Women’s Euro 2022 team guide No 14: France

This article is part of the Guardian’s Women’s Euro 2022 Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 16 countries who have qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from two countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 6 July.

Take the Mona Lisa. Its sublime appearance hides a structure in pain, a varnish cracked to the point of not shining as it should. This observation applies to the French team, in all its ambivalence, fabulous and alarming at the same time. Its radiant aspect is the sporting side, while the repulsive reverse is the reality of the dressing room.

On the first part, there is nothing to complain about. The French qualified for the Euros without conceding a single goal. In a solid and efficient 4-3-3, they scored 44 goals in eight games, for seven victories and a draw, in Austria. Even better, Les Bleues have won their 14 matches played since April 2021 with a loss only coming in a friendly against the USA. With a convincing victory in the Tournoi de France, in February, beating the Netherlands and Brazil along the way, they arrive in England as credible favourites for the Euros. “We’re aiming for the final, at least,” says Corinne Diacre, the coach.

However, the team has been hit for years by internal tensions. Lyon’s players are historically in conflict with Diacre. Eugénie Le Sommer, France’s all-time scorer, and Amandine Henry, the former captain, have not been called up despite Lyon’s recent Champions League triumph.

The level of tension is even higher than in 2019, during the World Cup at home, when “players were crying in their room”, mistreated by their coach, as Henry revealed to Canal+. In November 2021, the assault of PSG