France coach Didier Deschamps sang the praises of the Spain squad that has swept all opponents aside during their surge to Tuesday night's semi-final showdown in Munich with his World Cup finalists.
"Spanish teams have always had the ability to have a strong midfield, often a trio," said Deschamps ahead of the clash at the Allianz Arena.
"This allows Spain to have great control," he added. "And yes, there is their offensive potential. But the midfield is also a strength, especially with Rodri, who is an essential player.
"But it’s the whole team that has shown effectiveness on the field since the start of the European championships.
"It's not to put stress or pressure on them. They have been the most dominant and left the best impression on almost everyone."
Deschamps' Spain counterpart, Luis de la Fuente, has been bullish about his players who rolled impressively through Group B.
They opened with a 3-0 victory over Croatia on 15 June. That was followed five days later by a 1-0 win over the defending champions Italy and a largely second string team edged past Albania by the same score on 24 June.
In the knockout stages, Spain pulverised Georgia 4-1 and in the quarter-finals they silenced the partisans with a 2-1 extra-time success over hosts Germany.
"My players are insatiable," enthused de la Fuente. "There’s always room for improvement, of course, but we can't question their pride, quality and commitment."
Recast
France, who boast Real Madrid-bound striker Kylian Mbappé, as well as Spain-based Antoine Griezmann, were promoted as the great entertainers.
But while Spain have racked up 11 goals, France have been vapid.
An own-goal gave them a victory over Austria on 17 June during which Mbappé broke his nose.
He was absent for the 0-0 draw against the Netherlands and returned to convert the penalty during the 1-1 draw with Poland which sealed second spot in Group D.
Another own-goal took them past Belgium in the last-16 and Deschamps' men prevailed in a penalty shoot-out against Portugal in the last eight after the match ended goalless.
Deschamps, who is attempting to become the first man to win the European championships and World Cup as a player and as a coach, said he was unconcerned with the jibes that had been attached to his team.
"Well, if you’re bored, watch something else," he told a critic during an interview with journalists. "It’s fine. You’re not obligated to watch.
"Besides, this is a special European championships and it’s very tough for everyone. The number of goals is much lower than in the past."
Timing
The game for France comes amid political instability at home following the second round in the general election that left no party with an overall majority in the 577-seat National Assembly.
Left-wing and centre ground voters cast votes tactically to prevent the far-right Rassemblement national from gaining control.
In the prelude to the two rounds, several players, including Mbappé, urged people to vote in order to stop politicians who they described as extremists.
"I have always said that politics and sports don’t necessarily mix well," said France midfielder Adrien Rabiot.
"Getting into these things ... I think we need to leave them aside as we have a semi-final to play.
"Some of the players called on people to vote, and it’s democracy that decides. So, that’s been done. I saw that many people turned out to vote, which is great.
"As for the rest, let’s leave the analysis to those who know it best. Is it a good thing? A bad thing? I don’t know. We’ll see in time. I play football."
The winner of the clash will take on England or the Netherlands in the final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on Sunday evening.
"What I know is that we have the ability to share emotions and make many French men and women happy through our results especially during a difficult period in our country," added Deschamps.
