Ligue 1 Review | Now or never for Kylian Mbappé and PSG
Paris Saint-Germain’s 3-1 victory against Lille OSC over the weekend looked title-defining as Les Parisiens stretched their lead at the top of Ligue 1 by eleven points. It was an impressive victory over one of the most inform teams in the league as they came from behind to dismantle their opposition, and was made more so by the fact that this was achieved with Kylian Mbappé sat watching from the bench.
It was obvious that the forward was not going to start for the reigning champions over the weekend, but it was suspected that they might still rely on his efforts late in the game. The French captain had been closely monitored in the days leading up to the Lille fixture after suffering a bruising tackle from Lillian Brassier as the club progressed past Stade Brestois in the Coupe de France.
However, what was not obvious was the amount of rotations that Luis Enrique would field, and how well the team coped with these drastic changes, as they kept one eye fixed firmly on the upcoming Champions League tie against Real Sociedad. Gianluigi Donnarumma, Marquinhos, Vitinha, Bradley Barcola, Warren Zaïre-Emery, and Achraf Hakimi were all absent as PSG made seven changes from their victory over Brest.
Lille will of course point to the absurdity of calling this a ‘weakened’ PSG side, as despite the heavy rotations, the Parisians’ frontline still cost the club over €200 million in the summer, with Luis Enrique calling upon World Cup winner Ousmane Dembélé, Randal Kolo Muani, and Gonçalo Ramos to lead his attack.
Still, winning without Mbappé has not been a given for PSG this season, and until this game, Kolo Muani and Ramos had flattered to deceive since joining and serious questions were beginning to form over their future in Paris.
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