France captain Lloris tells squad to focus on prize of World Cup in Qatar
France captain Hugo Lloris urged his teammates to forget the disappointment of last summer’s European championships and focus on defending their title at the World Cup next year in Qatar.
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The bid to emulate Spain’s feats of 2010 World Cup and 2012 European championship unravelled in Bucharest when France squandered a 3-1 lead against Switzerland and lost the penalty shoot-out in the last 16.
On the eve of the Group D match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lloris said players who had underperformed during France's last competitive match had to forget the setback.
“The best way to prepare for the future is to be effective right away,” said the 34-year-old who will make his 130th appearance for his country.
“We're moving on to something new, something fresh. Everyone must contribute to restoring the momentum.”
Pacesetters
France took seven points from their first three games in Group D to lead the table. On Saturday they travel to Ukraine and on Tuesday they entertain Finland in Lyon.
“The objective is to prepare for the future, and to qualify without any bad surprises,” added Lloris.
"We have to go back to simple values and have fun together and gain confidence by performing well.”
Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappé, who missed the decisive penalty in the shoot-out against Switzerland, is expected to start in attack with Karim Benzema and Antoine Griezmann.
Of the troika, only Benzema’s name has been absent from the ballyhoo of the latest transfer window.
Real Madrid wanted to pay 200 million euros for Mbappé’s services but PSG rejected the offer even though the 22-year-old will be free to leave next June.
Griezmann moved on loan from Barcelona to his former club Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
"He has been focused every day and is ready to perform,” said Lloris of Mbappé. “From what I’ve seen in training over the last few days he’s ready to fight for the national team.”
Olivier Giroud - France’s second highest goalscorer- was one of the surprise omissions when France boss Didier Deschamps announced his squad.
The veteran, who moved from European champions Chelsea to AC Milan during the summer, was, said Deschamps, left out for sporting reasons while Manchester United’s Anthony Martial made his return after missing the Euros due to injury.
Moussa Diaby, Aurelien Tchouameni, Theo Hernandez and Jordan Veretout all received their first call-ups to the national side. However none are expected to feature in the starting line-up on Wednesday.
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