Laurent Blanc has revealed that things got "heated" in France's dressing room after defeat to Sweden cost them top spot in Group D and set up a quarter-final clash with Euro 2012 favourites Spain.
The 2-0 loss to Erik Hamren's men allowed England to leapfrog them into first place in the group, meaning the French now face a tricky last-eight match against the reigning world and European champions.
The 46-year-old admitted that his players failed to contain their frustration after the game, but suggested that he is looking for them to channel that aggression into a good performance against Vicente del Bosque's side.
"Yes, it got a bit heated, but then everyone had a cold shower," Blanc told reporters. "It shows that there was a bit of electricity. I hope there will be against Spain, because we'll need it."
Les Bleus' 2010 World Cup campaign was famously tarnished by arguments within the camp, with a team strike leading to Nicolas Anelka being sent home.
Chelsea midfielder Florent Malouda was part of the squad in South Africa, and he decided against talking to the media straight after the clash for fear of saying something he would later regret.
"What I saw awoke some demons in me and I didn't want to express myself," the Blues winger said.
"Because in the heat of the moment there was the risk of launching rockets and missiles. There are some things to sort out and sometimes you can really hurt someone with a comment that you make."
The 32-year-old then confirmed that tensions that had built up on the pitch spilled over when the players returned to the changing room.
"Sometimes you need to aim a few bursts of gunfire at each other," he added. "We said quite a few things to each other afterward in the dressing room."
Arsenal centre-back Laurent Koscielny is ready to step in for the suspended Philippe Mexes for the game with La Roja, and he also had his say on Tuesday's defeat.
"We were below par on every level," Koscielny said. "When we got back to the dressing room we knew we hadn't performed as we should have done and some things were said...things that will stay between us."
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