As we roll down the days to the beginning of the UEFA European Championships 2016, most of us have already picked sides we want to support – if you're not a resident of a participating country that is. While many people would support the likes of Spain, Germany, Portugal and England, France – the hosts this time around – are usually not the most supported team but this year, things could be different.
Yes they have Paul Pogba – one of the most wanted footballers in the world – and they have Anthony Martial, one of France's and Europe's top talent but while they have such marquee players, the team as a whole seems to be getting better and better. Under Didier Deschamps, the team finally look like they can reach the sky again.
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While the memories of Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Lilian Thuram and Emmanuel Petit are still fresh in French football fans, they finally have the next generation who are truly capable of putting in spectacular performances and possibly even winning their next title.
Here's how I think France will line up for the UEFA European Champions 2016:
Goalkeeper
A fairly easy decision for the French national team. Hugo Lloris is an automatic starter and the captain of the squad. He helped Tottenham Hotspur go on an incredible run in the Premier League challenging for the title and could carry that incredible form with his national team against some of the best teams in Europe.
The 29-year-old kept 13 clean sheets in the Premier League this season and guided his team to an automatic UEFA Champions League qualification spot in the table. His urge to organise his defence and his quickness in coming out and clearing dangerous balls makes him one of the best keepers in the league and in Europe.
With France, he's likely to have a very experienced back four ahead of him which would greatly help him and he could realistically challenge for the golden glove in the competition.
Defence
One of the key areas where France have improved over the last few years is the defence. While Thuram, Dessaily and a host of other defenders were legends for their performances and the FIFA World Cup win in 1998, today's defenders are able to mix it with the best Europe has to offer as well.
At left-back, its likely Deschamps will prefer Patrice Evra. The Juventus man has had another good club season this time and continues to be an influence on the team. His leadership on the field coupled with the fact that his positional ability is amongst the best in Italy helped the Turin club win the league this season.
France have a plethora of quality centre backs to choose from for the tournament and Deschamps has time and again used Laurent Koscielny as his starter. The 30-year-old has had yet another incredible season for Arsenal guiding the team to a 2nd place finish in the Premier League. Alongside him could be Adil Rami, the UEFA Europa League winner has been a mainstay in the Sevilla side putting in 48 appearances this season.
On the right, Bacary Sagna seems like an obvious starter. Even though he's made few appearances for the Citizens ever since moving from Arsenal, he remains an incredible defender and one who could attack and defend equally well.
Midfield
France have possibly the most 'complete' midfield in the European Championships this time around. They have the perfect combination of speed, defensive contribution and attacking play. Paul Pogba is an obvious starter for the team given his ability to turn a game around with the blink of an eye. His passing from deep is exquisite and links up exceptionally well with his forwards.
In the centre, we will definitely see Blaise Matuidi. The more people seem to doubt his ability, the higher he rises. He's only getting better and better with age and even contributes with goals these days. His stamina and ability to read the game better than most gets him into the box in the place at the right time.
Given Deschamps likes playing with the standard 4-3-3, he's likely to include another midfielder in the centre – one who could potentially do the same kind of job Pogba and Matudidi do. This is likely to be Moussa Sissoko. The Newcastle midfielder had a poor club season with the relegated club but his teammates in France seem to lift his level of perfomance making him the ideal starter – even over Premier League winner N'Golo Kante.
Forwards
The front three of France are tricky opponents. They interchange, shift positions, run on the opposite flanks and take up the role as the central striker by turns. On the left, Dimitri Payet could finally get his chance in a major tournament. He had a huge season with the Hammers and even made it into the PFA Team of the Year.
In the centre, with the absence of Karim Benzema and an out-an-out poacher, Deschamps is likely to stick with Olivier Giroud. The tall Arsenal striker had yet another decent season with the club and seems to bang in the goals for the national team when needed. His height and link-up play will likely decide a lot of the attacks Les Bleus initiate.
On the right will be yet another star who just cannot be dropped. Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann has been superb this season once again outlining why Diego Simeone pushed the boat out to sign him. He guided the team to a 3rd place finish in the league and led them to the finals of the UEFA Champions League. His ability to score and create goals will be the biggest attacking asset the team has.
Formation
In all of the friendlies France have played in before the UEFA European Championships, Deschamps has gone with the tried, tested and successful 4-3-3. With Payet and Griezmann on the wings, they seem to cut in, use Giroud as the focal point, get beyond and score.
In midfield, Pogba is unsually not in the centre preferring to play on one of the sides instead. His ball-control ability is sensational and he seems to link up exceptionally well with the forwards ahead of him. Matuidi, on the other hand, has been the one in the centre calling shots on the attack and defence of his team.
With the defence more or less sorted out, the midfield and the forwards seem a lot more fluid able to change positions and confuse opposition players. This is how they're likely to line up at the UEFA European Championships:
