Before UEFA Euro 2024, Patrice Evra, a legend of Manchester United, identified France’s primary vulnerability and provided a historical example.
On June 15, Germany takes on Group A rivals Scotland in Munich in the opening match of UEFA Euro 2024. The favorites for this edition are Germany, the hosts, while France, the 2022 FIFA World Cup runners-up, will be the primary attraction.
Patrice Evra, a specialist panelist on Sony Sports Network’s studio program Football Extraa for UEFA Euro 2024, examined France’s primary vulnerability and attributed it to overconfidence.
France, who had won the World Cup in 2018, were the defending champions and favorites going into Euro 2020. With Karim Benzema returning in the national team lineup, it appeared as though they would win the championship.
However, it was not to be, as they were shocked to lose to Switzerland in the Round of 16. With goals from Benzema in the 57th and 59th minutes, as well as Paul Pogba in the 75th, France led 3-1. Switzerland’s Haris Seferovic had scored in the fifteenth minute.
It appeared as though France would advance to the next round, but their arrogance got the better of them. In the 81st minute, Seferovic scored once more, bringing the score to 2-3. In the 90th minute, Mario Gavranovic made it 3-3. After a deadlock in the last minutes, penalties were used to decide the winner, with the Swiss team winning 4-5.
“It is, of course, a formidable group. As I mentioned earlier, France’s greatest obstacle is France. We could run into problems if France becomes overconfident, as having a strong team does not guarantee victory in the competition. It will be really difficult since they will be up against someone who will offer everything and who will be incredibly compact. “I am confident, but everyone wants to beat France,” Evra remarked.
“I simply don’t want anything to occur like it did at the previous European Championship, when we defeated Switzerland 2-0. We were dancing and rejoicing excessively after every goal. We lose at the penalties after drawing. That’s why I believe that France’s greatest obstacle is France. The legend of Manchester United and France continued, “I don’t think any team can beat France if they respect all of their opponents.”
On June 18, France will begin their campaign against Australia, their group’s competitor. After a protracted transfer controversy, Kylian Mbappe, who recently finalized a spectacular move to Real Madrid, will once again be the center of attention. The Frenchman hopes to improve on his World Cup performance in Qatar by winning more goals in Germany.