A strike on the post. And that’s about it. Last Wednesday in Dortmund, Kylian Mbappé did not honor his superstar costume to wear PSG. Whose fault, what? To the excellent defensive duo formed by Mats Hummels and Nico Schlotterbeck, first. Then, perhaps to its positioning in the axis pointed out as problematic by many observers.
Borussia Dortmund – Paris SG: the Parisians up against the wall
With Bradley Barcola on his left and Ousmane Dembélé on the right wing, Kylian Mbappé did not have his usual impact in any case. Until the release of Barcola which allowed him to venture further into this side that he appreciates so much. “Mbappé is much more dangerous in one on one when he comes from the left and we saw it in his only dangerous action of the match”, observes Thomas Chatelle, Pickx Sports consultant who spoke on the question this Monday in the show Champions Club.
On the wing: his favorite position
It’s no secret: Kylian Mbappé prefers to play on the left side where he receives more freedom to enter the game and strike on his right foot. “It is awesome. Maybe not as a center forward but more as a winger because he is quick; his speed is impressive. It becomes difficult to catch him for so many opponents,” analyzed Robert Lewandowski, number nine par excellence, in an interview with the newspaper Le Parisien.
“Mbappé is much more dangerous when he can rely on a real new player and continue his actions,” agrees Thomas Chatelle. In possession, he is also not very useful as number nine on crosses coming from the sides. There were very few centers that came to him in Dortmund.”
The alternative would therefore be to establish Gonçalo Ramos, the only real number nine of PSG, to place Mbappé in the best conditions. “Each attacker has particular characteristics. I have full confidence in all my players. Everyone can start the match,” Luis Enrique responded this Monday to the press, while asking Mbappé to respond more to defensive tasks.
“We ask the attackers that few balls reach the defense. We are a team and everyone plays an instrument,” he said, echoing Thomas Chatelle’s argument regarding the Frenchman’s pressing. “In losing the ball, Mbappé is in my opinion useless and that posed a big problem in the first leg,” said the former Anderlecht and Genk winger. Mats Hummels wandered in from the back. This problem will have to be resolved and I can’t see Mbappé being the one who will prevent the restart from the center. Gonçalo Ramos would be much more useful at that level.”
After the defeat against Dortmund, the French press remains optimistic for PSG, but knocks out one player: “He deserves a zero rating!”
In the axis: only one defeat
However, the figures speak more in favor of an axial positioning. This season he has scored 26 goals in this role. That’s one every 79 minutes. On the left side, he scored 17 times: one goal every 84 minutes. PSG has also only lost once in 25 games with Mbappé at center. And when he is on the left: only 9 victories in 17 matches (4 defeats, 4 draws).
Collectively, PSG would therefore be more effective. This configuration with Barcola and Dembélé in any case allows more movements via permutations. All three players can hold the three positions of the trident without problem. With Gonçalo Ramos, this interchangeability is more complicated.
The current trio also created clear chances despite everything, notably via Dembélé, on the BVB pitch. Remaining confident in this choice could pay off with wear and tear. This is what happened in the quarter-final return to FC Barcelona: Barcola assisted the first goal to Dembele who himself gave the pass for the 1-3 to Mbappé, who also scored the 1-4 .
In fact, this positioning remains theoretical in all cases. If we look more closely, we see that it was almost an Mbappé – Dembélé attacking duo since Barcola remained more on the wing, lower down. Dembélé had the advantage of having Achraf Hakimi at his side to manage the entire right lane.
Luis Enrique seems in any case to advocate this idea for this Tuesday. “I don’t want the striker to go for the ball in midfield; I want the attacker to touch the ball in critical areas, he explained, referring to the need to find Mbappé near the large rectangle, in the axis. Obviously, our opponents are not going to leave him free at the penalty spot; they’re going to let him touch the ball in midfield. But I want him to go and touch him where he’s dangerous.”
Will Kylian Mbappé play in the Paris Olympic Games? “We are not the only decision-makers”, replies his father!
2024-05-07 04:52:00
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