A year on from Kylian Mbappé & PSG's messy break up, who has come out from it better?

A video of Luis Enrique coaching Mbappe and telling him to 'defend like Jordan' has done the rounds since late last season, with many observers noting that the attacker's lack of work-rate was among the reasons for the side's upturn in form, specifically in big games, after his departure. While the reality is no doubt more nuanced than that, there is an element of truth to the adage that modern football simply doesn't work if you are carrying a passenger; a player who refuses to press to the extent that Mbappe does.

Without Kylian Mbappé, Paris Saint-Germain made history

For Real Madrid, Mbappe has largely been good. He scored plenty of goals last season, including an excellent hat-trick vs Manchester City in the Champions league, and overall has performed well, with a particularly good run of form at the start of the calendar year, before a disappointing end to the season, combined with a woeful Champions league exit to Arsenal, and a telling 4-0 defeat to the Parisians in the Club World Cup.

The truth is that Real Madrid can't seem to compete against the big teams anymore - with Barcelona thrashing them multiple times over the course of the season, and Mbappe left largely an observer in these beatings, as well as in the aforementioned Champions League exit.

The problem, really, for Kylian Mbappe, is that modern football requires more than goals from attackers in order to win the really big trophies, specifically the Champions League (which, one senses, is Mbappe's biggest priority, and a big part of the reason for his move to Spain). The incredible work-rate and defensive willingness of Barcelona and PSG's attackers is in stark contrast to that of the Frenchman (and to an extent to that of his teammate Vinicius Jr, who increasingly has also failed to track back).

One of the defining images of last season's Champions League final was of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's tracking back late in the game - he, in some senses, is Mbappe's direct replacement on the left wing, and while he doesn't score as many goals, he certainly offers more defensive cover.

There's another sense that perhaps even Mbappe's attacking form isn't quite as refined as it was in his absolute prime - that 2021-22 season, and even up until the 2022 world cup - in which he was the best player in the world, an attacking fury who was coveted by Madrid after his brilliant performance across both legs against them in the 2022 season. That Mbappe was a willing runner in behind, a pure winger who was among the deadliest marksmen in Europe.

However, in the years since, Mbappe's style of play has somewhat changed. He increasingly has had aspirations to be more of a controller, a number 10, coming deep to come and get the ball rather than trying to make runs off of the last defender. Perhaps influenced by his former teammate Lionel Messi, he has altered his game to be less reliant on his blistering pace, and has attempted to drift more centrally.

This change of position, bluntly, has been a mixed bag. It was perhaps most notable at the Euro 2024 tournament, in which he played very centrally and had a poor tournament. Indeed, his best moments for Real Madrid have tended to have been from off the left rather than in this newer, central position. Ironically, Ousmane Dembele, a man who was for a long time in Mbappe's shadow in the French capital, and for the France national team, has now thrived in a more central role, with his finesse, work rate, and link play all well suited to the false nine position.

Overall, it has been a great year for Paris St Germain, who have kicked off their post Mbappe era in style, while the Frenchman has suffered more of a hangover from this breakup, but still has plenty of time to make things click in Spain. There are however, increasing questions about whether his style of play will be compatible with top level Champions League football, and those are questions that only he will be able to answer.

The Latest PSG News: