Suddenly, he plays.
Suddenly, he doesn't play.
And yet, every time he starts an important match, Kylian Mbappé does not disappoint.
If Luis Enrique's management of the star is widely debated, it is clear that this does not impact his team's results in decisive matches.
After having perfectly managed its round of 16 return of the Champions League last week, in San Sebastian, PSG canceled its ticket for the semi-finals of the Coupe de France, this Wednesday evening, by overcoming Nice (3 -1) at the Parc des Princes, after a match played from start to finish by the Parisian number 7... but also Dembélé who, like his comrade, only returned twenty minutes from time on Sunday against Reims .
There should be no sanction or warning, just a way of preparing for this crucial meeting for an entire club.
Always qualified in all the competitions he competes in, Luis Enrique knows the importance of this period for organizations.
He has therefore taken care in recent weeks to distribute playing time well by operating an incessant turnover.
“In truth, we study every detail for all players and all matches are important.
A match like Wednesday or the Champions League are very high-level matches which require us to present our best face,” warned the Spaniard.
No surprise, therefore, that he is lining up the elements in the best shape at the moment.
Even if it means making people disappointed.
“I don’t care about any of that!”
It's normal that players are not happy about not playing and that they are angry.
The objective is for the club to win.
If a player signs he must be 100% all the time.
I watch a lot of what happens during training.
PSG is not an NGO, but a football club!
If the coach has confidence in you, that's perfect.
If that’s not the case, train… whether it suits you or not, I don’t care,” said an incisive Enrique at a press conference.
A speech received calmly in the locker room
Losing momentum for several matches, Bradley Barcola and Achraf Hakimi did not start the match this Wednesday.
Choices which did not negatively impact the team which ultimately integrated this notion of rotation rather well over the months.
While in the locker room we do not make the Mbappé case the center of the world, nor a subject of excessive discussion, everyone gives body and soul to be able to play in this team.
And, above all, no one feels left out, as could have been the case in the past.
“All the players try to improve every day, to give the best of themselves to be able to play on the weekend and in every match,” Kang-in-Lee explained this weekend.
I think it's very important, there is a lot of competition in this team and I think all the players try to improve every day and give everything to be able to play.
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“The rotations were received calmly in the locker room”
Besides that, there is the crack, Kylian Mbappé, who even if he could sulk about his situation, continues to pile up the goals with the same ease.
Deported to the left before finishing in the axis against the Aiglons, the captain of the Blues showed the way to follow by opening the scoring on a service from Fabian Ruiz.
We saw him haranguing the public, asking for their support, and pushing on his legs with each acceleration to try to make a difference.
“Time has proven them right and today they are a very well-oiled team”
A positive attitude which supports the management of his coach a little more, who one might have thought would get himself into trouble by leaving him on the bench so often.
“The rotations were received calmly in the locker room, the coach gave a general message that everyone must be ready to play and everyone must be ready to rest,” slips a person close to the locker room.
And while Luis Enrique had announced the rise of his team for the spring, his opponents confess that he was right.
“We played them on September 15, there was a new coach, new players and a very criticized debut,” recalls Jean-Clair Todibo.
We always expect quick results but human beings are not very patient.
Time has proven them right and today they are a very well-oiled team.
And we not only saw it today but also in their performances in the Champions League, where they really offered very good things.
» The observation is there: in mid-March, PSG is still in the race on all counts and after its success against Nice, it is getting a little closer to a fifteenth Coupe de France.