PSG fans are seeing ‘what might have been’ when they watch fluid French front three

France’s 3-0 win against Sweden on Tuesday night represented perhaps the single most dominant display of force from any team so far at this year’s tournament, with the French dismantling their Scandinavian opponents and showcasing their extensive arsenal of attacking behemoths. Dembélé and Mbappé represent two of the jewels in the French crown, and are linking up to great effect – with Mbappé currently enjoying his best spell of form since his absolute pomp at PSG (which came arguably sometime in the spring of 2022).

This was followed up by a more pragmatic 1-0 win over Paraguay in the early hours of Sunday morning, in which Mbappé scored the only goal from the penalty squad.

PSG fans are seeing ‘what might have been’ when they watch fluid French front three

All of this gives PSG fans an idea of what they missed out on, as Dembélé’s best form for PSG has coincided almost exactly with his national team captain’s club exit. Indeed, Dembélé had managed a total of 16 goals across the three seasons preceding Mbappé’s exit, but has burst to life since, managing 55 goals in the two seasons since, an upturn in form that even the most ardent of Dembélé’s supporters would have thought possible in the summer of 2024.

Mbappé’s club form has taken a sharp downturn over the same period, as his time at Real Madrid has coincided with a dry spell in the club’s recent history. They have failed to win any major trophies since his arrival in Spain, which has been further made frustrating for Mbappé by his former side’s extreme success over those two seasons.

Some questions of course have to be raised about whether the two are compatible: the form of Dembélé for France had never been particularly good: he often seemed to find himself in Mbappé’s shadow for his national side - most particularly in the 2022 World Cup final, in which he was substituted before half time, and watched on from the bench as his captain scored a remarkable hat-trick in what was very nearly an incredible comeback.

There were questions, then, going into this tournament, about how the two would dovetail. For now, it has been a success: while Dembélé often finds himself playing third fiddle to Mbappé (who remains indisputably the primary goalscorer for France) and to Bayern Munich winger Michael Olisé (the man who has looked the most deft when it comes to unlocking defences), he was still been good in the tournament, scoring four goals and looking very sharp down the right hand side of France’s attack.

French fans will hope that this partnership continues to develop and that France’s attack will purr just as convincingly in Thursday evening’s game against Morocco – a match up that might prove the toughest so far for the 2022 finalists.

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