“Sooner or later, at some point, we will have to learn to play without Kylian. When I consider it appropriate, he will play or not play, like all coaches do with their players. I want maximum competitiveness for next season”. With these words, at a press conference, Luis Enrique justified his choice to replace Kylian Mbappé in the 64th minute. A decision which did not please the main person concerned, who we felt very annoyed when leaving the lawn of the Parc des Princes.
Water in the gas between the Spanish coach and the future Real Madrid striker? It seems so, especially if we rely on what is reported by the daily newspaper The Team this Monday. The media actually indicates that the two men spoke during the last week, after the Bondynois communicated his desire to leave to the rest of the locker room.
Luis Enrique didn’t like it
And obviously, Luis Enrique clearly did not appreciate the timing of this announcement made internally, while Paris Saint-Germain still has a lot to play for this season, in the Champions League in particular. So this choice to replace Mbappé was a sort of sanction, or human management in order to give his star player a little rest? Only Luis Enrique knows, but clearly the Spanish tactician has it wrong.
Above all, as the media indicates, the player has lost his untouchable status. He will now be treated like any other player in the squad, and will therefore be replaced or benched when the coach deems it necessary. The management of PSG has not sent any instructions to the Iberian coach regarding the management of the Mbappé case. We will therefore have to follow very closely how the former Barça man will manage the Bondynois’ playing time in the weeks to come…
