Preparation for PSG’s Champions League match against Real Sociedad has been overshadowed by Mbappe’s latest drama.
By Luke Entwistle for French football news
Luis Enrique knocked Kylian Mbappé off the pedestal that Paris Saint-Germain had put on him and the reaction summed up the French captain’s problematic deification.
Mbappe’s farewell excursion was a familiar hurdle on Friday night. The Frenchman has returned to his homegrown club Monaco perhaps for the last time, with an imminent departure from PSG and Ligue 1. Despite his contribution to French football and his importance in the recent history of the Principality club, Mbappe was not well received at the Stade Louis II, and his call was booed before kick-off. His relations with the Monegasques deteriorated somewhat; His relationship with PSG has not yet come to an end, but he is following the same path, as evidenced by a banner unfurled by the prominent supporters’ association Block Parisii, which read “KM: Bring 30/06”, in reference to the expiration. Date of contract. Contract as captain of the French national team.
Mbappé, who captained the team that night, was useless against the impressive Wilfried Singo, wasting the ball 10 times and winning only a third of his duels. His substitution at half-time was therefore perfectly logical; For the first time, Mbappé is treated like a footballer. The truth is that it is not at all, and Luis Enrique’s resolution has provoked something akin to a national scandal.
Repositioned by Randal Kolo Muani, Mbappe came out of the tunnel in the 48th minute. Now out of uniform, he received applause from PSG fans as he walked down the court at the Stade Louis II, took a selfie with a fan and then, instead of sitting on the bench, headed to the VIP boxes to sit next to his mother and agent Fayza Lamari. Sitting three rows above PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi and sporting representative Luís Campos, he is a visual metaphor for the position he occupied. I came to inherit the club.
As the match ended in a goalless draw, the result itself will never be on the report’s schedule. “It’s a sauna [here],” Luís Enrique began as he entered the post-match press conference. Things would be fixed warmer as the Spaniard had to deal with a series of lingering questions about his resolve to upgrade Mbappe.
“It’s the coach’s 100 percent resolve. Sooner or later we will have to get used to betting without Kylian Mbappé. It’s my resolution and I’m making it to do what’s most productive for the team. . . “I don’t have any challenges [with him]. It’s just a matter of control and the most productive way to manage the team,” began Luís Enrique, who, at the third consecutive consultation on the subject, became exasconsistent.
“Three out of three! A hat-trick. Three questions on the same topic. Shall we stop by to spend with the four of us? Reluctantly, the subject changed, but the investigation had barely begun. Mbappe and Luis Enrique have been criticised for their handling of the situation. The latter, who has not been endeared to the French press since his arrival in the summer, now has a target on his back and a baton in the shape of Mbappé to fight in case of failure. , but above all it is a criticism of PSG itself.
Khelaifi has continually stated that no player is bigger than the club, something that Luis Enrique has begun to echo in recent weeks. It’s a concept Mbappe has tried, but hasn’t been able to dispel either. “It’s not Kylian Saint-Germain,” the Frenchman said after the club released a video in which he featured prominently in a season ticket renewal campaign introduced in April 2023.
“At no time did I inform of the intent of the content of the interview. It seemed like an undeniable interview on a club marketing day. I don’t agree with this video I posted. That’s why I’m fighting for people’s symbolic rights. “PSG is a big club and a big family, but it’s not Kylian Saint-Germain.
However, the latest installment of a damning allegory of players’ limitless strength proves otherwise. When a resolution as logical as the replacement of an underperforming player triggers such vitriol, it undermines only the coach, but also the entire sporting project.
Luis Enrique does not follow the trail of the slightest resistance and remains faithful to his principles. Mbappe has not played the full 90 minutes in PSG’s last 3 Ligue 1 matches. It’s a trend that will continue as the coach waits for a long run without Mbappe and builds the foundations that were never fully laid. Mbappe’s farewell tour might cancel some of his stops, but Mbappe was expected to remain untouchable in the Champions League. Luis Enrique dismissed those ideas ahead of Tuesday’s moment Leg opposite Real Sociedad.
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Mbappe’s scenario is more than just a pre-event subtext, it absolutely overshadows him. The Champions League has been the holy grail in the eyes of QSI’s owners since they took the reins of PSG in 2011, but in the current context, it becomes almost an afterthought. The club’s sporting goals are lost between the socio-political manoeuvres in which Mbappe has invariably found himself involved and the existential crises that have evoked questions about his long-term.
Whatever gap widens at PSG, the Parisians will be heavy favourites to advance against Real Sociedad. However, their form this season suggests that they will not be one of the top contenders to win the Champions League. Ligue 1 shows a shift in focus towards European competition, but also recommends a drop in form, and at a given time; Mbappé’s individual decline in recent weeks is not insignificant in this decline.
PSG snatched the courage from the eyes; Mbappé is a trophy, even if he has been treated as such. The club is still close to winning the Champions League. The Galactic era, of which Mbappé is the last survivor, brings with it an era of domination. Luis Enrique cutting Mbappé, to the point of being a “normal” but incredibly talented footballer, lays the foundations for a more functional club in the future. A precedent is being set as the era of complacency comes to an end, but the existing scenario proves that the establishment that PSG will be no bigger than an individual player when Mbappe leaves.