Home

Soccer

“Anybody Can Poke a Ball” – Premier League Icon Slams Kylian Mbappe & Co. Despite PSG’s UCL Win Over Real Sociedad

Published 02/15/2024, 2:35 AM EST

Follow Us

via Reuters

PSG beat Real Sociedad 2-0 in the latest Champions League encounter. However, their performance on the night did not convince everyone. In fact, a Premier League legend even said, “I’m not going to mention Kylian Mbappe”, despite the Frenchman breaking the deadlock in the 58th minute. What seems to be the issue against Luis Enrique & Co?

Kylian Mbappe was also the talking point ahead of the game. The PSG winger suffered a knock in the game against Brest. In fact, manager Luis Enrique at one point even had doubts regarding the prolific attacker’s chances of featuring in the match. However, yesterday’s game proved that the attacker is back to full fitness.

Pundit explains why Real Sociedad lost to Kylian Mbappe & co despite ‘their good play’

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Craig Burley on the ESPN FC show seems to believe that Real Sociedad was the better team on the night. He explained, “Anybody can poke a ball in at the back post. I don’t think Paris Saint Germain were very impressive.” He also explained what led to Real Sociedad’s defeat. Burley revealed, “I actually thought Real Sociedad had played better than they have done recently in La Liga but they can’t buy a goal. They can’t buy a goal and for all their good play, they’re just not clinical in the final third and that’s the difference.”

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest Soccer stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

The pundit also recognized Real Sociedad’s weakness in defending setpieces, which was how Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring. Burley explained, “The lack of marking, the wrong personnel marking at the back post. You saw Kubo going one way when the ball wasn’t cleared. He’s just not got a defensive mindset and then that’s changed the game completely.” While PSG might not have had their silkiest performance yesterday, the result is a good one. Especially, considering how their preparation was impacted by Flu.

A virus attack had forced PSG to alter plans

Kang in Lee & Lucas Hernandez have been two of PSG’s key performers this season. Yet, there was a surprise when the duo were not named in the starting 11. And the reason was said to be a stomach virus attack. Fortunately, Hernandez came off the bench in the 72nd minute, showing the improvement in his condition. However, the situation is different for the Korean midfielder.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

As per Cope, Kang-in Lee is not even able to move out of his house. Hence, he was not even among the substitutes yesterday. Besides, multiple other players were reported to have played the game despite being affected by the virus. Perhaps, that explains the Parisian side’s uncharacteristic performance on the night.

Is Craig Burley’s take on Kylian Mbappe & Co harsh? Tell us in the comments below.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

WATCH THIS STORY: Are Lando Norris and PSG Sensation Kylian Mbappé Sharing a Barbers Chair?

 

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Adithya Narayanan

544Articles

One take at a time

Adithya is a Soccer beat writer at EssentiallySports. A Liverpool fanboy, he takes pride in being alive to witness Jurgen Klopp taking the Reds to domestic and European glory. Adithya loves an in-depth soccer chat involving tactical intricacies and stats.
Show More>

Edited by:

Sreeda U M