Assistant coach Guy Stephan admits France can do better than the uninspiring performances they have delivered at Euro 2024 so far, but insists no-one in the camp expected it to be straightforward.
France, along with England, came into the tournament as favourites but neither side have sparkled. Les Bleus finished second behind Austria in Group D and then needed a late Jan Vertonghen own goal to see off Belgium in the round of 16 on Monday.
Star men Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann have struggled to make an impact – the former still shaking off the effects of a broken nose and the latter woefully out of form.
Speaking ahead of Friday’s quarter-final against Portugal, Stephan said: “We never said that we were going to have a cakewalk, that we were going to win every match. I remember my reaction after the draw. I said ‘be careful’.
“But it’s true that at the collective level, we can do better. We must do better in terms of efficiency. But there are also good things. We had more possession, more chances than the opponents.
“Either we see the bottle half full or half empty. I prefer to see it half full.”
On l’a fait 𝙚𝙣 𝙚́𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙥𝙚 ✊#FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/yFAkKbNeC0
— Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) July 2, 2024
And what of Mbappe and Griezmann?
Mbappe sustained his injury in France’s opener against Austria and, having missed the game with the Netherlands, returned with the aid of a face mask against Poland.
The Real Madrid star still looks some way short of his dazzling best, but Stephan believes that should not be a surprise.
He added: “We all downplayed Mbappe’s broken nose a bit. It doesn’t explain everything, but the shock was traumatic. The mask he is forced to play with is not easy, it’s difficult for his peripheral vision.
“He also had a somewhat tiring end to the season. But Kylian remains a top, top level player. There are times when these top-level players are a little less good.”
On Griezmann, he said: “With Griezmann, we’re talking about a player who has 133 caps, who has scored 44 goals, who, until last March, played more than 80 matches in a row for the France team.
“We’re not suddenly going to question his input.”
