A perfect evening for the Blues. A little less for the duo Kylian Mbappé – Ousmane Dembélé. If the France team took another big step towards Germany, the host country of Euro 2024, thanks to its convincing success (2-0) against Ireland, the two Parisian stars shone with their imprecision . Aligned in Didier Deschamps’ 4-2-3-1, the two men indeed had a delicate evening in their Parc des Princes. If the first multiplied the bad choices and showed an unusual technical waste, the second broke his teeth in the last Irish meters. So yes, flashes do exist. They are known and were still seen Thursday evening but these flashes remained in vain.
Brilliant since his return to the Parisian eleven, Kyllian Mbappé, for his part, had much less success during this 5th day of the qualifying phases for Euro 2024. Author of numerous ball losses from the first moments of this meeting, the Bondynois, credited 4 by the FM editorial staff, never set the sights (18 balloons lost in total). Little successful in his attempts, imprecise in front of goal and guilty of a huge miss – despite an offside position reported at the end of the action – the number 7 of PSG showed a generally disappointing face. A rare performance to be highlighted. Often sought out by his partners, the former Monegasque certainly wanted to take the game on his own. A bit too much. His innumerable stalls did not, in fact, necessarily serve the tricolor offensive animation and even sometimes slowed down certain movements, however well initiated.
Kylian Mbappé less impactful, Ousmane Dembele clumsy!
Mute against the Irish, the French international (71 caps, 40 goals) thus lived a frustrating evening. Sometimes favoring the individual solution to the detriment of the collective, the captain of the Blues was generally not inspired. “It’s not easy for Kylian. We watch him a lot. He did some very good things. It also shoots for him”, noted, with this in mind, Didier Deschamps at a press conference. A statement also applicable to his new Parisian teammate: Ousmane Dembélé, credited with a 5. Established on the right side of the French attack, the former star of FC Barcelona also fished in the finish. If his ball catches and his few flashes of genius have often destabilized the Irish rear guard, his last gesture has often been below, like this post hit at the start of the last quarter of an hour (71st) . A lack of offensive realism which had also been pointed out by his coach on the sidelines of this meeting.
“Is it problematic? He does indeed have this ability to make a difference. The finish is not a question of age, it would be a plus. Being able to combine better efficiency would highlight what it does well even more”. Once again revived on the performance of his winger, Didier Deschamps could only reiterate his speech, nevertheless tempering on the extraordinary capacities of his protege to create differences. “Ousmane keeps this ability to eliminate in his percussion. It didn’t end well but it had less waste than at times. He could have been better rewarded. He had the opportunity to make shifts., assured the coach of the Blues. Not very successful against the Irish, Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé can, despite everything, count on time. A time that will allow the two men to refine their connection. A time that will then benefit the Blues but also PSG, impatient to see his two protégés at the highest level over time. Next opportunity, this Tuesday, at Signal Iduna Park, where the France team will challenge Germany in a prestigious friendly match.
