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We haven’t heard exactly how he felt on Saturday night because Kylian Mbappé didn’t speak after PSG’s 1-0 win in Angers on Saturday. He didn’t even post on social media, although he didn’t need to; PSG fans could tell that he was clearly unhappy on the bench.
Was it because he was replaced in the 79th minute by Jesús Pérez, Mauricio Pochettino’s assistant, who took over the team because the coach tested positive for COVID-19? Was it because 2021 has been a pretty bad year for him so far, even by his own high standards? Was it for these two reasons or for some other reason?
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Mbappé has not played like Mbappé for a while. In his last 13 matches in all competitions, he has scored five goals, including just two in his last eight appearances. Before this mini-crash, he was visibly frustrated with the focus on his “drought” of goals in the Champions League, sources told ESPN. Until the last group stage game at the Parc des Princes against Istanbul Basaksehir in December, where he scored a double in a 5-1 win, he had not found the back of the net in the competition in all of 2020.
The truth is that the French prodigy, who is still 22 years old, has been disappointing since soccer returned to France last year after the coronavirus caused the premature end of the 2019-20 Ligue 1 season. His statistics in the 2020-21 campaign are certainly lower than in previous seasons. although not in terms of goals or assists; With 12 (including 4 penalties) and 4 in 12 starts (16 total appearances), he’s doing pretty well. It is more in the content of his performances that there is a problem, as his contributions to PSG’s attacking game are significantly reduced for a player of his caliber and talent.
Mbappé looks tired and a bit frustrated in the last PSG games. Aurelien Meunier – PSG / PSG via Getty Images
Mbappé’s expected goals without penalty per game (excluding penalties) and expected assists per game are lower (1.45 last season, compared to 0.86 this season, in all competitions). He shoots less frequently (1.2 shots down per game in 2020-21) and less often on target (almost 1 complete shot), and misses the ball more than last year despite having the same successful dribble percentage (about 50%).
In recent matches against Saint-Etienne, Marseille and Angers, when Neymar was not in the starting eleven, Mbappé apparently struggled to be the main player. He tried too hard on his own to make things happen and repeatedly fumbled the ball. He was only successful in 25% of his dribbles against Angers, and not once did he load the ball into the opponent’s penalty area! It is so unusual to see a player in which we are used to seeing impact and productivity around goal.
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Despite having a lot of talent around him, Mbappé’s main flaw is that he tends to try to do everything on his own, often through individual runs in possession, which are not working at the moment. Not having Neymar by his side every week, due to the Brazilian’s countless absences and injuries, has also made things difficult, as Mbappé has a strong relationship with PSG’s number 10 and may be a bit lost when Ney doesn’t. it’s there.
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The fact that the Frenchman has struggled to be in top shape for most of the season has also been a problem. Despite being so young, the 2018 World Cup champion has played an enormous number of matches since he was 17 years old.
The numbers are staggering: 202 games (155 as a starter), 14,116 minutes played at club level, 37 internationals and 2,533 minutes for France. It’s an incredible 16,649 minutes of football at just 22 years old and with a style of play based on speed and energy. Mbappé is such an explosive player, both on and off the ball, that he needs to be 100% to develop his potential, and that momentum has been hard to find. There have been injuries, the rupture due to the pandemic, also tested positive for COVID-19.
Because PSG were still in the Champions League, Mbappé and his teammates never stopped properly. He always felt like he never stopped playing between last season and the current one, as he told the club’s website in September. “I don’t feel like we played our ninth game of the season, but 69! Usually after playing a Champions League final, you have adequate rest, you forget about football. We didn’t. We never stopped and en It’s hard to deal with it, mentally and physically, “he said.
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There are some off-field issues that affect your performance on the field, but arguably the biggest source of stress right now is your contractual situation.
On Tuesday, in an interview with France Football, Leonardo, PSG’s sports director, again mentioned negotiations with his No. 7, whose contract expires in June 2022, the same timeline as Neymar’s existing deal.
“I hope they are convinced that PSG is a good place to be right now for an ambitious player of a very high level,” Leonardo said. “We just have to come to terms with their wishes, their demands, our expectations and our possibilities. We are not begging you to ‘please stay’. It is more detailed than this. Those who really want to stay will stay. We trade regularly and I have good vibes about both of them. [players]. “
Sources have told ESPN that Mbappé is considering his future a lot, specifically whether he stays in or leaves Paris. His dream is, and always has been, to play for Real Madrid, but he knows that the Spanish champion, like all the great European clubs, has been greatly affected by the pandemic and that right now they cannot afford it. The financial pressure sounds even more real for Liverpool, where the Frenchman would also be eager to play. But Mbappé knows that extending his contract with PSG is probably the best option at the moment, although clearly the whole situation weighs heavily on his head. The longer it takes you to make a decision, and you might as well wait until summer to do so, the more it could bother you on the field.
When he arrived as PSG coach in early January, Mauricio Pochettino said he wanted to help the French striker express his full potential. You probably didn’t think at the time that the task would be that big. Pochettino knows that PSG can only perform at the best of their collective level if Mbappé is at his individual best, so he must bring him back sooner rather than later. Their first interactions between the pair have been great, sources told ESPN, and Mbappé was relaxed and happy in training this week, a welcome sign.
On Friday, of course, Mbappé will start against Montpellier at the Parc des Princes, and every little sign of progress or improvement will be analyzed.
Source: espn.co.uk
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