France manager Laurent Blanc has expressed his belief that his side no longer hold a place among Europe's elite group of teams.
France open up their Euro 2012 campaign against England this afternoon as favourites to progress from Group D, but Blanc believes that such a tag is unwarranted.
"The French team don't have the same ambitions as Spain or Germany at the start of these European Championships. France, in terms of their results over the last few years, have not allowed us to retain our place in European or World football," said the former Manchester United defender.
"People say I often bring this up, but I don't do that because I like to. It's the reality. People say we're favourites in the group, but I don't agree with that.
"We were in the fourth pot in the draw, and that means something. It's an open group. France, England, Ukraine and Sweden can all legitimately believe they can get into the latter stages."
Blanc, who won 97 caps for the national side, recently criticised England's style of play, hinting that manager Roy Hodgson employed negative tactics.
Barney Corkhill
