Euro 2016 a key step in Didier Deschamps tenure with France | OneFootball

Euro 2016 ended in heartbreak for France at the Stade de France, a final defeat by Portugal that lingered. It also helped Didier Deschamps identify what to fix for the future.

According to Le Progres, as hosts they qualified automatically and spent 2014 to 2016 in friendlies, giving the coach time to shape his side amid a calmer rapport with the stands. The wait felt long for a country eager to celebrate at home.

The 1998 world champion knew there is nothing sweeter than winning on home soil. He sensed his group could match his own generation or that of Michel Platini, which had lifted the trophy in front of home supporters.

That serenity did not last. The Benzema-Valbuena sextape affair, which emerged during a France camp, spilled over to Brittany, where the manager’s house was tagged after he chose to do without KB9 during the legal process.

The Real Madrid striker disliked the decision and made his feelings public.

Source: Le Progres