Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique was cagey when addressing the hot topic of his reunion with Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé in Wednesday’s Club World Cup semifinal, although he did explain a change in philosophical stance during his year apart from the Frenchman.
Enrique only overlapped with Mbappé at PSG for the 2023–24 season. The Paris-born striker racked up 44 goals in 48 appearances yet couldn’t steer the capital club beyond the Champions League semifinals.
“Next year we’ll be better, without doubt,” Enrique boldly predicted once it became clear that Mbappé would join Real Madrid in the summer of 2024. “When a player goes where he wants that means there are parts of our play that I don’t control. And next year I am going to control all of them. Without exception.”
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This Mbappé-less iteration of PSG lived up to the first part of Enrique’s prediction, lifting the club’s first-ever European title with a record-breaking thrashing of Inter in the final.
When faced with this swift change in fortunes and his previous comments about control Enrique admitted: “The best thing about being at this level is that what you think today is valid today, but tomorrow it could be something else. PSG’s greatness is that they control less; the less predictable we are, the better, that’s the goal.”
January arrival Khvicha Kvaratskhelia embodies that sense of chaos. Yet, the Georgian winger—together with every other forward in PSG’s current XI—works just as hard off the ball as they do when in possession.
This was a trait which Enrique tried and ultimately failed to instil in Mbappé. “As an attacker you’re God, I know, a phenomenon, top,” the Spanish boss told his star striker, as revealed in the documentary No Tenéis Ni Puta Idea, “but that’s not what I care about. If you press, it’s the business. If on top of that, you get [Oumsane] Dembélé, [Randal] Kolo Muani, Marco Asensio to press, you know what we have? A team that’s a f------ machine. And that’s when you’re Michael Jordan.”
Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has already warned Mbappé and the rest of the team’s frontline that they need to press diligently. “We all have to defend,” he warned last month, “the 11 players on the field have to be involved.”
It remains to be seen in what capacity Mbappé will be involved against PSG as he is eased back to full fitness.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘The Best Thing’—Luis Enrique Makes Kylian Mbappe U-Turn Before Revenge Match.
