France international manager Didier Deschamps has aimed a sly dig at Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho.
Earlier, the former Tottenham manager claimed that it would be a failure for France if they fail to win the European Championships this summer.
Mourinho said: “I cannot see any weakness. If I had to say one team to win it, I would say them – because the group of players is fantastic.
“They have to win it. If not, it is an unsuccessful Euros.”
It seems that the 58-year-old’s deliberate attempt to put some pressure on the Champions has not gone down well with Deschamps.
The French manager is understandably downplaying his team’s chances in order to avoid piling any extra pressure on the side. He also revealed that he had similar expectations from Mourinho’s Tottenham side, but they failed to live up to it.
Deschamps said: “I thought the same thing about his Tottenham team, but it did not end up happening like that…
“Yes, we are favourites due to the status of world champions.
“It is not a pressure; it is the reality, we will not flee the debate on the presence of France among the favourites of this Euro.
“Obviously, I have a very important attacking potential, but it’s not just that.
“There is a balance to be found through adjustments. I hope to have the ball as much as possible, but there are times when we won’t have it, and we will have to keep our strength.”
There is no doubt that France have one of the best teams in the world and they will certainly be one of the favourites to lift the trophy this summer.
The world champions have an exceptional squad at their disposal, and the return of Karim Benzema has only boosted their chances.
The Real Madrid forward is back in the international fold after six years, and he will be hungry to prove himself with his country this summer.
Mourinho was sacked by Tottenham back in April after a mediocre season, and the Portuguese is expected to take over at Roma next year.
Mourinho has not had a successful managerial spell since leaving Chelsea, and it will be interesting to see if he can succeed on his return to the Italian league next season.
The Portuguese manager has previously done very well in the Italian league with Inter Milan, and he will be expected to lead Roma to trophies now.
