How PSG Got Better Without Kylian Mbappe | OneFootball

Kylian Mbappe made 48 appearances for PSG last season, scoring 44 goals, and providing 10 assists but the question now is – are PSG better off without him?

In his final season with the French giants, Mbappé was phenomenal, contributing to 54 goal involvements in 3,869 minutes. He led PSG to another Ligue 1 title, a Coupe de France victory, and the Trophee des Champions. However, they fell short in the Champions League, losing 2-0 on aggregate to Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals.

While Mbappé was clearly thriving in PSG’s attack, Luis Enrique’s side struggled to meet their Champions League aspirations. Mbappé left at the end of the season to join Real Madrid, leaving many wondering how PSG would replace their talisman.

Many wondered how PSG would replace their 256 goal man and the fulcrum of their attack but Enrique has managed to implement his preferred system to the best of its ability without Mbappe’s inclusion, which was on full display against Liverpool in the Champions League this week.

Whilst Mbappe used to have the freedom of the field in PSG’s system last season, the fluidity between the players has gone up another level this year under Enrique, often deploying three natural left-wingers in the forward line, all of whom can rotate and occupy any position across the front line.

This has led to some lovely positional rotations during PSG’s build up play, with forwards dropping into deeper midfield areas to pick up the ball, making runs in behind from wide areas and even coming narrow to combine with one another in the half spaces.

The front three against Liverpool consisted of Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who all showed a willingness to vary their attacking movements, but also work hard off the ball for one another, taking on the responsibilities of the zone they were in.

An example of this would be Kvaratskhelia dropping into central channels to pick up the ball, rotating positions with Fabian Ruiz at times in midfield. These combinations are extremely effective against man to man marking, causing confusion for the Liverpool players when pressing.

Importantly, if the ball is lost, Kvaratskhelia now assumes the defensive responsibilities of Ruiz’s zone, and it’s this collective commitment to the defensive work that allows PSG to function effectively in Enrique’s system.

The PSG midfield configuration is similar to the forward line in that all three midfielders can rotate positions and replace one another in their roles. This helps to control games with high possession numbers and dictate the flow of the game.

In the Champions League this season Vitinha has a 94.04% passing accuracy, attempting 87.75 passes per game and completing 82.52 of them. This was on display against Liverpool, with Vitinha often dropping into the backline to dictate play, taking a total of 136 touches, making 103/111 accurate passes and completing two key passes in the game.

Joao Neves is another key component in midfield alongside Vitinha, having the ability to operate in all zones of the pitch, dropping deep to receive the ball and dictate play if his compatriot makes a movement higher up. But he also possession the ability to play in between the lines, create chances and progress the ball via his carrying (completed 3/3 successful dribbles against Liverpool).

Much like the attacking line, the midfielders all carry out their defensive responsibility based on the zone they are occupying at the time, and this was evident in the second-leg tie against Liverpool, as Vitinha won 6/9 ground duels, making five tackles, Neves won 9/11 ground duels, making four tackles and Ruiz winning 5/6 ground duels, making four tackles.

The full-backs athleticism and versatility is also very important in order for them to platform the midfielders and attackers in the team. Nuno Mendes at left-back and Achraf Hakimi at right-back offer a brilliant blend of the technical quality needed along with the athleticism.

Mendes and Hakimi can operate in all zones on their side of the pitch, dropping into wide central defender zones at times, moving into central midfield positions and, of course, making overlapping runs to provide width in the final third.

Off the ball, both full-backs have the recovery speed to retreat and support their midfielders when possession is lost, which again was on show against Liverpool – Mendes winning 10/14 ground duels with five tackles made, and Hakimi winning 6/16 ground duels with five tackles made.

Without Mbappé, PSG has built a more balanced and versatile squad, allowing everyone to thrive. They are averaging a higher possession rate this season (68.6% compared to last season’s 65.7%), taking more shots (18.6 per game compared to 15.1), and conceding fewer shots (9.5 per game compared to 12.1). The team’s overall metrics and results have improved, suggesting that PSG may be better off without their former superstar.