Team Preview: Can Ripoll maximise outstanding yet underachieving France U21s?

While France are among the favourites to lift the trophy this summer, somewhat unbelievably les bleus’ youngsters have qualified for the finals for the first time since 2006, with six failed attempts in between.

They are the underachievers of youth level football, possessing outstanding young talent for some time now but falling well short of expectations. It will be up to coach Sylvain Ripoll to ensure that doesn’t happen again having taken the reigns two years ago but after a strong start in qualifying the results have dried up.

In fact, the team’s morale boosting 3-0 win over Belgium in the build up to the tournament was their first in seven matches and was promptly followed by a 3-1 defeat to Austria. That’s despite the squad being so strong that the likes of Issa Diop, Mouctar Diakhaby, Maxime Lopez and Allan Saint-Maximin failed to make the cut.

The one real blow is the absence of captain Abdou Diallo through injury, while Martin Terrier has been forced to withdraw through illness and replaced by Marcus Thuram - son of France legend Lilian.

Ibrahim Konate may be the man to profit from Diallo’s misfortune and will be competing with the likes of Malang Sarr and RB Leipzig club mate Dayot Upamecano once more. Konate has been chosen ahead of the latter for the Bundesliga outfit for much of the season and helped the German outfit tot a third placed finish after the team won just two of the seven matches the 20-year-old missed.

There are Arsenal connections passed and present in midfield, with former Gunner Jeff Reine-Adelaide ending the season in fine form at Angers and joining Matteo Guendouzi in the ranks. However, Lyon pair Lucas Tousart and Houssem Aouar look sure to start in midfield in a lineup led by OL teammate Moussa Dembele.

Like Group C opponents England, France were not of a mind to ‘demote’ the eligible players that have already represented the seniors, which is certainly positive news for everyone else involved in Italy. The likes of Lucas Hernandez, Benjamin Pavard, Tanguy NDombele, Kingsley Coman and Ousmane Dembele were all available for selection but haven’t been called upon.

There’s is a squad list that would strike fear into experienced senior international sides but it’s France that have tended to get stage freight at this level. Ripoll certainly needs to get his side out of their slump and if he can get the best out of this squad they have a real chance. The issue is that there have been little signs of that capability of late.