If Paris St. Germain wants to turn things around in the semi-finals of the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund, they need Kylian Mbappé in top form. He failed in the first leg because of his position.
Kylian Mbappé wrote French football history as a winger. As a right winger, he led his home country to the World Cup title in 2018 with four goals and one assist. Four years later, despite eight goals and two assists, it was just not enough to defend their title because Argentina had a little better luck in the penalty shootout in the final. At just 25 years old, he is already the sixth best scorer at world championships with 12 goals.
Live ticker, Tuesday 9 p.m.: PSG – BVB arrow right semi-final arrow right
On the outside and in the center with an exceptional hit rate
He has proven several times that Mbappé works on the big stage, especially when he comes from the outside. But at Paris St. Germain he has repeatedly taken on the role of central attacker in recent years, and his current coach Luis Enrique is even using him primarily as a center forward this season. And the odds speak for themselves: in 25 games in the center he scored 26 times, as a left winger he scored 17 goals in 17 games.
Mbappé is world-class in both positions, that is undisputed. He also proved that in the knockout round of the Champions League. In the round of 16 against Real Sociedad he scored a total of three goals as a center forward, and in the quarter-finals he decided the second leg against FC Barcelona (4-1) with two goals in this position. But in the first leg against Borussia Dortmund (0-1) it became clear that the storm center can also become a performance trap for Mbappé, as he is more easily controlled there.
Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Can, Sabitzer – too much for Mbappé
BVB had apparently decided to condense the middle and not offer Mbappé any space to exploit his unassailable speed. Mats Hummels and Nico Schlotterbeck defended strongly, and Hummels in particular was always there immediately when the ball came to the French megastar. Emre Can and Marcel Sabitzer also repeatedly dropped into the defensive line, so there was no space at all.
Mbappé lost 70 percent of his duels and only 29 percent of his dribbles were successful – numbers that are otherwise never seen from him. But they would have been even worse if Mbappé hadn’t tried to escape from the center.
The striker managed to create dangerous moves a few times (three shots on goal and three assists on goal) – each time he had previously moved to the outside. Like his shot against the post in the 51st minute.
Mbappé: “I’m sure we’ll qualify for the final”
In the first leg, Mbappé was lost in the BVB center, which is one of the reasons why PSG lost the game. The question is whether Luis Enrique will react to this or whether his top player will have to find ways himself. “Every game is completely different. It depends on where the spaces are – and that depends on the opposing defense. Then we see if there are spaces between the lines. If there aren’t, my players have to move to the outside go,” was all the Parisian coach said.
Kylian Mbappé and PSG coach Luis Enrique high-five each other after a game.
Either way, Mbappé remains confident before the second leg on Tuesday (May 7th, 2024). “We are sure we will turn the game around and qualify for the final,” he said. It would be the second time after 2020 (0-1 final defeat against FC Bayern Munich) that he has managed to take this step with PSG, and it is also the last chance for him to finally win the Champions League title with Paris . Some time ago, Mbappé announced that he would not be extending his contract, which expired in the summer.
Hummels sees Mbappé as his “main task”
Hummels and Co. want to ensure that this dream is denied him in the second leg at the Prinzenparkstadion. It was “the main task again” to stop Mbappé, said the Dortmund veteran. “This is something that can only be done together, only as a team.” Because of his “inimitable pace,” the player is “very, very difficult to defend,” said Hummels. “The best thing we can do is prevent the ball from getting to him.”
The BVB defender demanded that his team be “wide awake for 90 minutes” especially because of Mbappé: “Because once he’s gone, he’s gone.” But the Dortmund center will again try not to give him any opportunity to do so.
Daniela Müllenborn, Sportschau, May 6th, 2024 9:47 p.m