Expert verdict: France

Carlos Queiroz knows all about coaching at the highest level from his time with Portugal's youth teams, the senior Portugal and South Africa national sides, leading Real Madrid CF and assisting Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United FC. Now he gives euro2004.com the lowdown on all 16 UEFA EURO 2004™ contenders, looking here at holders France.

I agree with anyone that says France are favourites to win the tournament especially if [Thierry] Henry, [Zinedine] Zidane and [Patrick] Vieira are fully fit.

Superb team spirit
They have all the skill, organisation, individual talent and selection options as, say, the Spanish team but at an even higher level. Not only in terms of quality but also in terms of quantity - they have even more players with greater experience and plenty of international success. They are incredibly mature in big competitions and have a superb team spirit.

Cult of success
France have built a cult of success around their recent international wins and the French are keen on reminding everyone else how successful they are. That becomes obvious by watching their body language on the pitch. That self-esteem, that level of self-confidence, the belief in their own capacity are very difficult to shake down when things are going their way.

Negative factors
Therefore, I am convinced that at least theoretically they are outright favourites in terms of their players and their record. I am not counting factors such as the fact they are playing away from home, the fatigue of a hard season and so on. If these elements combine, then France are beatable. But in my option, France are definitely the favourites.

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