Blaquart sums up threat to France

France coach François Blaquart is expecting UEFA European Under-17 Championship Group A opponents Ukraine, Spain and Germany to take the game to his team as they target a semi-final berth when the tournament begins in Belgium next Wednesday.

World Cup dream
A top-five finish means a ticket to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Korea Republic later this year, and that is the initial target for Les Mini-Bleus. "The first thing we would like of course, is to reach the World Cup," Blaquart told uefa.com. "In my opinion, the best way to reach that goal is to finish in the top two in the group. A play-off can be so slippery. In the squad, everyone is dreaming about the World Cup."

German strength
However, France have been drawn in one of the toughest-looking groups in any UEFA competition in recent years, and they have first-hand experience of the talented German side having lost 2-0 against them in the Algarve Tournament in February. Blaquart admits Germany are favourites to though, explaining: "They impressed us a lot. When we met, it was a very, very tough game. They have a great attacking potential. They have also had more time to prepare than us throughout the year. But don't write off Spain - they always set a high standard in these tournaments."

Ukraine threat
Ukraine, their third opponents after Spain and Germany, should also not be discounted. "We expect they will play on the counterattack as their senior team do extremely well. Even teenagers play in their own national style." Overall, it will be a real step up from qualifying. "In the Elite round we met teams keeping it tight. In Belgium we won't control the ball as much, except maybe against Ukraine. We will have very competitive opposition but it will be fascinating."

Tactics
In response, Blaquart - Jacques Santini's assistant at UEFA EURO 2004™ - will adopt familiarly French tactics compared to Germany's attacking style and Ukraine's counterattack. "It's something in between, with a four-player defence and in front of them nothing rigid, but something which we can tailor to the opposition," Blaquart explained. "My philosophy is attacking. It's the reason why I expect some great games in Belgium against premier opponents. It will be intense."

Bulot out
This week his team are preparing in the resort of Le Touqet, near the Belgian border, which they will cross on Monday. However, there has been one setback. "We have already lost [striker] Henri Bulot to an injury," Blaquart explained. "He has been replaced by Fabrice N'Sakala. We have Aristote Lusinga back from injury and we have our fingers crossed that we will not have more injuries. [The squad has been] about the same for two years. Some players have arrived and others have left us but I have tried to keep a core for this tournament."