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PSG’s Mbappe circus is back & open for business!

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10 months ago

November 16, 2023

The Kylian Mbappe circus is back! Luis Enrique criticism only adds to transfer chaos as PSG superstar’s future remains a mystery

With reports regarding the forward’s next move intensifying, his manager’s recent comments have only stoked the fire leading into 2024

Luis Enrique just couldn’t resist. He had been handed, in journalistic terms, the easiest question possible: Is Kylian Mbappe the best player in the world? A simple ‘yes’, or perhaps more controversial ‘not quite’ would have sufficed. It was, effectively, an opportunity to heap praise on his star man.

And how could he not? Mbappe had just bagged a hat-trick against Reims, leading the Parisians through what should have been a tricky contest with relative ease to ensure they went into the international break sat top of Ligue 1.

His manager, though, had a different view: “I am not very happy with Kylian today. Why? Because managers are so strange. About goals, I don’t have to say anything, but I think he can help the team more in a different way. I told that to him first (before you) because it’s not a private conversation. We think Kylian is one of the best players in the world. No doubt. But we need more and we want him doing more things.”

In isolation, with any other club, and perhaps even any other player in Paris, Luis Enrique’s comments would be reasonable. Although football, in recent months, has had a difficult relationship with managers airing their grievances with players in public — just ask Jadon Sancho — honesty is, objectively a good thing.

But this is no normal club, and no normal player. Mbappe, regarded as a multiple-Ballon d’Or winner in the making, has spent most of the last three seasons going to war with PSG off the field, while doing enough on it to make himself indispensable. He has forced at least one manager out of a job, impacted recruitment policy, and manipulated the Parisians so efficiently in contract negotiations that the club was forced into widespread celebration after agreeing on a deal that saw them pay Mbappe the transfer budget of most teams just to stay for a couple more years.

In short, Luis Enrique has picked a fight with the wrong guy. Mbappe could, at any minute, decide to leave. Saturday’s comments have already intensified reports regarding Mbappe’s future, whipping up talk of a potential transfer elsewhere this summer, and though this circus was always going to reopen, the PSG coach might have started selling tickets before anyone was quite ready.

Right to criticise?

When it comes to what he was specifically pointing out after the Reims win, Luis Enrique has a point. Mbappe is one of the best in the world when he, or his team, has the ball. Off it, though, he is effectively a liability.

The image of the disgruntled superstar striker who doesn’t run is perhaps slightly overblown. Passengers don’t really exist in football these days — mostly because they can’t. Even Erling Haaland, Mbappe’s most apparent rival for the arbitrary title of ‘striker most likely to put the ball in the net at any given situation’, is willing to run for his team (he led the Premier League in final-third pressures for a good chunk of the 2022-23 season.)

Still, Mbappe is the closest thing outside of Cristiano Ronaldo to the stereotypical disinterested megastar. It was clear for France at the World Cup in 2022, when Didier Deschamps was forced to move Mbappe from the left wing into a central position, mostly because he wouldn’t track the opposition’s full-back — a weakness exploited by first England in the last eight, and then Argentina in the final.

For PSG, it’s even more problematic. There are the out-of-context screenshots on social media that show Mbappe looking the other way as a defender runs past him with the ball at his feet. There are the short clips that show Mbappe gesticulating to a team-mate, a plea to put in the legwork that he refuses to undergo.

And then, there are the numbers. Mbappe is among the worst pressing forwards in Europe. Against Reims, he made no tackles, and didn’t register any ‘defensive actions’ (a stat that includes tackles, interceptions and clearances.) Goncalo Ramos, playing through the middle, made five. Ousmane Dembele, on the other wing, made four. Over the last 365 days, Mbappe ranks in the 10th percentile or lower in tackles, blocks and clearances, according to FBRef.

Mbappe does indeed run, at times. He will pressure a defender — assuming that he is close enough. And he’s not entirely immune to tracking back, either. Add in the fact that he is generally asked to stay high and wide in order to spring counter-attacks, and his numbers are bound to be skewed.

Still, there is a middle ground to be found between his specific instructions and the general demands of a modern forward. Mbappe tends to stays away from it.

Complex demands

Luis Enrique, historically, has shown little hesitation in asserting his ideas. This is a coach who had no problem taking issue with an aging Francesco Totti’s declining play for Roma in 2011, while he publicly feuded with fan favourite Borja Oubina at Celta Vigo the following year.

At Barcelona, he was even more flagrant, taking issue with, in date order: Xavi, Gerard Pique, Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba and Neymar. As Spain manager, he dropped Iago Aspas, Koke and Alba from his inaugural squad. Famously, his first actions as head coach of La Roja was to take his side to an escape room, and ban phones in the hotel and training ground.

At PSG, he has been no different. He made no apparent effort to keep the disgruntled Neymar, who was promptly shipped off to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal. Club veteran Marco Verratti was also let go, while potential distractions Sergio Ramos and Mauro Icardi were shown the door, too.

The Parisians’ play style has, accordingly, changed. Luis Enrique earned the admiration of pundits and coaches alike during his tenure at Barca for encouraging the Blaugrana to be dynamic off the ball. Although his side is largely remembered for the ‘MSN’ trio that ran riot in the Champions League, they did plenty of work out of possession. Enlisting statisticians with academic degrees — rather than the usual Barca model of club veterans — as assistants, he moulded a side that would cover ground more efficiently than any previous incarnation.

The result in Paris has been a hard-running team that, at times, has preferred industry to quality. Hard-tackling Manuel Ugarte has been in the line-up ahead of the less-mobile Danilo Pereira. Fabian Ruiz, a more-willing runner than the technically gifted Vitinha, has enjoyed a spell in the XI in recent weeks, too. Luis Enrique’s experimentation with a 4-2-4 formation — although puzzling in terms of link-up play and attacking fluidity — has been brought about for its ability to get attacking players high up the pitch to win the ball back.

This is not a team, or system, built for Mbappe; and, more broadly, not the manager brought in to suit his interests.

Mbappe’s response

Mbappe, it must be said, does appear to understand what his manager desires. When quizzed about the calibre of his performance at the weekend — before even hearing Luis Enrique’s comments — he offered a surprisingly measured judgment: “The most important thing is to have a good feeling in the game. In all humility, I don’t need to play well to score. What I want is to play well and score. It’s my goal to try to help my team as much as possible.”

His words marked a radical difference from the same player who took to Instagram to criticise former manager Christophe Galtier’s tactics against the same opponents early last season, and admitted to the media that his team wasn’t built to win the Champions League. It is almost impossible to believe, in fact, that this is the disgruntled forward who publicly feuded with his club, demanded to leave, then swore his loyalty.

Mbappe, admittedly, has little room for complaint. PSG are top of Ligue 1, while he is scoring at a rate of more than a goal per game. He cannot moan about a lack of service, or a system that starves him of chances. Nor can he whine about recruitment. PSG have signed a number of French players, including his striker-turned-best-mate Randal Kolo Muani — one of Mbappe’s not-so-private demands when he agreed to stay in Paris two years ago.

That PSG have struggled in the Champions League — and could conceivably drop into the Europa League if they fail to win both of their final two group games — is of little concern. Mbappe’s demands have been met; PSG know that a happy Mbappe will do enough to get them through to the knockout stages.

A war brewing?

Still, for all of the good vibes over the last few days — or, at least, lack of public dissent — these comments are where things start to go awry. Galtier made the mistake of weighing in on an Mbappe rumour around this time last year, kicking up a media firestorm that never truly calmed. Everything sort of disintegrated from that moment, with Galtier ending up as the casualty.

There remains a traceable line from ‘Kylian probably should have run a bit more’ to ‘I want to go to Real Madrid, immediately’, and perhaps that is where it all ends up. Mbappe effectively agreed to stay this year on the promise that when he leaves in 2024, PSG will be able to collect a handsome fee for his Spanish adventure – presuming he signs a fresh contract that still hasn’t been agreed.

Until then, it’s a question of holding things together. Luis Enrique will do his part, institute his style, and try not to irritate Mbappe too much in the process. Meanwhile, Mbappe will play football, deal with as much of his manager’s demands as he chooses, and take the credit when PSG eventually run away with Ligue 1.

Once again, the challenge will be Europe, where the wider world will be able to judge the Parisian project in small glimpses, make blanket statements about Mbappe’s body language, and meticulously judge the vigour with which his manager high-fives him after a disappointing result.

The whole saga will perhaps be best measured by some sort of quantification of how little controversy Mbappe generates. Sulks per match, snarky comments per press conference or even cryptic posts per month could all be effective units.

If all goes well, and Luis Enrique can reign in his superstar enough to piece together a decent season, then PSG will have succeeded. But as many managers have proved, doing so is not an easy task.

Rumour mill restarting

The next six months of Mbappes PSG tenure will undoubtedly be clouded by rumours and hearsay. Once dormant, transfer talk has kicked back up over the past fortnight.

Last week, Madrid felt forced to release a statement denying that they have been negotiating with Mbappe behind the scenes. A few days later, French press reported that Los Blancos had shut the door on any transfer move for him this summer. Then, less than 48 hours after Luis Enrique critiqued his star man’s performance, a story emerged revealing that Madrid would be willing to sign the player — as long as he makes the first move. A reminder, it’s only mid-November…

Madrid aren’t the only club involved here, though. Thomas Tuchel, now Bayern Munich boss and former object of Mbappe’s ire during his time at PSG, has been quizzed about the Bavarians potentially making a move. On Monday, the Bayern manager sarcastically quipped that “Mbappe will play for us”, before outlining, in relative sincerity, how it might actually happen. German tabloids have been speculating on the possibility ever since.

Saudi Pro League interest also can’t be ruled out, especially with the 2034 World Cup to gear up for over the next decade. PSG accepted a massive bid of €300 million (£259m/$332m) for Mbappe from Al-Hilal during the summer window, which would have made him the highest-paid athlete of all time — and by some distance. That it was rejected by the player himself is ultimately of little surprise, but that interest is unlikely to have cooled.

Throw in the ever-present talk of a Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool or even Newcastle deal from the Premier League, and there will be reports proliferating from around the footballing world on an almost weekly basis from now on. At least we enjoyed three quiet months, eh?

But is Madrid inevitable?

So how does this inevitable content whirlwind end? Well, it is football’s worst-kept secret that Mbappe wants to play for Real Madrid. From the pictures that emerged of a childhood Mbappe with Cristiano Ronaldo posters on his wall, to a self-authored graphic novel that tells the tale of a boy named Kylian who eventually stars for Madrid, Mbappe has constructed a narrative that will someday lead to a glorious career at Santiago Bernabeu.

As such, Mbappe’s decision to stay at PSG last summer always felt like a temporary fix. Their continuing bid to have him sign a new contract is more to ensure they receive a transfer fee for him, rather than him leave for nothing. Everything about Luis Campos’ transfer policy — young players brought in to operate in forward positions — suggests that he is preparing for a post-Mbappe world at Parc des Princes.

Mbappe is an intelligent footballer and, at this point, businessman; a player aware that he still has a long time to go at the top of the game, and can afford to stick around in his hometown, collect a handsome paycheque, and then go to Madrid, where the winning will really start.

There are no intermediaries or agents at play here. Mbappe represents himself, with his mother serving as an advisor. Typically, Mbappe gets what Mbappe wants. PSG do stand to benefit, too, with the shirt sales, sponsorship deals and matchday revenues brought in by their star are undoubtedly a good thing, even if they do need him to sign that contract to really make his extra year worthwhile. That he gives them an outside chance of winning the Champions League helps, too.

In the end, though, they can do little to fight the inevitable. The circus has begun, and Luis Enrique’s critisicms are unlikely to stop the music.