friendly matches against Wales in Nice on June 2 and Bulgaria in Paris on June 8 before that mouthwatering opening game against Germany.

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