If he is known for his exceptional speed, his incredible precocity or his goals in spades, Kylian Mbappé is also an ace in the art of moving. Decryption of the movements of the PSG striker.
The obsession of most forwards is to get the ball to shake in the back of the net as often as possible. But few can do it with great regularity. Aside from an excellent finish, the main element that sets top scorers apart from the competition is their quality of positioning and their ball-free movement to always be in the right place at the right time.
PSG superstar Kylian Mbappé is a perfect example. While he is well known for his ability to pass defenders with his speed, perhaps Kylian’s greatest asset is his ability to use his incredible athletic body to create chances, time and time again.
Mbappé has scored 30 goals in 34 appearances this season, scoring 1.38 goals per 90 minutes of play. However, only one of those 30 goals comes from outside the box, showing that the majority of his goals come from shots on goal. high success percentages. So how does he manage to get all these big opportunities?
Excellent spatial attention
“I lost a lot of players because their head was following the ball, they couldn’t see what was around them. Great players isolate themselves from the ball, their head is like a radar “- Arsène Wenger.
From an early age, players who aspire to become professional learn to look around them constantly. The information they collect on the position of opposing defenders and the spaces left free allows them to make the best possible decisions when in possession of the ball. One of Kylian Mbappé’s great strengths is knowing how to use all this information at his disposal.
By constantly scanning the field, Mbappé can find the free space left by the opponent and thus pass him. Once free space has been identified and acceleration is engaged, containing your speed becomes a difficult task for the opposing defense.
Tactical intelligence and anticipation
Despite his young age, Mbappé has a great sense of anticipation and an extraordinary ability to predict opposing movements long before they are made, which allows him to always be one step ahead of the defense, even ten, thanks to his incredible burst of speed.
Here against Amiens, Di Maria controls a long pass from Neymar. But before he received the ball, Mbappe had already started his run in anticipation of left-back Haitam Aleesami’s defensive return to Di Maria, leaving space behind his back.
Mbappé continues his race in the free space behind Aleesami, Di Maria does not hesitate to serve him in a favorable position to score.
A real mastery of racing in the back
Defenders who have the difficult task of getting Mbappé to pass often make the mistake of focusing on the ball, sometimes only for a short time. They lose sight of the young French striker, who almost always seizes the opportunity to rush behind their backs. A gesture that he has performed to perfection many times.
In this action, Julian Draxler runs towards the ball defense. Dijon central defender Bruno Ecuele Manga stares at the ball. Mbappé immediately starts a race behind his back.
Draxler transmits a ball deep to Mbappé who is able to dribble the keeper and score:
Of the creation of space by manipulation of defenders
Another thing that qualifies Mbappé as one of the current top scorers is the way he manipulates defenders and uses them to create space for himself by drawing them into one area of the pitch to free up another.
Here, Mbappé pretends to fall back to receive the ball and draws Montpellier central defender Damien Le Tallec towards him.
Le Tallec follows Mbappé to block him, but he has not realized the space he leaves behind him. Mbappé makes a call and finds himself face-to-face against the keeper thanks to a good serve from Neymar.
Smart movements that create opportunities for others
If Mbappé is sensational in using his speed to create spaces for himself, French genius is equally smart at creating space for his comrades by performing efficient runs to draw in defenders, highlighting his remarkable tactical intelligence in every match.
As you can see, Mbappé looks over his shoulders and sees Cavani coming from behind. He therefore accelerates towards the center to attract the defender and give Di Maria a possibility of a through pass towards Cavani for a dangerous occasion.
A game without a ball completely integrated into its palette
Over the years, Kylian Mbappé continues to display his sublime talent, not only by often scoring and dribbling several players, but also by moving with finesse without the ball to create himself, and create spaces for others, making him the one of the best players in the world.
