France to profit from participation

France might not have as many famous names as they had in previous UEFA European Under-21 Championships, but coach René Girard insists they have the spirit to compete with anyone.

Ribéry promotion
The lead-up to these finals in Portugal saw the 52-year-old coach robbed of one of his most promising players as Olympique de Marseille star Frank Ribéry was called into Raymond Domenech's FIFA World Cup squad, but Girard insists there is more to his side than big names. "Our strongest point is the team itself," he told uefa.com. "In past years we have had good individuals, 'stars' like Djibril Cissé. This team doesn't have so many famous players but they play for their club sides every week and have found a good balance together as a group.

Club stars
"Some of our players have play a very important role for their club team, like Jérémy Toulalan at [FC] Nantes [Atlantique] and Antonio Mavuba at [FC Girondins de] Bordeaux," he added. "But their individual performances are not my main interest; I prefer to think about the team as a whole." That team dynamic has always been a crucial part of Girard's work. A defensive midfield player for Nîmes Olympique SC, the mighty Bordeaux side of the 1980s and France, he earned his coaching spurs with Nîmes, Pau FC and RC Strasbourg before being drawn into the national team set-up.

National role
Initially Aimé Jacquet's assistant, he had a front-row seat as France won UEFA EURO 2000™ before striking out alone and leading a fine young side to glory at the 2003 UEFA European Under-19 Championship and later taking the U21 job after applying to take sole command of the senior national team.

Hard group
The U21s made it to Portugal the hard way, overcoming England in their play-off game, but Girard insists that all of that effort helped his side gel. "We fought hard to get where we are now, and we have players that get on well with each other and work well together, so we'll do our best," he said. As an experienced coach, Girard knows well how hard their task will be. Drawn against Germany, Serbia and Montenegro and hosts Portugal in Group A, he said: "I don't want to play the frustrated or disappointed coach, but in my opinion our group is definitely the strongest."

'Excellent experience'
However, he knew that tough competition in Portugal could be the making of his players. "It's amazing for them," he said. "Playing against Germany, Portugal, maybe Italy, Europe's best, is an excellent experience. It will help the players to see what is required to perform at the highest level."