Hugo Lloris Ready to Bounce Back with Tottenham

Following France’s loss against Portugal, Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris spoke about his disappointment with the result but still deemed the entire tournament a success for his country and the French.

A day after a devastating loss to Portugal in extra time of the European Championship final, Hugo Lloris is ready to bounce back with Tottenham for the upcoming season.

The only way for the France goalkeeper and captain can explain Sunday’s defeat is with two words: it’s football. And surely enough, it is, when one looks at Portugal’s path to the finals.

"“It’s difficult to find the words [to explain this defeat],” Lloris said (via The Guardian).“It’s true that we are all very disappointed. We tried our best and we missed, maybe, a bit of luck – the luck of the champion.”“We played all the games to win this game. It was a bit different for Portugal. They were more waiting for a mistake, waiting for a counterattack or set-pieces.”“But they played in this way all [throughout] the competition and, at the end, they won. It’s football.”"

PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 10: Hugo Lloris and Bacary Sagna of France look dejected at the end of the UEFA Euro 2016 Final match between Portugal and France at Stade de France on July 10, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images) /

Because the 15th edition of the Euros moved to a 24-team format, it gave the four best third-place teams a spot in the knockout rounds. Which gave Portugal a chance to run the table.

And indeed that was the case. Even though Fernando Santos’ squad drew all three of their group stage matches, the key statistic is their three wins past regulation.

Against Croatia in the round of 16, Ricardo Quaresma would claim the match-winning goal in the 117th minute just before extra time concluded. The next round saw Portugal defeat Poland in a penalty kick shoot-out during the quarter-finals.

And of course the big one, another extra time winner but this time in the final against France, courtesy of Éder. Who happened to score his first-ever goal in a competitive match in his international career. The rest of his goals came during friendlies only.

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Seeing a team like Portugal win, where Santos’ tactics have been questioned as being “anti-football” or looking “unsexy”, while there’s no denying the Portuguese’s way of playing to win was a snooze-fest — by defending and waiting for a chance to counterattack — it proved effective.

Claudio Ranieri’s style of play for Leicester City was exactly the same thing too and it saw them lift the Premier League trophy for the first time in the club’s history back in May.

Two seasons ago, José Mourinho played with a defensive-first mentality to which everyone cried out as “boring” and yet they easily won the Premiership after he returned to Stamford Bridge in 2013.

Whatever the tactics that a manager tends to use, if it ends up winning them a trophy, is there any doubt as to how effective it is in the end?

But going back to Hugo Lloris and his state of mind. A heartbreaking loss when there were only 11 minutes left until a penalty shoot-out would decide the game, means that the 29-year-old has suffered back-to-back disappointments for both club and country.

"“It was a big and long season and unfortunately, without a trophy with Tottenham and France, but I can be proud to take part in Tottenham’s season [and] the French national team’s adventure,” Hugo Lloris continued.“I hope it will be give me more hunger for next season.”“We did our best and the most important thing is what we have created during the competition – between us, inside the team and the emotions that we’ve shared with all of the fans.”“This is one of the good memories and I think we can build up something strong for the next few years. We have a young generation and I think the future has to be bright.”"

Next: Making a Case for Sissoko to Tottenham

With the Euros now over, Hugo Lloris will be afforded extra time off to recover before returning to Hotspur Way and beginning his pre-season training with the rest of Tottenham’s players.

Hopefully the experience that every Spurs player received this summer during the Copa América and European Championship can helpthem personally as well as Tottenham’s mentality in big fixtures this upcoming season.

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