Didier Deschaamps, France head coach announced his final 23-man squad for the Euro 2016 tournament. Some very notable names that did not make the cut includeHatem Ben Arfa, Samuel Umtiti, Morgan Schneiderlin, Mathieu Valbuena and Alexandre Lacazette.
Dechamps made the announcement at a press conference on Thursday and added that he tried to pick the best team and not just the best players.
France Announce Euro 2016 Squad
To guide the goal post he selected the skipper Hugo Lloris of Tottenham Hotspur. Steve Mandanda and Beniot Costil of Marseille and Rennes respectively will be his backups.
Manchester City’s Eliaquim Mangala and Barcelona’s Jeremy Mathieu were both selected to the backline. In moves that did not surprise anyone Raphael Varane and Laurent Koscielny were both named in the squad. Patrice Evra and Lucas Digne were selected ahead of Paris Saint-Germain’s Layvin Kurzawa for the left back position. Mamadou Sakho isn’t available for selection after he failed a doping test.
Deschamps named a very solid midfield that included the expected names of Paul Pogba and Blaise Matuidi. Yoann Cabaye and Moussa Sissoko were selected but there was no place for Schneiderlin. However N’Golo Kante and Lassana Diarra are in the squad.
There were two out-and-out strikers in the squad; Olivier Giroud and Andre-Pierre Gignac. Anthony Martial and Antoine Griezmann can both play through the middle or out wide. West Ham United’s Hammer of the year award winner Dimitri Payet and Bayern Munich’s Kingsely Coman round out the group.
According to the French manager, he wasn’t going for players who had always played for the national team.
France are hosting this year’s European Championship and all eyes will be on these 23 selected representatives to deliver Europe’s biggest football prize.
France take on Romania in the opener of the tournament which kicks off on the 10th of JUNE 2016 in the Stade de France, Paris.
Full Squad;
Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris, Steve Mandanda, Benoit Costil
Defenders: Bacary Sagna, Patrice Evra, Raphael Varane, Laurent Koscielny, Eliaquim Mangala, Christophe Jallet, Lucas Digne, Jeremy Mathieu.
Midfielders: Lassana Diarra, Blaise Matuidi, Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante, Moussa Sissoko, Yoann Cabaye.
Attackers: Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud, Anthony Martial, Andre-Pierre Gignac, Dimitri Payet, Kingsley Coman.
Standby: Alphonse Areola, Morgan Schneiderlin, Hatem Ben Arfa, Alexandre Lacazette, Kevin Gameiro, Adrien Rabiot, Djibril Sidibe, Samuel Umtiti.
Main Photo: PORTO ALEGRE, BRAZIL – JUNE 15: Hugo Lloris of France acknowledges the fans after defeating Honduras 3-0 during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Group E match between France and Honduras at Estadio Beira-Rio on June 15, 2014 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
