Euro 2024 comment: Why Didier Deschamps' France are the new Germany - and the team to beat

On the political front, there was the post-war consensus eras of Adenauer and de Gaulle, Schmidt and d’Estaing and Kohl and Mitterrand with the baton later passed onto the likes of Merkel and Macron.

On the international football stage at least, things have been historically different with the French cavaliers contrasting with the German roundheads.

Back in the day, aside from the joie de vivre of Euro ‘84 when the likes of Platini, Giresse and Tigana painted beguiling pictures across the French Republic, France were perceived as being essentially flaky.

The exact opposite to their businesslike, obdurate, win-at-all-costs neighbours to the east, who famously demonstrated that ruthlessness on a wild Spanish evening in 82 in a clash of footballing styles when Toni Schmaucher was the bete noire with poor Patrick Battiston being the victim.

Victoire on the world stage for France on fertile home terrain again in 1998 started to change the narrative. But it is only in recent times when the process of change was completed. France - who start off against Austria in their opener this evening - are effectively the new Germany.

It’s the biggest tribute that can be bestowed upon Didier Deschamps’ side in truth and one he would quietly approve of.

Between 1976-82 and 1986-92, the Germans reached the finals of the World Cup and European Championship in three out of four tournaments.

That is the exact same record that Les Bleus currently boast. They are the most serious side in this competition. These days it is Germany who are more transient and unpredictable. The consistency comes from France.

Deschamps’ sobriquet as a player was the ‘water carrier’; an unflattering term but one bearing testament to the selfless holding midfield role he played.

He retains that side before self mantra in management where he has turned into a serial winner interested in business and not beauty. He is aiming to become the second man after Berti Vogts to win the Euros as a player and manager.

A famous quote before a previous tournament when he said: “I am not here to have fun — if so, I would go to Club Med’ sums up his mindset rather well.

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In terms of his players, the one who best sums up the French elan of old and their modern-day metamorphosis is Antoine Griezmann.

A stellar player who finished in third place in the Ballon d’Or awards in 2016 and 2018 – Griezmann is a wonderful amalgam of guile and graft in midfield, a player who also has the full trust of one of club football’s toughest taskmasters in Diego Simeone.

He links midfield and attack expertly; the calming influence who takes care of the ball, is always available and is both deft and diligent. In the absence of the retired Hugo Lloris, Karim Benzema and Raphael Varane, his leadership should also now come into its own.

That the aforesaid trio have stepped down without impacting upon the quality of the French squad says everything about the power at Deschamps’ disposal.

Mike Maignan has replaced from Lloris with little fuss. Dayot Upamecano is now the strong senior centre-half and the fact that one of the Premier League’s most outstanding defenders in William Saliba is not a shoo-in is a barometer of France’s awesome options.

Knowing they would be without Aurelien Tchouameni, Deschamps brought back a familiar face in N’Golo Kante to supplement Eduardo Camavinga and the under-rated Adrien Rabiot in midfield.

Further forward, France have the predatory nous of record scorer Olivier Giroud, another game-breaker in Ousmane Dembele and two precocious talents in PSG’s Bradley Barcola and Warren Zaire-Emery. And then, of course, they have Kylian Mbappe.

If there is a weakness in this French squad, it’s hard to find one. There is no excuse for France not to win their first Euros since 2000. What can stop them?

Illness perhaps, with a virus affecting some squad members last week. Themselves, maybe? France imploded against the Swiss in the last finals and the Parisian media have talked up simmering tension in the past between Mbappe and Giroud.

The smart euros are on none of that mattering. France are the team to beat, debate over.