Coach Luis Enrique said that PSG must learn to play without Mbappe. Mechanically, the French team is more than capable of bringing to the Parc des Princes the cards to replace the French striker.

However, whether that rookie can recreate what the 2018 World Cup champion did or not is worth discussing.

Mbappe has been creating very high standards for a striker. First, it must be a player who is good at scoring goals. Next, he needs to shine in important matches.

Mbappe’s performance in the 2-1 victory over Real Sociedad in the second leg of the 1/8 round of the Champions League on the morning of March 6 (Hanoi time) is an example. Or like before, when PSG clashed with Barcelona in the 2020/21 season.

“If we play like this, PSG will be a candidate for the championship. I have no doubt about this,” Real Sociedad coach Imanol Alguacil exclaimed after the match in the Basque Country ended.

Mbappe has been scoring goals for PSG recently.

Mr. Alguacil did not specifically mention Mbappe, but in general said that PSG played too well, performing football with “brutal” intensity. This coach also emphasized that the “stronger and faster” team will win.

There is no doubt that PSG is stronger than Real Sociedad. However, to help the French team play faster, it can only be thanks to Mbappe’s speedy situations.

In his first goal scored against Real Sociedad at Reale Arena, Mbappe showed his best qualities. That is speed, keeping the ball well, making decisive decisions and finishing so strongly that it tears the opponent’s net.

For the second goal, Lee Kang-in made a very intentional high kick. The Korean talent dropped the ball strongly for Mbappe to use his speed to advance. When Real Sociedad’s Igor Zubeldia realized the danger, the player was far behind the French striker.

The rest of the work for the former AS Monaco striker is so simple, he also did it many times.

If the player on PSG’s left edge in the situation where Lee Kang-in dropped the ball was not Mbappe, it is unlikely that a goal would have been scored. However, the talented Korean knows what his teammates can do. To be more precise, only Mbappe is capable of creating classy goals, with a combination of speed and decisiveness in finishing.

Commenting on Mbappe, Real Sociedad captain Mikel Oyarzabal used the word “unique” to describe his colleague. There is no art of overstatement here. The French striker had a sublime day. He became the biggest difference between the two teams. Mbappe’s excellence also contributed to PSG reaching the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League in the 2023/24 season.

Who will replace Mbappe at PSG is a problem with no easy answer.

For Mbappe, his double against Real Sociedad helped him increase his total number of goals in all competitions this season to 34. In the UEFA Champions League, the 25-year-old striker had 6 goals.

In the summer of 2023, PSG parted ways with Lionel Messi and Neymar, but they still have Mbappe. The person who keeps scoring goals, despite many unwanted incidents that have happened in recent times.

Before the match against Real Sociedad took place, Mbappe was suspected of a rift in his relationship with coach Luis Enrique, something he later denied. In recent Ligue 1 matches, Mbappe only started on the bench or did not play the entire match. A very unusual thing for a 25-year-old striker.

After all, in a day of playing for a full 90 minutes, Mbappe shined brightly. A message was also broadcast by the 1.78 m high spearhead later in the evening in the Basque Country. The person who replaces him in the future will bear very heavy pressure. That’s like a curse, not a blessing.

“In the future, PSG will have to play without Mbappe. Therefore, I am looking for the best solution for the team,” coach Luis Enrique shared. “PSG needs to adapt to playing without Mbappe. I will do what is best for my team. I don’t want to create any controversy about him”.

Previously, PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi repeatedly stated that no player is bigger than the club. Mbappe himself also affirmed: “PSG is not Kylian Saint Germain”.

In the future, exactly from the 2024/25 season, PSG fans may no longer be able to see Mbappe roaming around in the club’s shirt. Parc des Princes will eventually find a new owner for the number 7 shirt, which currently belongs to the French striker. AC Milan’s Rafael Leao is being targeted by PSG.

However, replacing a player in football is very easy, if understood literally. And to find an exact copy that can do 100% of the work of its predecessor is never easy. Oyarzabal said that Mbappe is a “unique” player. In addition, the French team should now enjoy every moment of seeing the 2018 World Cup champion play.