France often go into major tournaments with a squad strong enough to win the competition, but they have had issues over the years when egos and personalities have led to an implosion in the camp and it just ruins everything.
They were among the favourites going into Euro 2020, but there are now some seriously worrying reports emerging from the camp.
The biggest problem comes in the shape of Kylian Mbappe, with Goal reporting that Didier Deschamps is starting to lose control as he simply cannot manage his ego anymore.
One of the main issues arising from that is Mbappe appointing himself as chief set-piece taker when there are better options in the squad, but it also sounds there are more fundamental issues with the entire setup:
A number of France players have told the coaching staff this afternoon that they want to move to a back 3 for the match vs Switzerland, in what would be a major shake-up, according to L'Équipe du Soir.
— Get French Football News (@GFFN) June 26, 2021
You’re supposed to go into a major tournament with a clear plan in place as it’s a time for seeing the job through rather than experimenting, and if the manager is seen to cave to player demands over the formation and team selection then they really have lost control.
Perhaps all of the egos will find a way to coexist and they’ll find some form in the knockout rounds, but this has the potential to blow up spectacularly if they do go out earlier than expected.