Kylian Mbappe’s performance at PSG, France is all down to comfort, confidence and increased responsibility
Even by Kylian MbappeTo a truly high standard, his form going into Wednesday’s Champions League game against Manchester City was breathtaking: 10 games, 11 goals and nine assists. In his last 10 matches for France and Paris Saint-Germain, on the UEFA Nations League, World Cup qualifiers, Ligue 1 and Champions League, with teams like Spain, RB Leipzig, Bordeaux and Belgium, he is unmatched. No other player has his stats for the same time period; Mbappe himself has never enjoyed such a run of momentum or returned to a performance with this kind of consistency, even when looking at his incredible breakout season here. AS Monaco in the year 2016-2017.
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It certainly stands in stark contrast to his first 12 games of the season, where his form – only one four goals and five assists – and a struggling performance with the national team led to an uneasy feeling that something was wrong. So what has changed? On the surface it doesn’t seem like much, but at the same time, it’s actually a lot.
Interestingly, for a player who doesn’t tend to give interviews much, the two big interviews he had to go through in early October with RMC Sport and L’Equipe in France made all the difference. big. Talk about what happened last summer when PSG did not allow him to leave Real Madrid, expressing his opinion on France and the Euro, the criticism surrounding him and his ego, Mbappe’s willingness to share his feelings on various topics helped him release a great burden.
Putting his own perspective on all of these events helped clear the air and especially on Real Madrid’s links, Mbappe didn’t hold back.
“I asked to leave, because from that moment I didn’t want to renew, I wanted the club to have a transfer fee so that I could sign a quality replacement.” he told RMC. “It’s a club that has given me so much, I’m always happy, four years I’ve spent here, and I still am. I announced it early enough for the club to return. I I want people to come out of this stronger, that we work together, to make a good deal, and I respect that. I said, ‘If you don’t want me to leave, I’ll stay. .’ “
After his Euro disappointment and missed penalty in the previous penalty shootout loss Switzerland in the round of 16, as well as not moving to Madrid, Mbappe has seems to have lost a bit of love for games. Since those interviews, he seems to be completely committed to football, and to PSG, again, and is enjoying his game a lot.
“I’ve never been happier,” Mbappe told the media during his November international break. “I’m happy in my life, I’m happy on the pitch and you can see that in my football. I. I play in a team that puts me in the right environment to do well,” he repeated after the win Nantes last weekend.
That 3-1 victory was remarkable because for the first time since joining his hometown club in the summer of 2017, the French striker was given the captain’s armband. Even though it only happened in the last 15 minutes after Marco Verratti be replaced, which means a lot to him and to his family; it is also a sign that he has increased his responsibility in the team.
Mbappe has consistently asked for a bigger role and there is a feeling within the club that he now has one. Despite the arrival of Messi and the new contract signed by NeymarMbappe has insisted that even if his contract expires at the end of June 2022, he will remain PSG’s main player this season. This is his team, and he has responded well to that brand. Yes, he wants to sign for Real Madrid in the summer. Yes, he is disappointed that he cannot leave, but he is also happy to stay at the Parc des Princes, play with Messi for a season and have the best campaign possible with his dream of winning the Champions League in May. . .
In interviews in October, he even hinted that he might stay. “We don’t know what could happen,” he told L’Equipe of his future, before his mother revealed the next day in her own interview that the family is still talking to PSG about the possibility of an extension. Now, can Mbappe’s happiness and recent performances help PSG convince him to stay? The club are hoping so, but the possibility remains that he will leave for free and head to LaLiga this summer.
“He has clearly taken his game to the next level,” noted France coach Didier Deschamps during the international break. He is more efficient and more clinical around the goal; His decision-making has also improved, and on Wednesday, with a very interesting (and important) Champions League clash with Man City, he returns to Manchester in a very different position than he did. with when PSG arrived at the Etihad a few months ago.
Last season, Mbappe suffered an injury and was unable to play in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final in Manchester, where City completely ended PSG’s hopes of reaching a second consecutive final and winning the title for the first time. Tournaments. This week, Pep Guardiola and his side will face a much more improved player whose confidence and pace could be the key. With Both teams fight for the top spot of Group A – Man City have nine points from four games, PSG eight – with two games remaining, Mbappe will have the perfect period to show his improvement.
