Winner Deschamps wants imposing France

Speaking for the first time as France coach, Didier Deschamps declared "winning is my blood" and insisted that his team should win by "imposing their game" on opponents.

Unveiled at the weekend as the 16th coach of Les Bleus, taking over from fomer international team-mate Laurent Blanc, Deschamps confirmed that he has put pen to paper on a two-year contract that takes him to the end of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, and that there is an option for additional two years.

Speaking about those preliminaries, in which France are competing against World Cup holders and the team that eliminated them from the UEFA EURO 2012 quarter-finals, Spain, Deschamps is keen to keep ambitious fans grounded. "My first mission will be to take the team to the World Cup finals," said the iconic former Les Bleus captain. "We are in a group of five with Spain, the best team in the world over the last six seasons. From a sporting point of view, they are above us and we should be aiming to advance through the play-offs."

Captain and a key member of the France team that won the 1998 World Cup and UEFA EURO 2000, Deschamps knows better than most the recipe for success on the international stage and is already aware of how he would like his team to play under his stewardship. "You know me; you know that winning is in my blood and the only thing that matters to me," he said. "How France should win, in my opinion, is by imposing their game. I won't split things into offensive or defensive but consider playing football as a whole."

Deschamps also emphasised the honour of pulling on the blue jersey. "Playing for France is magnificent, it's a privilege," he said. "But today it also comes with responsibility. I'll tell the players there is no margin for error in that respect."

His first game in charge is a friendly against Uruguay on 15 August in Le Havre, with World Cup qualification beginning on 7 September away to Finland.