Blanc realistic about French Euro hopes

France coach Laurent Blanc has played down his expectations for this year’s European Championships in Poland and Ukraine.

Blanc is out of contract after the tournament and the coach reportedly has a rocky relationship with the French Football Federation (FFF) and its president Noel La Graet.

But despite the pressure he is under, Blanc said just winning a single game was his first aim for the tournament.

“Seventeen months after the disaster of South Africa, some people believe that if we are not in the semi-finals, we will have failed. I do not think so. Our aim is to win a match, we are under construction,” Blanc told Le Monde.

France will host the next Europea Championships, in 2016, and Blanc said winning the tournament at home was a more realistic expectation.

“If we have an opportunity to win it, we will do that of course,” he said.

“The real deadline for French football is Euro 2016 because we will have had time to prepare and there will be a true cohesion around this event in France. There, you go and ask the Blues to win the Euros.”

France are next in action on February 29 when they travel to Germany for an international friendly.