Blanc ensured his team would be in Ukraine and Poland next summer by guiding them to the top of qualifying Group D, though things were rather too close for comfort as they needed a Samir Nasri goal 12 minutes from the end of their final qualifier against Bosnia and Herzegovina to make sure.

Given where the team was coming from - the debacle of the 2010 World Cup under the stewardship of Raymond Domenech - Blanc knows merely qualifying is an achievement.

He told L'Equipe: "The ideal is to win something with France, but you have to realise where we came from.

"People may be disappointed and want a team of great players after only 15 months, to rival Holland, Germany and Spain. It's impossible!

"It has been said, and repeated, that it will take time."

Fans have made little secret of their displeasure when things have gone wrong of late, something Blanc attributes to the South African fiasco.

Asked about the negative image of his team, he added: "But it's normal - what do you want me to tell you? No one can accept what happened (in South Africa).

"The scar will always be there. But we must live with it.

"Results will improve things and so will individuals' behaviour. But they are not suddenly going to become yes men. That's not possible."