The 25 internationals said goodbye in the dressing room at Stadion Grbavica in Sarajevo, with two-thirds returning directly to their clubs on private flights.
They have an appointment, for the most part, in about 8 weeks to launch the adventure of the Euro (June 11-July 11).
In this interval, they will be monopolized by their domestic obligations and, for some, continental ones.
For their part, Didier Deschamps and his staff (19 people in total) will scrutinize their performance and hope to see them spared from any physical hassles.
Obviously, the next two months promise to be very busy.
đ # EURO2020 is in 100 days!
đ€ Which matches are you excited for?
pic.twitter.com/LP9kQyTmJg
- European Qualifiers (@ EURO2020) March 3, 2021
Concretely, he will unveil the list of 23 for the Euro on Monday 17th or more likely Tuesday 18th May on the eve of the final of the Coupe de France.
TF1 and M 6 being co-broadcasters of the Blues matches, we can imagine a slightly different format compared to the announcements of 2016 or 2018 made at 8 p.m. of TF1, with, this time, the presence on the set of a representative of the two chains.
The list of 23 could well be wider if UEFA decides on April 19, due to the Covid, a change to 25 or 26 elements as claimed by several coaches.
On this subject, Deschamps is not against.
To this list will be added reservists or substitutes.
Everything will depend, in fact, on the number of players involved in the European finals (May 26 for the Europa League, May 29 for the Champions League).
The 38th and last day of Ligue 1 is set for Sunday 23 May.
The Blues' internship at Clairefontaine should begin two days later with the elements available.
Important logistical landmarks in Clairefontaine
The "Maison des Bleus" in Yvelines will be, as planned, the base camp during the preparation of the tournament (supposed, to date, still take place in 12 different countries) and at least until June 14, on the eve of the tournament. first game against Germany.
"We are well at Clairefontaine, we are used to it and we have our benchmarks there", explained Deschamps after the draw for the final phase of the Euro, on November 30, 2019 with particular reference to the 3 hybrid pitches, in the center Fifa approved medical practitioner and certainties about the quality of the food.
He hasn't changed his mind since.
In a period still likely to be impacted, more or less, by the health crisis, these logistical benchmarks are sure to prove to be important in terms of organization.
As a reminder, the world champions, members of Group F, face in addition to Germany, Hungary and Portugal on June 19 and 23 in Budapest.
Their only obligation is to show up the day before the match at the venue.
However, they will remain in Hungary the day after the match in Germany and until the 3rd.
The idea is to anticipate the fatigue inherent in a return trip to France in three days.
The rest of their program will be dictated by their ranking at the end of the first round.
If they reach the last square, they will however stay in London where the semi-finals (July 6 and 7) and the final on July 11 are scheduled.
A friendly against Wales on June 2
As a preamble to the tournament, two preparatory meetings are scheduled.
As revealed on our site, on March 14, the premiere will see them welcome, at the Allianz Riviera in Nice, Wales on June 2.
The second is set for June 8 at the Stade de France.
But to this day, the identity of the opponent is not yet known.
Discussions are underway with several federations, but health constraints carry around their share of uncertainties and do not facilitate their progress.
On this issue, we should see more clearly in the coming weeks.
Portugal and Hungary, two of the three opponents of the 1st round, will also be supervised by members of the DTN on June 15 and 19.
As for the friendly confrontations of the 3 nations (with Germany), upstream of the European Championship, they will, in principle, be more the subject of a decryption carried out from television recordings.
The global coronavirus crisis has, it is true, made any possibility of displacement very complex.
