There appears to be tension between Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud that is threatening to derail the France camp ahead of their Euro 2020 opener.
Didier Deschamps’ men are one of the bookmakers’ favourites to win Euro 2020 and start their campaign against Germany on Tuesday.
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However, there seems to be a brewing feud between strikers Mbappe and Giroud, with the Chelsea man going public with his frustrations.
After scoring twice in a 3-0 win over Bulgaria last week, Giroud expressed his disappointment at not receiving enough passes from his teammates.
The 34-year-old, who is six goals away from breaking Thierry Henry’s all-time scoring record for France, said: “I was a little quiet because, sometimes, I make runs and the balls aren’t forthcoming.
”I am not saying that I always make the best runs but I am seeking to offer solutions in the box.”
It appeared those comments were aimed at Mbappe, and the Paris Saint-Germain superstar soon replied, admitting he would have preferred it if Giroud had kept his thoughts in-house as opposed to speaking to the media.
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“It’s not what he said, frankly, what he said doesn’t bother me,” Mbappe said.
“I’m a striker and it’s an opinion. He is expressing an opinion when he speaks. It doesn’t bother me.
“I’m a striker and I’ve had this feeling 365 times in a game and I will have it again, when you feel you’re not getting the service [of the ball]. It’s more about making it public.
“I congratulated him for scoring in the changing room, he didn’t say anything to me, and then I heard from the press. He didn’t say anything bad.
“He’s a striker, he wants to score goals, he’s near a record and when you’re a striker, whether you like it or not, it gets into your head. If he could have scored another goal he would have done so.
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“But making it [the argument] public, I would have preferred to let him come and be even more vocal in the changing room. It’s happened to me. We have known each other for a while.
“You know what I am like in the changing room. If I have something to say to someone I say it.
“That’s not a problem but it stays in the changing room. But it’s not a problem, these are small trifles.
“And I don’t want this preparation, which has started well – because we have played some good matches – to be spoiled or for the squad to be affected because the squad doesn’t need this.
“We have some difficult challenges to face and we don’t need to create our own obstacles.”
Any potential problems for France will be good news for England.
The Three Lions, who kicked off their Euro 2020 campaign with a 1-0 win over Croatia on Sunday, could face France in the first knockout stage of the tournament.
The two countries will play each other in the last-16 round if England top Group D and France finish second in Group F.
France are in a difficult group with Germany and Portugal and it’s hard to predict who will finish where.
If tournament favourites Les Bleus do end up facing England, Three Lions fans will be hoping there is some disharmony within their opponent’s squad.
talkSPORT and talkSPORT 2 will have live commentary of EVERY game of Euro 2020. You won’t miss a thing as we bring you round the clock coverage, reaction and analysis from June 11-July 11. Listen online HERE.
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