ROMANIA WON’T ROLL OVER FOR THE HOSTS
replied: “But defence is not about one or two players – it is everyone together.”
Lloris – like the current France manager Didier Deschamps (below, right) – is captain of his country and, at just 29, he may well become the man who holds the record for wearing the coveted armband.
“I don’t think about that. I see those as statistics. In no way do I see myself as a monument to French football,” added Lloris.
The Euros will be the fourth
major tournament in which he has been involved – two World Cups and now two European Championships.
“It is a help, it is an experience that counts, especially in preparation and the approach to the competition,” he said.
“The mental state is vital after a long season. There are always little doubts. You think, ‘Can I do a little bit more, perhaps a little bit less?’.”
There is also a school of thought in the French camp that, without throwing caution to the wind with a gung-ho attitude, there will be a positive approach to the tournament from the hosts.
“We don’t want to be too careful,” said Lloris, who made his name at Lyon.
“Our objective is clear – to go as far as possible. But we need to progress in stages.
“Yes, the squad is young, but it is one with a lot of talent – and a lot of ambition.” DOUR is the word most often used to describe Anghel Iordanescu’s Romania – confirmed by the manager’s omission from his squad of attacker Alexandru Maxim.
This will not cause Iordanescu any sleepless nights. The iconic head coach had no qualms about leaving out the No.10.
His side are renowned for a clear defensive mindset, conceding only two goals in the entire qualifying rounds.
They are most likely to prioritise clean sheets in France – they have had their fair share of 0-0 draws – but their defensive strength and all-round resilience fail to disguise their obvious lack of matchwinners.
Their attack was joint second-worst among the qualified nations, with Wales, Hungary and Portugal on 11 goals – Albania scoring the fewest with 10.
Iordanescu likes to play with a lone striker up front – but he is hoping their counterattacking style will help them progress to the knockout stage. It is expected that Bogdan Stancu and Gabriel Torje will be on the flanks, and they each possess the pace and trickery to cause problems in wide areas. The problem, however, is that both players have fragile confidence – and there is no goal-hungry striker to supply. Their centre-back and skipper Vlad Chiriches (left) will be looking for redemption in this competition after an ill-fated two-year stint at Tottenham.
Although he rarely showed it as White Hart Lane, Chriches is comfortable on the ball and will give Romania the chance to build attacks from the back.
The Napoli man is also a threat from set-pieces, and at 26, he already has 40 caps to his name. Romania, who play in the opening match of the tournament against hosts France, are not anyone’s dark horses for the European Championship.
But don’t underestimate their 66-year-old boss, in his third stint with the national team.
He previously managed them during their most successful spells – before being elected to the Romanian senate – and knocked out England en route to the Euro 2000 quarter-finals.