Ella Palis: "We're in full-on preparation mode"

Girondins.com: How are you doing, now that the Girondines' season is over and you are preparing for the Euros? Ella Palis: There wasn't much time off between the end of the season and joining up with the French squad. But I did get time to go home, see my family and friends and recharge the batteries a bit before the Euros! We know it takes a lot of commitment, effort and energy to prepare for a big tournament like this. So it was important to go home and rest for a bit.   Girondins.com: How is training going, and how did it feel to feature in that great win over Cameroon on Saturday (25 June)? Ella Palis: Training s going very well, we've got over the toughest physical preparation stuff, running drills etc.We have one more friendly, this Friday against Vietnam. There are a few things we still need to fine-tune, particularly on the tactical and technical side of things. That's why we play friendlies, it helps us to get up to speed before the tournament begins. It's better to make a mistake in a friendly, and learn from it, than to make that mistake in the first game of the group stage.

Was the 4-0 victory over Cameroon a kind of vindication of the work done so far? Ella Palis: Yes of course, it's a confidence boost and it also helped us to get more comfortable on the pitch. But we mustn't get carried away. That was just a friendly, and there is another one to come. So we need to keep working, because before we know it we'll be in England. You're up against top opposition in the group stages, in the form of Italy, Belgium and Iceland. What are your feelings about the group? Or is it too early to be making plans? Ella Palis: They're great teams, that's for sure, but first things first we are focusing on the friendly with Vietnam. Once the Euros kick off, then we'll be fully focused. Right now, we're in full-on preparation mode. We're fine-tuning the last technical, tactical and physical details. We are putting the work in to be ready for those big games.