When revealing the outlines of his list of 26 for the World Cup, Didier Deschamps confided that one of his objectives was to have three options at each position. To do this, it relies on the versatility of certain players, seen as an asset.
This does not mean that each player is likely to play in three different positions. We can thus think of Kylian Mbappé. It has been a long time since the Bondynois played on the left side. Even if he is far from being a pure No.9, the coach systematically aligns him at the forefront. On a wing, his lack of defensive work can endanger his team.
In the equation of the Blues attack, this Mbappé aspect weighs heavily. Because it impacts two players who, perhaps, are the fittest French attackers. We want to talk about Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise, two contenders for the Ballon d’Or. Two protagonists of this week’s fantastic PSG-Bayern (5-4).
Mbappé, a problem (also) for Olise and Dembélé
The Parisian reinvented himself to revolutionize the center-forward position, in a role of moving No. 9, his team’s first defender. The Bavarian is a formidable right winger, as strong at outflanking as he is at cutting back to the center on his left foot. The way he tormented Nuno Mendes says a lot about his level of play.
And yet, because it is difficult to imagine aligning Mbappé anywhere other than in the center, Dembélé and Olise will not play in the position where they excel at club. “Ous” will go into exile on the right wing, to find a positioning that has long been his in the past. As for Olise, he should start as No. 10, in a playmaker role left vacant by the international retirement of Antoine Griezmann.
As a result, this distribution of the Mbappé-Olise-Dembélé trio is likely to change the identity of the fourth man. If Mbappé moved to the left, to leave the point to Dembélé (and therefore the right wing to Olise), Rayan Cherki could recover the role of central midfielder. But in the current configuration, there is a free space on the left. And from what we see at PSG, Désiré Doué is gaining the upper hand over Bradley Barcola.
