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'I thought the same about his Spurs team!' - Deschamps hits back at Mourinho for comments on France
The Les Bleus boss has aimed a tongue-in-cheek jibe at the Portuguese referencing his failed spell in charge of the north London outfit
Didier Deschamps has hit back at Jose Mourinho for his comments on France being favourites at Euro 2020, claiming "I thought the same thing about his Tottenham team".
France are being tipped to go all the way at the European Championships, having reached the final in 2016 before becoming World Champions in Russia two years later.
Ex-Chelsea, Manchester United and Spurs boss Mourinho attempted to put extra pressure on Les Bleus when discussing their strength in depth last week, prompting Deschamps to swipe back with a jibe about his ill-fated spell in north London.
What did Mourinho say?
Mourinho told The Sun of the weight of expectation France will be carrying at the summer tournament: "I cannot see any weakness. If I had to say one team to win it, I will say them - because the group of players is fantastic.
"They have to win it. If not, it is an unsuccessful Euros."
Deschamps' response
Mourinho was sacked by Tottenham in April after just 18 months in the role, having failed to deliver a single piece of silverware or Champions League football.
Deschamps reference the 58-year-old's time at Spurs when quizzed on his remarks by Telefoot, before outlining the way his team will cope with the pressure when the international tournament kicks off.
"I thought the same thing about his Tottenham team, but it did not end up happening like that," he said. "Yes, we are favourites due to the status of world champions. It is not a pressure, it is the reality, we will not flee the debate on the presence of France among the favourites of this Euro.
“Obviously, I have a very important attacking potential, but it’s not just that. There is a balance to be found, through adjustments. I hope to have the ball as much as possible, but there are times when we won’t have it, and we will have to keep our strength."
Who will France play in the group stage?
France have a final warm-up game to take in against Bulgaria on Monday before they switch their attention to their Group F opener against Germany on June 15.
Deschamps' men are due to take on Hungary four days later before completing their pool schedule with a repeat of the 2016 final against holders Portugal.
