A few days after the draw for the round of 16 of the Champions League and less than a week since the draw against LOSC in the North (1-1), Paris Saint-Germain hosted on its lawn at the Parc des Princes FC Metz, during the 17th day of Ligue 1. An important meeting for the two teams who hoped to conclude the year 2023 well before taking advantage of the Christmas break. For this meeting against the Garnets, the Spanish coach, Luis Enrique, decided to align a 3-4-2-1 with… Kylian Mbappé at the forefront of his attack. Despite the criticisms and questions from various observers on the positioning of the captain of the Blues, the tactician native of Gijon did not betray his convictions and returned Mbappé to number 9 with Randal Kolo Muani and Bradley Barcola in support. To the delight of the Parisian group, the former AS Monaco nugget produced a great performance to celebrate its 25th anniversary, particularly in the second half, with a victory at the end (3-1).
However, the last few days have been hectic, especially after the match against LOSC, where the Parisian striker had sulked during the match, even during his converted penalty to open the score. Whether it was his positioning or his attitude, Luis Enrique never stopped hitting the mark: “Kylian plays where he decides. He has complete freedom to play inside, more on the side. If he is further outside, it is up to us to balance our positions. The difference is who will follow Kylian, an outside or inside attacker? It depends on the match. You’ll have to ask him (why he didn’t celebrate, editor’s note). I celebrated the goal”, then tried to temper the coach, while Mbappé also sulked after the match against Dortmund because PSG locked the draw instead of attacking. But against FC Metz, this Tuesday evening, it was a completely different Kylian Mbappé who set foot on the pitch at the Parc des Princes – in both play and behavior.
A double with a smile!
In a number 9 role, which he is starting to get to know over the weeks, Kylian Mbappé was able to find the net. First by curling a formidable shot into the top corner on his team’s second goal, before scoring a double on an error from the Metz defense. An offensive copy that pleased his coach: “As always, I have a great relationship with all the players and with Kylian too. He’s a 25-year-old player, but he’s very mature, he’s always smiling. It’s football, we’re always talking about something, there’s always information. That’s what sells. But my relationship with Kylian and with the other players is very good. He would score 50 goals per season with all the coaches in the world. Between qualification for the LDC quarter-final or Kylian’s extension? I choose both”explained Luis Enrique, all smiles, at the microphone of Canal+ after the match won by his team. With 110 goals at the Parc des Princes, Mbappé has become the co-top scorer with Edinson Cavani in the Parisian den. A record that the 2018 world champion will quickly hold alone by the end of the season.
Beyond his goals and his obvious impact in the offensive collective of his team, Kylian Mbappé can also be praised, this Tuesday evening, for his almost impeccable attitude. Smiling, close to his teammates, he even celebrated his two achievements by asking the Parc des Princes to stand up and sing, which the Parisian supporters did not hesitate to do as the final whistle approached. As a way to offer a birthday present to Mbappé who was celebrating his 25th birthday. This beautiful meeting during this extraordinary evening is a great way to end an eventful calendar year for PSG and Kylian Mbappé, who will begin, on January 1, a decisive new year with the question of its future once again put on the table: “I don’t care what people say or what they criticize. What I’ve learned from coaching big clubs over the last few years, which Paris Saint-Germain is, is that anything can happen. People can come with new stories. It could last a month, two months. I’ve gotten used to living with it and I don’t let it affect me. It’s what’s best for my team. Rumors will always circulate, coaches will always be criticized for results. There will always be rumors”preferred to put Luis Enrique into perspective on the extension of Mbappé.
