After France's 1-1 draw with Poland on Tuesday, coach Didier Deschamps declared, "A new tournament is about to start. You cannot always read a competition just from the group stage."
It's a fair point, of course. Portugal failed to win a single game during the group stage of Euro 2016 and still went on to lift the trophy. Netherlands, meanwhile, reached the quarter-finals in 2008 with a 100 percent record after scintillating victories over Italy, France and Romania, only to suffer a shock loss to Russia.
However, the group stage is undeniably a good indicator as to how a team is shaping up ahead of the knockouts - and there's simply no getting away from the fact that France have failed dismally to live up to their favourites' tag in Germany.
Les Bleus have been bad. Like, England bad. Indeed, were it not for the Three Lions and their sleep-inducing football, France would be coming under a lot more scrutiny right now - because unlike Gareth Southgate's side, they have been punished for their poor play by ending up on the difficult side of the draw.
There remains a somewhat understandable presumption that things will eventually come right for a team that always seems to find a way to win, particularly when it matters most. However, there is absolutely no guarantee that France will avoid a second successive last-16 exit at the Euros. As the group stage has hammered home, Deschamps has several problems to solve...