It is probably with a smile that Kylian Mbappé will arrive at Clairefontaine. More scrutinized than ever since he signed for Real Madrid, the French striker has seen the Spanish press sound the alarm after three Liga matches without scoring. Last night, against Betis, Mbappé finally got his season off to a flying start by scoring twice (2-0). Enough to reassure Didier Deschamps? “I don’t have to be relieved. I’m happy for him, even if he scored in the European Super Cup match. He sets himself expectations. Kylian has always scored goals, he will score more. What happened last night is very good. The France team is better when Kylian is there.”he declared at a press conference, before recalling that his captain was still far from being in full form.
“I don’t think there are players who can be 100% today with what happened this summer. At best, they had three matches and short preparations, even very short. (…) I’m not going to interfere in the daily life of Real, even if I know its coach (Carlo Ancelotti) and its physical operator (Antonio Pintus) well. Ideally, all the players can have at least 15 days of preparation, but in these clubs, to compensate for that, it’s through the matches they play to put the physical aspects at the level with the playing time. We will be attentive with Kylian and the other players. The slots that were intended for these preparations are very reduced.”he said, before also recalling that the Bondy player had had to manage a more than complicated end to his adventure with PSG.
Mbappé still far from being 100%
“I spoke with him, he feels good. He is much better. Everything he had before the Euro… Kylian has the ability to be ready for everything around him. Kylian is not a robot, not a superman, you have to understand that humanly it is a fatigue that can also be significant.” DD was clear: we should not expect to see a fired-up Mbappé during these Nations League matches against Italy and Belgium. A logical observation. On the other hand, given the emergence of Bradley Barcola on the left side of the Parisian attack, another question arises: in which position will Deschamps play Mbappé? Will he find his preferred mowing side or will he be lined up as a number 9, like with Madrid?
“What I can add to you is that every attacking day has always had significant freedom. Kylian needs it. Obviously, there are compensations to be had, that the zones are well occupied. Some can do more than others. He does not have the register of a pivot attacker. Bradley has shown great things, he is having a very good start to the season. His positioning is also on the left. He is a young player, he still has levels to overcome. (…) He (Mbappé) was in this position at the Euro (center forward), I consider that in this axial position with these three players (Mbappé, Thuram, Kolo Muani), with different profiles, we have material.” The Bondynois has been warned!
