Deschamps on call-ups and warns against complacency
France manager Didier Deschamps has revealed that there will be no surprises when it comes to the international call ups ahead of the Euros.
Deschamps is set to announce his preliminary squad for Euro 2020 on the 18th of May, and he has revealed that there won’t be any surprises.
The manager had a well-settled squad throughout the qualifying, and he’s unlikely to make any wholesale changes.
“I am not Santa Claus; I am not here to announce surprises,” Deschamps told Kicker.
Furthermore, the France international manager has warned his players against complacency.
Les Bleus won the 2018 World Club, but the manager wants his players focused on the Euros, and he has urged them to perform like the world champions.
The likes of England, Spain and Belgium have plenty of talent at their disposal, and France cannot afford to underestimate their opposition just because they have a world-class squad and they managed to win the World Cup.
The French international side has been in impressive form, and they have lost just three times in 28 games since the World Cup. It will be interesting to see if they can keep their consistency and perform at a high level during the Euros now.
France have been placed in a group of death comprising of Germany, Portugal and Hungary.
He said: “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. 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.”
“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.
Laporte switches to Spain
In other news, French defender Aymeric Laporte has agreed to play for Spain, and he expects to be selected for the Euros.
The 26-year-old defender is yet to play a competitive match for the French national team, and he has now undergone the naturalization process with the Spanish legal body.
Apparently, the Spanish FA has begun the initiating procedures with FIFA, and the Manchester City defender will be fully eligible to play for the Spanish national team soon.
The 26-year-old is a top-class defender who has shown his quality for Manchester City, and his eligibility to play for Spain will be a massive boost for La Roja.
