A few weeks after the rout against AC Milan at San Siro (2-1), Paris Saint-Germain opened the doors of its Parc des Princes this Tuesday evening at the English club Newcastle, as part of the 5th day of the group Champions League F. A real poster that smelled of powder for several reasons: already because the Magpies had slapped the Parisians (4-1) last October on the pitch at St. James Park, but also because this meeting was decisive for the race for the qualifying places. In the cold of Ile-de-France, PSG almost collapsed against the very efficient Magpies (1-1) before securing the point of the draw at the last second. And behind this slump for the Parisians, one man was not up to the task despite the successful penalty at the end of the match (90th + 8): Kylian Mbappé, captain for one evening in the absence of Marquinhos.
“It’s frustrating because we dominate this team from start to finish. They have nothing. We knew it was their game to have nothing but we have to finish our actions better. We have too many chances for a Champions League match. And that’s not the structure or the organization, it’s us the players. We need to be much more diligent in front of goal. In tough matches, we have to kill, we had too many chances. Normally we should win the match by a wide margin”explained the Parisian striker after the meeting at the microphone of Canal+. Indeed, PSG shot 31 times on goal, with only 7 shots on target. According to Opta, Luis Enrique’s men only scored one goal despite 4.47 xG, a deficit of 3.47 goals. This is quite simply the highest score in a C1 match since UEFA introduced this data during the 2013/2014 season.
A campaign far from its standards!
A great leader is defined by his performance in matches. And if Kylian Mbappé has accustomed us to masterpieces with the Blues, but also with PSG, it is clear that his copies made in the group stages of the Champions League leave more than to be desired this season. After five matches played in Group F, the captain of the French team has only scored three goals, including two penalties against Borussia Dortmund on the first day and this evening against Newcastle, and has not delivered any assist in the Champions League this season. And again this evening, the Parisian number 7 showed a glaring lack of efficiency, missing a large number of opportunities. If he was not the only one at fault as evidenced by the misses of Barcola and Dembélé, his major responsibilities place him at the heart of the poor offensive production of his team today: “I am very happy with his behavior and the attitude of our players in general. When the ball doesn’t want to go in, it’s hard. We were led for a long time. I am very happy with the ability of my players to maintain the level and not get frustrated.nevertheless tempered Luis Enrique at a press conference.
To illustrate the point, two actions symbolize the performance: first in the first period where on a good cross from Achraf Hakimi, Kylian Mbappé, then well distinguished, complicated his life by attempting a very difficult madjer off balance instead with a flat foot safely (9th). Then in the second half, after a mix-up in the area, the ball returned to Mbappé who, instead of taking the time to control and ensure the finish, wanted to perform an acrobatic volley (56th). Yet he was news all alone without any Magpies defenders around him. Another failure at the end of the match with this off-center two-step shot off target (87th). His match was certainly saved by his penalty scored at the end of the match (90th + 8) but that is not enough to put on the golden costume of savior: “It’s football, not basketball. We are one of the teams that score the most in Europe but tonight (Tuesday) it didn’t want to happen. I want to highlight the match of my players and the supporters who never gave up on us. The goal is to qualify and finish first.”, concluded the Spanish coach at a press conference. No criticism from Luis Enrique towards Mbappé, but the French genius, as some call him, must do better and above all he can do better.
