The Ballon d'Or candidate is going through a rare dry spell, but his club have options to help him find his groove
Kylian Mbappe's showing against Rennes was one one his best of the season. Mbappe pulled the defence this way and that at his will throughout, darting swiftly between defenders and scampering into the channels that he thrives in. It was almost perfect, that is, until he got in front of goal.
Mbappe took eight shots that night. Two went narrowly wide. Three stung the palms of Steven Mandanda. Another was blasted over from close range. The others came nowhere near. And for the fourth-straight game for Paris Saint-Germain, Mbappe was left scoreless.
It is worth noting that we are not in crisis territory. The fact that such a drought — if it can be called that — has caused some alarm, is more indicative of Mbappe's relentless consistency than a serious problem. This is the longest he's gone without a goal for PSG in fiveyears. For pretty much anyone else, going four games without scoring goes unnoticed.
Instead, the issue is more minute. Indeed, this is a player slightly off-kilter for his club, lacking the signature cutting edge that has seen him win five straight Ligue 1 Golden Boots, and made him PSG's All-Time top goalscorer at just 24.
But that doesn't mean Luis Enrique doesn't have a problem, either. As an Mbappe-less PSG showed in their first two fixtures of the season — both draws — they are not the same side when the forward isn't involved. So, the challenge becomes an exercise in tactical adjustment. How do PSG get the best out of Mbappe? Who needs to play around him — and in what system — to make this all work again? GOAL takes a look at the Parisians' best options.
GettyThe formation that isn't working
Mbappe's slight slump could just be the side effect of an oddly assembled squad. Last summer, the Parisians signed four starting-calibre attacking players — after letting just two leave. It made little sense, especially given their manager is a staunch front-three loyalist.
Still, there was reason to believe that a four-forward system could work out. Luis Enrique deployed such a shape in a 4-0 win over Marseille, with Bradley Barcola operating on the left, Mbappe and Randal Kolo Muani in central roles, and Ousmane Dembele on the right. The result was an emphatic win, albeit one in which Mbappe hobbled off with an ankle injury.
The manager stuck with the system after that — without much success. PSG settled for a frustrating 0-0 draw with Clermont Foot, tallying 21 shots but creating very few clear chances.
And then came Newcastle. In what can only be described as an immense tactical blunder, Luis Enrique went to St. James' Park, and decided to enter a cauldron of riled-up Geordies with four strikers and two slight midfielders who had a combined 10 Champions League starts between them. PSG, perhaps predictably, were battered 4-1 – their knockout stage qualification becoming slightly trickier as a result.
Notably, Mbappe didn't score in any of the three fixtures. And although PSG switched back to a 4-3-3 — comfortably beating Rennes in the process — Mbappe failed to score once more.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesLuis Enrique finds a solution
So, how does this all get worked out? Even though Mbappe didn't find the net against Rennes, he did everything else well. And surely it's that sort of setup that seems to suit the rest of the Parisians' squad.
Mbappe has always functioned effectively in a front three for PSG. Although there have been some modifications — Christophe Galtier, for example, preferred to play with three defenders — this is a footballer who thrives when asked to come off the left and function as an inside forward. Give him a central presence and another winger, and Mbappe can be one of the best in the world.
The good news for the Parisians is that they have the kind of attacking quality and depth to make such a thing happen. For the first few games of the season, it was all going swimmingly. New signing Marco Asensio, unexpectedly, functioned as a No.9, with Dembele and Mbappe on either wing. The result was a return to the kind of form that has Mbappe in Ballon d'Or conversations. He scored five in his first three games, and three in two after that. Asensio, a notoriously inconsistent goal-scorer, was finding form. And even though Dembele continued his errant ways in front of goal, the winger showed promise.
This appears to be the default system for the manager. After all, it had Mbappe scoring and the Parisians picking up points. However, a foot injury Asensio sustained on Spain duty forced the manager to contemplate other options.
GettyA developing connection
So, how else to piece together a 4-3-3 with Asensio out? The one that might make the most sense for their star is a front three with Mbappe on the left, Kolo Muani through the middle, and Dembele on the right.
This system might just be one of appeasement. Mbappe has been vocal about his desire to play with Kolo Muani for some time now, having developed a solid partnership with the former Frankfurt man for France.
The two seem to complement each other well. Kolo Muani can hold down a central role, but is smart enough to make runs and open spaces for Mbappe to operate. And it might just help the struggling Dembele, too — who could thrive with a mobile centre-forward to feed him.
It is a connection that hasn't quite come off yet at club level. Mbappe and Kolo Muani haven't combined for a goal at the time of writing. But the familiarity is certainly there.
Time to give Ramos a chance?
And then, there's the choice that is less likely to keep Mbappe happy. Goncalo Ramos was a confusing signing this summer. If the plan was always to bring in Kolo Muani, a versatile attacking player who figured to be the regular No.9, why would the Parisians spend big on a more traditional centre-forward?
Ramos has failed to get going, with just two goals in seven appearances for the Parisians. But he could still be a solid option. Ramos has played as part of a fluid 4-3-3 for Portugal during this international break, starting on the right but drifting into more central areas on the break. He did much of the same at the World Cup, famously replacing Ronaldo outright and scoring a hat-trick to lift the Seleccao to an emphatic win over Switzerland.
If Luis Enrique wants to replicate the kind of switching, meandering, exciting attacking play that made his side so effective against Rennes, Marseille and Lyon — when Asensio was in the side — Ramos could be a more-than-agreeable option. He won't wander into wide areas like Kolo Muani, or drop deep like Asensio. But Ramos' threat in the middle means opposing defences will have to contend with another weapon, and potentially leave space for Mbappe to operate.