While Kylian Mbappé had complained about having to play in the axis, Kadidiatou Diani, his counterpart at the women’s PSG and at Les Bleues, perfectly understands his argument.
Kylian Mbappé is a striker, plays for PSG, in the France team, and must sometimes evolve in the axis while his natural preference positions him on one side? Kadidiatou Diani is exactly the same. With Marie-Antoinette Katoto’s injury, the French international has been “refocused” for a year, whether with her club or Les Bleues.
The one who describes herself as “a powerful attacker, who likes percussion” described in L’Equipe the difference between the two positions. “I like the work of overflowing, of bypassing. When I have to play on the side, everything is done by feeling, according to the actions. In axis, it’s a really different game. It’s support-recovery, and you’re waiting for the ball in the box to finish. »
90′ Oh Diani’s head which ends on the bar then the post!!! Come on, let’s not give up!!
🇫🇷-🇯🇲 | #FRAJAM | #ProudToBeBlues pic.twitter.com/LhzrMm9HLG
— French Women’s Team (@equipedefranceF) July 23, 2023
Diani says to herself “ready to play in both positions”. But she does not hide that she is less fulfilled when she has to play n°9. “Sometimes you go twenty minutes without touching a ball, she confides. It’s complicated for me, because I like to have it. You have to be ready when there is one, know where to stand. An opportunity, I must not miss it, at least frame it. »
This season, she has done pretty well. “The only advantage of the axis is that I score more, laughs the one who scored 26 goals in 30 matches. It’s the only time I enjoy it, because waiting for the ball isn’t always fun. »
It almost sounds like Kylian Mbappé, who had also mentioned this sometimes thankless role, at the forefront, which does not suit him. Remember, it was the “Pivot Gang” controversy. “But I understand it, says Diani. It changes a lot when you go from the side to the axis. You’re making calls for nothing, it’s hard. »
