France manager Laurent Blanc has admitted that his team is "not on the same level" as Spain, Germany and the Netherlands.
The 46-year-old leads Les Bleus into battle against Germany in Bremen tonight, but is concerned by the lack of experience in his midfield.
"There are players who are not doing for France what they are doing for their club," said Blanc. "In midfield, we lack personality and experience.
"Against Bosnia-Herzegovina, we were lacking a lot of things, notably experience, and we got away with it that night. But I have said it before and I will say it again, we can't just go out and buy that necessary international experience at the supermarket."
Blanc also bemoaned the lack of time he gets to spend with his national squad.
"We need time, a lot of time, to develop a philosophy," he added. "We need to be able to put our ideas into practice on the pitch, but that is not easy. To get a team playing together you need to work every day. Our level is currently below that of Spain, Germany and the Netherlands."
Blanc has recently voiced his intent to take France to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Michael Penkman
