So will the rest of Kylian Mbappé’s life look like this? These (failed) dribbling attempts in the middle of traffic, these phases where he finds himself completely static waiting for the ball at his feet, this diffuse impression of permanent underexploitation and disconnection with the rest of the team? We don’t know about you, but Kyk’s performance in Dortmund in number 9, in line with those against Barça (despite the two goals on the return leg, yes), made us a bit sad. The feeling of frustration which accompanied the Parisian performance in this semi-final first leg of the Champions League primarily concerns the one from whom the spark is supposed to come.
One thing everyone agrees on: Mbappé was not good in this first leg. There is certainly this shot on the post and this big opportunity created for Dembélé, but for a great player who only lives for these big matches, that is too little. Some stats to support the observation: three duels won out of 10, two successful dribbles out of eight and 16 lost balls. Is it his positioning, the coach’s instructions, his attitude? A bit of all three, no doubt.
Even if the Spanish coach will say that “Kylian does not play in 9 but with total freedom”, as when he installed him in the role for the first time at the end of 2023, we have eyes to see, and it turns out that he spends most of his time stuck in the middle of centrals very happy to be able to stop when stopped. Where are they, the big rides, the percussion arriving at 300 km/h facing his direct opponent, in short, what makes him one of the best players in the world? And beyond this return match and the end of the season, we are a little worried about the future. With Vinicius around, we cannot rule out seeing him in this position at Real Madrid. We warn you right away, we are not ready to see him abandon the dragster for the deck chair. Not yet.
“Counterproductive for his team”
Don’t be dramatic either. According to Marca, Real is already preparing its tactical incorporation into the team. And then Ancelotti’s style of play will undoubtedly offer him more spaces. Accepting to endure, evolving low to better throw arrows when the opposing defense is asleep, the Madrilenians know how to do it, thank you. The captain of the French team still needs to accept what a number 9 role entails. From this point of view, the report card drawn up on the first leg by Florent Toniutti, tactical analyst and director of the Digital Arena agencyis not famous:
“He misses several aspects, notably the fact that a 9 must create spaces for others. Mbappé doesn’t do that. He is an individual player, who wants to make a difference once he has the ball at his feet. In this match, and this is not the first time this season, he is not of much use in this role, or even becomes a little counterproductive for his team. »
Two examples to illustrate the point, with the explanation of our expert:
In the first period, Ousmane Dembélé overflows on the right and crosses hard in front of the goal. Kobel is too short but no Parisian is there to cut at the near post.
“There is this adage, “first post first served”, that we teach to the 9s in training. He doesn’t have this reflex, we saw it against Barça too. Generally speaking, he is a fairly passive player in the area, not comfortable in positional play, going to the coals, passing his shoulder in front of the defender or staying in the blind spot and spring out at the right time. We have the impression that it is not part of his range. When you are 9, you are expected to occupy the surface and weigh in. »
In the second half, following a counterattack, Warren Zaire-Emery found himself with space at 30 meters to attack the German defensive line.
“There, Mbappé has to make a call behind the defense, but he steps back and waits for the ball at the feet of Zaire-Emery, who suddenly has no more space in front of him and can no longer advance. For a true 9, this is a basic call to make. It could have given him an opportunity against the goalkeeper, or put his teammate in a good position. So either he doesn’t have the basics, or he doesn’t want to. On this, it is complicated to pin down. In any case, this move is not that of someone who has a good feel for the game, who has the automatisms for the position. »
The opportunity for clarification: we are not talking about the man’s statistics here. A player of his talent will always find a way to score his 40 goals per season, and perhaps he will score the double which will qualify PSG on Tuesday evening. It is a question here of exploiting his qualities and his ability to be useful for his team if he continues in this role of number 9. And incidentally our pleasure in seeing an attacker of his class play.
Speaking of his involvement for the collective, we could also have added the action of the Dortmund goal, where his half-pressing (from the wrong side) does not prevent the left-handed Schlotterbeck from extending to get Füllkrug. That too is part of the job. Luis Enrique’s choice to bring in Randal Kolo Muani rather than Gonçalo Ramos can hardly be explained other than by the fear of taking on even more water than was already the case on the left side of Nuno Mendes if Mbappé had finished the match in this area.
Power struggle with Vinicius, comparison with Ronaldo
“It’s an additional lesson in the fact that what Mbappé is proposing today for PSG is insufficient,” believes Florent Toniutti. Vinicius, in comparison, is decisive, moves for others, makes differences, and what’s more he defends. At the moment, it’s more of a headache to come across him rather than Mbappé. But starting from scratch at Real will surely boost him. »
He won’t have a choice anyway. The Brazilian, through his actions, his riot of energy and his ability to assume leadership during big matches, has acquired real status over the last two seasons. Since Benzema’s departure, he has been the offensive beacon of his team, and has never gone out when it counted. Mbappé will have to seek this same credit from the locker room and Madrid supporters. How will it evolve in the years to come? An intriguing and exciting question.
When we talk about his repositioning in the axis, the analogy with Cristiano Ronaldo immediately comes to mind. The Portuguese roamed the left lane in his younger years, before becoming a war machine in 9 at Real. As it stands, “the comparison does not hold,” judges Toniutti. Several notable differences still separate Mbappé from his youth idol: CR7 had worked like crazy to create a physique that would allow him to reign in the surface and in the air, and in addition to his extraordinary physical qualities, he had cultivated his obsession with the goal, to appropriate each ball that could even remotely resemble an opportunity, like pure finishers like Trezeguet or Inzaghi. An alloy which made him a dominant attacker in all circumstances.
At this stage of his career and his development, the Frenchman is not (yet?) there. But the good thing about these players is that nothing is ever irremediable. And above all not boredom. In the meantime, Luis Enrique would consider putting Mbappé back on his left side this Tuesday evening and installing Gonçalo Ramos in the axis. An option that is available, if we are ever asked for our opinion.