Fabio Capello declared himself "quite happy" despite watching England suffer their first loss under him as manager.
England went down 1-0 in Paris, with Franck Ribery scoring the only goal from the penalty spot and the visitors creating very few chances of note.
"I saw some important improvements. We were playing against a top level team and we did well," said Capello.
"We didn't let our opponents play and played with personality. We played especially well in the first half."
Capello added that his six substitutions were less tactical and more down to the fact he wanted to assess the credentials of other players in his squad.
"There was no prouder man on the planet when I led the team out, but the result was disappointing"
David Beckham, playing in his 100th game for England, was replaced by David Bentley on 63 minutes, while Steven Gerrard and John Terry made way for Peter Crouch and Joleon Lescott respectively at half-time.
"I need to see all the players play in order to have clear ideas of what to do when qualification for the World Cup starts," added Capello.
"David Beckham was fit and could have continued. He was substituted because I needed to see other players."
Rio Ferdinand was satisfied with some aspects of England's performance but admitted the result took the gloss off his first game as skipper.
606: DEBATE
"I was honoured to be captain. Everybody dreams about being an England footballer when they're growing up, let alone England captain," said the Manchester United centre-back.
"There was no prouder man on the planet when I led the team out, but it's all about the team and the result was disappointing.
"We took strides forward in certain areas. Players weren't afraid to get on the ball and the passing was good in the first half. But it would have been nice to get a win."
Despite the defeat, Ferdinand maintained England would improve with Capello at the helm, and said he would happily continue as captain.
"He brings new things to the table every time we train and as long as we keep taking things on board we'll move forward. We're all on our toes wanting to impress the new manager.
"I'm obviously honoured, delighted and very, very proud to be England captain. But I'm taking it game by game and we'll see what the future holds."
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