France
manager Didier Deschamps has challenged his players to write themselves
into the history of French football on Thursday by beating Germany in
their European Championship semifinal.
France have not won a trophy since Euro 2000 and are bidding to reach the final of a major competition for the first time in a decade.
“We have a new page to write. The players can write it,” Deschamps said Wednesday at a prematch news conference. “It’s blank now. We have to fill it tomorrow. ”
Germany have reached at least the semifinals in the past five tournaments, losing the Euro 2008 final and winning the 2014 World Cup.
“We can’t match Germany in terms of their experience, the number of caps, the number of semifinals and finals they’ve been in,” Deschamps said. “But we’re going to give it our best shot. I don’t want us to just think about defending. We have the ability to create danger.”
France had been waiting a long time for such an opportunity. After losing the 2006 World Cup final to Italy on penalties, which brought the curtain down on Zinedine Zidane’s glory era, Les Bleus went into freefall, failing to win a game at Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup.
Quarterfinal appearances at Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup — where they lost 1-0 to Germany somewhat restored France’s reputation.
But victory against Germany would definitively close the chapter on an often traumatic era for French football, which included an infamous training-ground strike at the World Cup six years ago.
France have not won a trophy since Euro 2000 and are bidding to reach the final of a major competition for the first time in a decade.
“We have a new page to write. The players can write it,” Deschamps said Wednesday at a prematch news conference. “It’s blank now. We have to fill it tomorrow. ”
Germany have reached at least the semifinals in the past five tournaments, losing the Euro 2008 final and winning the 2014 World Cup.
“We can’t match Germany in terms of their experience, the number of caps, the number of semifinals and finals they’ve been in,” Deschamps said. “But we’re going to give it our best shot. I don’t want us to just think about defending. We have the ability to create danger.”
France had been waiting a long time for such an opportunity. After losing the 2006 World Cup final to Italy on penalties, which brought the curtain down on Zinedine Zidane’s glory era, Les Bleus went into freefall, failing to win a game at Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup.
Quarterfinal appearances at Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup — where they lost 1-0 to Germany somewhat restored France’s reputation.
But victory against Germany would definitively close the chapter on an often traumatic era for French football, which included an infamous training-ground strike at the World Cup six years ago.
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