France announce 23 man Euro 2016 squad
France announced their 23 man squad for the Euros and there were some surprising inclusions and omissions in the squad. The tournament is set to start next month and France who are the hosts are one of the favourites to win the Euros. Their squad contains a good mix of youth and experience with many players having had wonderful seasons for their respective clubs.
Karim Benzema missed out on the squad because of an ugly scandal involving fellow countryman Mathieu Valbuena. When asked if Benzema would have been picked under normal circumstances, French manager Didier Deschamps said:
"There's no question about it on a sporting level - performances on the pitch,"
"I've always considered that the team was above everything. The president of the federation shared my opinion so the decision was taken in the interest of the collective."
Lyon winger Valbuena, the victim in that affair, has endured a nightmare season since that story became public and it is no surprise that the 31-year-old was also omitted on Thursday.
"Mathieu, unfortunately for him, had a very difficult season with Olympique Lyonnais," Deschamps said.
"He strung together a lot of injuries and his performances were below what he's capable of.
"And he was in competition with players who were performing very well. Those that were in the 23 but also those that are on standby."
N’golo Kante has arguably been the find of the season and he was rewarded for his good performances with a place in the France squad. Leicester City midfielder N'Golo Kante, who scored on his first start against Russia, has forced his way into the hosts' plans for next month's tournament at the expense of Manchester United's Morgan Schneiderlin, who is also part of the eight-man standby list.
"Obviously, the players present at the last gathering had an advantage since it went very well and the fact that I chose them for it with a view to them being at the European Championships as well," he said.
"To make a list for a final tournament, it's not about selecting the best 23 players in every position.
"It's about building a squad of 23 players who for me seem more capable of going as far as possible in the competition.
"It's true that the first criteria is sporting but obviously there are others."
Surprisingly in form Nice attacker Hatem Ben Arfa has been left out and the duo of Olivier Giroud and Gignac have got the nod ahead of attackers such as Lacazette and Kevin Gameiro. Deschamps also resisted the temptation to pick teenage sensation Ousmane Dembele for the squad.
Here is the full 23 man squad along with the players on standby:
Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Benoit Costil (Rennes)
Defenders: Raphael Varane (Real Madrid), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Eliaquim Mangala (Manchester City), Jeremy Mathieu (Barcelona), Patrice Evra (Juventus), Bacary Sagna (Manchester City), Christophe Jallet (Lyon), Lucas Digne (Roma)
Midfielders: Paul Pogba (Juventus), Blaise Matuidi (PSG), Lassana Diarra (Marseille), N'Golo Kante (Leicester), Yohan Cabaye (Crystal Palace), Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle)
Attackers: Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Dimitri Payet (West Ham), Anthony Martial (Manchester United), Kingsley Coman (Bayer Munich), Olivier Giroud (Arsenal), Andre-Pierre Gignac (Tigres)
Standby: Alphonse Areola (Villarreal), Hatem Ben Arfa (Nice), Kevin Gameiro (Sevilla), Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon), Adrien Rabiot (PSG), Morgan Schneiderlin (Manchester United), Djibril Sidibe (Lille), Samuel Umtiti (Lyon)