Since 1994 when they failed to qualify, France have been the yo-yo team in the World Cup as their campaigns have gone between glory and disaster and what ever they have done has been the opposite of what is expected of Les Bleus.

In a qualifying group with Spain, the French were never expected to finish top and coming second was satisfactory for the fans.

In their qualifying match to get into the World Cup they overcame a 2-0 deficite to beat Ukraine which showed they have guile and determination to succeed this time around.

The bit news with the French squad this year was the absence of Manchester City player Samir Nasri and to add insult to injury (No pun intended) was Franck Ribery picking up an injury which means he will miss this year's World Cup.

The Coach:

Didier Deschamps is not the most popular French coach in recent history, but his game style is all about winning as he spent most of his career in Italy. The team that he has selected will have been all his choice as he isn't known for sharing his ideas.

What fans expect:

The unpredictable nature of the emotions of certain players could affect the harmony in the dressing room, but Deschamps has taken a leaf our of Jacquets 1998 book where defensive stability is paramount.

The fans would rather see squad unity that a team of superstars, which was the case when Nasri was left out and could result in a promising tournament.

Style of play:

Prior to the play-off game against Ukraine Deschamps had adopted a 4-2-3-1 formation which didn't give the likes of Paul Pogba and Yohan Cabaye the freedom to play well.

For the play-off game his chose a 4-3-3 which worked to great effect as they progressed to the World Cup and Pogba, Cabaye and Matuidi were instrumental in midfield and played some of their best football of the year.

Strengths and Weaknesses:

This is a young ambitious team that can do well against stronger opponents, such as the 1-1 draw against a full strength Spain team in the qualifiers and with a front line of Benzema and Ribery they can grab a number of goals.

The defensive line is a worry as they have a number of older players and a lack of international quality in the back-line. Althought Debuchy and Evra are there they are knocking on a bit and Varane and Sakho are bit part players at their clubs.

Verdict:

The team has the capacity to cause all of the teams in their group problems and they can easily advance to the Quarter-finals and potentially the semis. 

In their qualifying games France were good but struggled to dominate, so it shows they are still a work in progress.

As with their unpredictable nature you never know which team is going to turn up this year and that could be a risk if they want to go far in Brazil.