Madrid, July 4 (Reuters) - Spain this week asked itself the most difficult question in European soccer.

'What are we going to do to beat France?' the front page of Spanish sports daily Marca queried.

Spain have been regular under-achievers at major tournaments. Despite the success of their clubs in Europe this season, the national team failed to make an impact at Euro 2000, losing to tournament winners France in the quarter-finals.

The French, who beat Italy 2-1 in Sunday's final, are now reigning world and European champions.

'What has France got that we need to have in Spain?' Marca asked. 'Good organisation, a lot of work at the grass roots and a place for promising youngsters in its league,' it answered.

One of the newspaper's suggestions was to copy the French by creating a Spanish B team to play international fixtures.

But Javier Clemente, the predecessor to Spanish national coach Jose Antonio Camacho, said that the main obstacle to Spanish success was the cooperation of the clubs - a regular theme during his six-year reign which ended in September 1998.

'Spain seem to have much more difficulties than France in getting together its players. They have a system in place. In Spanish soccer there always seems to be problems with the clubs, which don't allow any large-scale plans,' the Real Sociedad coach said.

Marca also dared to point the finger at one of the great issues within Spanish soccer - that most people, players included, might care more about their clubs than their country.

'France identifies completely with its national team at all levels,' Marca commented.

In Catalonia the focus of attention is on Barcelona while in the Basque country Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad are, to many people, more important than the fortunes of the Spanish national team.