Smerecki sets out France objectives

After a season of friendlies, Francis Smerecki is eager for competitive action at the UEFA European Under-19 Championship as he seeks to lead France to the title for the first time since 2005. Semi-finalists in two of the last three editions, Les Bleus will be looking to go further on home soil this year, although with their 2008/09 last-four conquerors England, the Netherlands and Austria also in Group A, their coach recognises the value of hitting the ground running.

UEFA.com: Were you pleased with the draw?

Francis Smerecki: It's a good draw. We knew that whoever we got they were going to be strong teams; we've seen that in the past. In the first match we have the finalists from the [2008] European U17 Championship in Turkey – France – against one of the semi-finalists, the Netherlands. That's a tough start.

UEFA.com: How significant will that opening game be?

Smerecki: In a group of four teams, the first match is very important.

UEFA.com: What are your other aims for the tournament?

Smerecki: We've got plenty of objectives; like every team, we aim to finish in the first three in our group to qualify for the [U-20] World Cup; then to finish first or second to get into these semi-finals. Then it's to do the same or better as we managed at the U17s in 2008 – to get to the final. The aim for one, two or three years into the future the aim is to get these players into the U21s. The best players in this generation have a chance of playing at UEFA EURO 2016 in France. That's a lot to aim for.

UEFA.com: What does the experience of playing in tournaments like this teach footballers?

Smerecki: The finals are very important in terms of their construction and development as players and also for their confidence – they learn how to play in certain situations. These players will get the chance to play in a European Championship and a lot of them already know how that feels having done so with the U17s. I hope that will make up for the lack of qualification matches – we have the advantage of qualifying directly but the squad hasn't had to battle through the qualifying and elite rounds. Things are not the same in friendly matches – you don't have the same desire and adrenaline. That's an advantage for the seven teams who have had to qualify and we hope to compensate for that by playing in front of our own supporters.

UEFA.com: Does playing at home make a difference?

Smerecki: Being at home is a definite advantage; there may be more pressure for certain players, but I don't think it will be a problem for us. When it comes to young players, fans are very supportive; it's not all about achievement. It's a happy crowd, it's a real party atmosphere in the stands and that could be a big help for us.