The world seems to be very interested in Kylian Mbappe’s nose since it was broken in France’s opening match at EURO 2024. Or more accurately, what will protect it.
Mbappe started warming up before the final group game against Poland without a mask. He eventually put it on, but kept adjusting the straps to make it comfortable. At the start of the second half, he called a member of the France coaching staff to help him adjust it.
Before the match, Robert Lewandowski, who also wore a mask in 2015 while playing for Bayern Munich, said it was “annoying” and “obstructed vision”.
But while the Polish captain appeared sympathetic before the match, he was equally unfriendly during the match: At the end of the match, Lewandowski (possibly accidentally) pushed Mbappe in the face, causing the Frenchman to stomp his feet in anger for several seconds, while touching his mask to make sure there was no further damage to his nose.
Mbappe cursed at his opponents and while it’s difficult to determine what he actually said based on lip reading, it doesn’t appear to have been compliments to Lewandowski (or to some members of the money family). Polish religion).
“I think he is fine with the mask,” France coach Didier Deschamps said after Tuesday’s 1-1 draw. “Kylian needs to get used to it. But he is hungry to play and this match will help him.”
Deschamps also said that one of the problems Mbappe has is sweat getting into his eyes. The mask makes the story more complicated when he tries to wipe it off. It’s just a small hassle, but even small annoyances can become serious when you’re literally carrying the team on your shoulders.
Because the biggest problem for Mbappe and France in this match is not the mask, but the person behind it. Or more precisely, the players behind Mbappe.
You might think that France, a team that has reached the last two World Cup finals and has a more talented B squad than most at EURO 2024, would not rely too heavily on one individual.
But one thing is certain: Before the team’s two “big men”, Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann, were sent onto the field, every ball seemed to have to go through Mbappe’s feet. He was like the kid who was better than everyone at school, so his teammates just passed the ball and expected him to do something.
If that makes Mbappe uncomfortable, sometimes he can’t help himself. Especially the moment at the end of the first half, when Bradley Barcola had a chance to score in the penalty area, only to watch Mbappe go up and steal the ball from his former teammate’s feet and put the ball… out. It was a ‘I’ll take it from here, son’ kind of moment.
It feels like Mbappe feels he needs to do it all himself. He owned 5 of France’s 8 shots on target. Take the chart below for example, as it shows the number of times he attempted to dribble past Polish players.
8 attempts, 6 successes are not only more than any of his teammates, but also the most successful dribbles in a match in this tournament, equal to Jeremy Doku of Belgium in the match against Slovakia. Only Doku and Nico Williams (Spain) and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia) have attempted more dribbles in a match.
He also scored the only goal from the penalty spot, overcoming the strange fact that he had never scored at the EURO before.
The above stats coupled with the ball steal from Barcola show that it is difficult for Mbappe to convey the message that ‘I trust my teammates’.
Mbappe theoretically started as the centre-forward in France’s front three, but his actual time as a No. 9 was limited. Early on, he would drop deep and encourage Adrien Rabiot to push forward, a move that looked promising but didn’t happen often enough. Later, Mbappe drifted left, as if he was yearning for the position where he scored so many goals at the World Cup. When Giroud came on, Mbappe took over on the left wing, which explains why most of his touches were on the left.
The problem is that it makes France’s play very predictable. You might think they won’t have many problems in the next rounds with Griezmann, who was rested for this game, back in the starting line-up.
But where will other inspiration come from? Ousmane Dembele, in addition to earning a penalty with a direct escape, proved ineffective and wasted the opportunity. Barcola also didn’t do much, except for a few nice one-two combinations with Mbappe.
The midfield also did not make too much of an impression. There was a moment early in the match when Mbappe dropped deep and passed a wonderful ball for N’Golo Kante to escape when there was no one in front. But when he was about 27 meters away from the opponent’s goal, Kante hastily launched a kick without knowing whether it was a shot or a pass. There couldn’t be a more perfect example of ‘if only the roles of two people were reversed’.
Maybe none of this matters much. What team doesn’t rely on its best player? We’ve fallen into the trap of over-analysing France’s performances early in a tournament before, only to have them laugh at our conclusions in the final.
But before the Poland game, fans were saying France’s biggest problem was Mbappe’s nose and the mask he had to wear to protect it. After the game, it felt like the least of their worries.
