PSG-Nantes (2-1): Mbappé at the forefront, the option struggles to convince

2023-12-10 08:58:13

He does not necessarily escape the rule, Kylian Mbappé though he may be. Already aligned by Luis Enrique at the forefront of the Parisian 4-3-3 last weekend against Le Havre (0-2), where he scored a very nice goal without overperforming, he had all the difficulties in the world to stand out this Saturday evening against Nantes (2-1) in a match where he had too little influence on the Parisian offensive animation, as well as on the Nantes defense. In our columns, he inherits the rating of 4.5, the lowest on the Parisian side in this meeting.

It must be said that, as is customary for Parisian number 9s this season, he saw very little of the ball in the middle of the forest of Nantes defenders well planted at the entrance to Alban Lafont’s area. . With only 45 balls touched, he was the least served Parisian field player. Which did not prevent him, paradoxically, from being the one who had the most shots on goal (4 times, including 2 on target). Without an imperial Lafont in the face-to-face, he would have opened the score from the first seconds of play, and silenced all the criticism.

For Enrique, “it is not true that he is evolving in the axis”

But this rarity that is a match without a goal from Kylian Mbappé raises questions. As much as the fact that Luis Enrique chose him to occupy the forefront of his attack, rather than Kolo Muani, Ramos or even Asensio. “He did not play in the center but everywhere and as usual,” Luis Enrique swore at a press conference.

“He has the freedom to go central, on the sides, to play between the lines. Like in the other matches. He must also fulfill certain defensive tasks but he has total freedom in attack. Its role is the same as in other matches: freedom – freedom. It’s the same role for Kylian Mbappé in all matches. I repeat it because it is not true that it evolves in the axis. »

We actually saw Mbappé wandering around, to the right, to the left, trying to attract the ball when it was not coming towards him. His “heatmap” (the map of his movements on the pitch during the match) also leans towards the left, this area in which he generally operates. This Saturday evening, this area was occupied by Bradley Barcola. However, each time the young Frenchman was started, it was precisely on this left side… shifting Kylian Mbappé towards the axis of the attack.

Lots of options for this position… but few convincing ones

This sequence of two matches, against Le Havre and against Nantes, obviously does not give any lessons as to the future of this Paris Saint-Germain team. With Luis Enrique, the team is flexible at will, the systems and players often change from one week to the next, as he promised at the start of the season. The reality of a rainy Saturday evening against Nantes will therefore undoubtedly not be that of a chilly Wednesday evening in Dortmund.

However, these two matches raise questions, ever more, about this PSG which struggles to play with its leading striker, even when he is not really one and his name is Kylian Mbappé. “There is a lot of quality, the coach has the choice to place his players,” admitted Randal Kolo Muani in the mixed zone. For the moment, none of these choices have paid off excessively.