France vs Iceland preview: Hugo Lloris warns talent is not enough after Euro 2016's surge of the small nations
The France and Tottenham goalkeeper believes that this tournament has proved the importance of collective effort
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Your support makes all the difference.Hugo Lloris has warned France that their superior quality cannot be relied upon to overcome Euro 2016 minnows Iceland in Sunday’s quarter-final at Stade de France after making the remarkable claim that ‘the best teams are no longer here.’
With Wales fighting back from a goal down on Friday night to defeat Belgium – the team currently sitting second in the Fifa world rankings – to secure a place in the semi-finals of a major tournament for the first time in their history, the rise of football’s so-called lesser nations has been borne out by Chris Coleman’s team.
The Welsh have become the smallest nation ever to reach the last four of the European Championships or World Cup, but that achievement will last just 48 hours if Iceland – whose population is less than 330,000 – produce one of the all-time sporting upsets by eliminating the hosts in Paris.
Iceland have already stunned the world, however, by claiming England’s scalp in the second round, earning and deserving a 2-1 victory in Nice.
And Tottenham goalkeeper Lloris, the France captain, believes that the rise of the Cinderella nations should act as a warning to the historical elite that the old certainties are no more.
“There have been surprises since the start of the competition and we realise that being a big nation and playing nice football is not enough to make it to the last four," Lloris said. "The best teams playing the best football are no longer here today.
"It shows that we're back to values such as the importance of a collective effort.
“It is mental strength that makes the difference and that's what we will need to qualify."
The best teams playing the best football are no longer here today.
Having overcome the Republic of Ireland in the second round after falling behind to a second minute Robbie Brady penalty, France have already displayed their ability to go toe-to-toe with the unfancied nations.
The victory in Lyon highlighted the fighting spirit and togetherness that coach Didier Deschamps has forged among the French squad, six years on from the mutiny at the 2010 World Cup.
France have also overcome the controversy of the omissions of Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa from Deschamps’ squad – two players with North African heritage – to underline the sense of unity with the group.
But it is on the pitch that Lloris believes France have made the greatest steps to proving that, after all of the previous issues and faultlines, Les Bleus are now a team once again.
"Since the start of the tournament, we have shown certain values," Lloris said. "Everything wasn't perfect, we lacked consistency and were not aggressive enough in the early stages of our games.
“But in the end, we managed to win matches and I believe that is because of our collective spirit."
Will it be enough to ensure that France do no under-estimate the collective will an organisation of Iceland, however?
"They have two or three players with high quality but what makes Iceland so strong is that they are a tight, compact unit showing plenty of solidarity," Lloris said.
"There will be no surprises for us tomorrow (Sunday). If we go out there just telling ourselves that we're the best and have more talent, we won't go through.”
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