Fresh from his battle with COVID-19, Kylian Mbappe suited up for Paris Saint-Germain in the match against Nice and his efforts paid off. The Parisians won the game and the French superstar made sure his name is on the scoresheet. What Mbappe did was unsurprising at all, according to Thomas Tuchel.
The PSG manager said Mbappe is oozing with confidence and is determined to scorer whenever he's on the pitch, and such an attitude makes a whole lot of difference for the Ligue 1 champions. The 21-year-old cleared a penalty kick, and Tuchel said it's nothing short of "a very good game."
The German noted that his young striker favors playing on the left and it's expected that on his preferred position, Mbappe will continue to impress as the season's campaign presses on.
The coach added that while the forward is a top-class player in his own right, it's not hard to see that he does great things collaborating on the field with fellow PSG superstar Neymar.
"For me, his best position is close to Neymar ... Kylian likes to go left. I hope he continues to play as well as this," Goal reported Tuchel as saying.
The manager made the comments in obvious reference to his side missing the presence of Neymar, who is serving a suspension. But it's a good thing that Tuchel can still count on other PSG stars like Mauro Icardi and Angel Di Maria, who showed during the Sunday match with Nice that they win games even without Neymar.
This latest development ran in contrast with the recent reports that all is not well in the PSG dressing room. According to The Sun, the Parisian's poor Ligue 1 start cast a doubt on how Tuchel is handling the team.
PSG succumbed to two straight defeats at the start of the season and the report said some members of the first-team are not exactly happy with the way the German boss is managing things. These players are said to be losing their faith on Tuchel and the pressure is piling up on him.
Pointed to as an indicator of the trouble between the boss and players was the lack of playing minutes for Icardi during the crucial Champions League matches. The Argentine was dropped from the squad starting in the semifinal round and it proved a puzzling move on Tuchel's part.
What transpired appeared to indicate of the striker's "cold relationship" with Tuchel, the report added.
The German, however, dismissed such stories as unfounded rumors, including the suggestions he could be sacked if PSG's performance in the season will not pick up.
"This is not new. It is a sport here. You do this, not me. I do not read what is written about my future, I am calm," Tuchel was reported as saying.
He added that being linked to getting the boot when the side is not winning games is hardly news to him, and he is not bothered at all.
