Kylian Mbappe | Merci.

So a 3313?

Vini-Mbappe-Rodrygo
———Jude———
Cama-Tchou-Fede
Militao-Rudiger-Carvajal


Vini-Mbappe-Fede
Jude
Cama-Tchou
Davies-Militao-Rudiger-Carvajal

Though we would be missing Kroos but sooner or later he’ll retire. Interesting puzzle for Carlo.
Very poor regarding control and creativity. Even Bellingham isn't exactly a magician, much more a Ballack than a Zidane. Replacements for Modric and Kroos would be much better than Mbappé.

Well, it could work(see Klopp's Liverpool), but would be something completely different from what Madrid is accustomed to.
 
Hilarious that it's two penalties in a hat trick, bit hollow.
I am truly not sure if you're being sarcastic, but yes for me it is a little. It's still a WC final hat trick, one of two to ever do it, but he was non existent for most of that game and I'd say he had two good moments in it (his goal and winning the pen, if you can call someone handballing your shot a good moment) then managed to wrangle a hat trick out of it. Scoring two pens in a WC final is a huge achievement but yeah I think it'll be remembered in the decades to come as something it absolutely wasn't.
 
I don't see Camavinga and Tchouameni capable of controlling the team.
Tchouameni has physicality but little presence. His attitude is a bit pretentious and overdone when he plays in the middle . When he arrived I thought he was going to take command of the position like a beast, that he was going to be omnipresent.
Camavinga is the other way around. It looks like he is everywhere but he misses silly balls, tries long passes that don't even come close, if he tries to cut a ball out he is rough always on the verge of a yellow.
And for a while I thought he could be a creator/destroyer like Xabi or Redondo, but I see him light years away (yet).
I see Valverde even more prepared to change his role.
I see a lot of Modric in Camavinga but he still needs to mature a lot. Agree about Tchou, honestly wouldn't mind seeing this CB experiment with him. Might be a good move

I don't know what we'll do if both Kroos and Modric leave. At the moment we always need one of them on the pitch, so I'm not sure we wouldn't try to sign a replacement either

For sure Fede is our best DM right now

All in all, i think switching to 3 at the back(even if one of them is Tchou), with Cama starting nominally on the left and then moving inside would be a solution I'd like to see
 
Very poor regarding control and creativity. Even Bellingham isn't exactly a magician, much more a Ballack than a Zidane. Replacements for Modric and Kroos would be much better than Mbappé.

Well, it could work(see Klopp's Liverpool), but would be something completely different from what Madrid is accustomed to.

We shouldn’t be married to the idea that we need 1:1 replacements, never going to happen and very limiting way to go about things.

I think we have enough creativity. Vini, Rodrygo, Jude. We create a fair amount and Mbappe will add to that. Control is something Kroos really offers and I’m hoping Cama can grow in that role. Still young and he is a bit reckless but I hope we can make it work.

I kinda like the idea of turning Cama into a LB but he isn’t good enough defensively. Tchou at CB seems to do well but hasn’t been truly tested that much. And Rudi/Militao should always play.

Vini-Mbappe-Fede
Jude-Cama
Davies-Militao-Rudi-Tchou-Carvajal

Would be another option. We got a lot of options really. Not the worst problem to have.

I propose fielding 12 players. Just us though.
 
Hopefully if Madrid or Liverpool take Mmmbop, that gives PSG money to buy Rashford right?... Please!
 
Well if our focus truly is now on "best-in-class" then certainly Big K ticks that box

Come on Berrada! LFG!
 
I see a lot of Modric in Camavinga but he still needs to mature a lot. Agree about Tchou, honestly wouldn't mind seeing this CB experiment with him. Might be a good move

I don't know what we'll do if both Kroos and Modric leave. At the moment we always need one of them on the pitch, so I'm not sure we wouldn't try to sign a replacement either

For sure Fede is our best DM right now

All in all, i think switching to 3 at the back(even if one of them is Tchou), with Cama starting nominally on the left and then moving inside would be a solution I'd like to see
I think the best way to make a midfield of Camavinga, Tchouameni and Valverde (Bellingham ahead of them) work would be to go Liverpool 2018-2021 approach and just get some elite playmaking fullbacks.
 
City are set to have a fearsome front line next season
 
So a 3313?

Vini-Mbappe-Rodrygo
———Jude———
Cama-Tchou-Fede
Militao-Rudiger-Carvajal

I think there also was a report of Davies being signed. I’d prefer we go back to a 433.

Vini-Mbappe-Fede
Jude
Cama-Tchou
Davies-Militao-Rudiger-Carvajal

Though we would be missing Kroos but sooner or later he’ll retire. Interesting puzzle for Carlo.

I think it's closer to the 2nd. Mbappe and Bellingham and Vinicius is enough goals in the team and space for Valverde to burst into isn't a bad thing since he's such a strong runner.

Vini-----------------------Mbappe
--------------------Jude
---------Cama-Tchou----Fede
Davies-Militao-Rudiger-Carvajal

When they're chasing a game, Rodrygo or I guess Endrick coming on and a midfielder exiting.

and presumably the next signings are speedy RB or one who can really pass/cross, along with a replacement for Kroos who can settle things down in the midfield. No idea who those guys would be.
 
Rashford to PSG to replace Mbappe for 100 million. Make it happen Jim.
 
Moving for less money is always a step down. If you're getting paid less money for your big career move at your peak that takes away the glam of the move.

It's like my colleague who joined a big brand consulting firm for less money because he wanted the prestige of working for the company. Less money for more work does not equal better move.
 
Eh? You asked a question, got an answer and then moved the goalposts. We're still not set up in a way where Mbappe would be enough to drag us to major trophies single-handed, which he'd need to given we'd be screwed by ffp.
Where have I moved the Goalposts poster who replied said next question and I just obliged.

Look I am not saying go for Mbappe at the detriment of whole Club but just questioning the thinking how We should stay away from bona fide superstar Signings in their prime because they don't work for us .
 
Who would you sign to replace Rashford?
I would give Garnacho the starting role to be honest. I don't see the need to sign any LW. Maybe a Young player that can play across the frontline to serve as cover for both Hojlund and Garnacho. Thinking about it, I'd absolutely love Rodrygo if there is no space for him for him at Madrid. Would take alot to convince him though.
 
forget the hattrick. he's scored in consecutive world cup finals. Has anyone actually ever done that before?
 
Moving for less money is always a step down. If you're getting paid less money for your big career move at your peak that takes away the glam of the move.

It's like my colleague who joined a big brand consulting firm for less money because he wanted the prestige of working for the company. Less money for more work does not equal better move.

But he's so loaded that money doesn't really matter, now does it? Nobody is ever going to pay him more than the Qatari sport investment fund so by your logic he'd never move except to maybe the Saudi league.

What he wants, what he desperately needs is those Balon d'Or trophies and winning a Champions League. He'll only ever get that either by moving to a PL heavyweight or a Spanish giant.
 
Moving for less money is always a step down. If you're getting paid less money for your big career move at your peak that takes away the glam of the move.

It's like my colleague who joined a big brand consulting firm for less money because he wanted the prestige of working for the company. Less money for more work does not equal better move.
Not if the organisation you've joined has scope for significant advancement whereas you'd gone as far as you could at the one you were at. Sometimes lateral moves can lead to more opportunities.
 
I think some of the legacy arguments get a little lost. In short : How valuable, symbolically, would it be to lead PSG to a CL win and push the club to a new dimension ? To be labeled a transformative player ?
Is it more appealing to him than hoping the Real institution where, no matter how much glory he may reap, he'll never be bigger than the club ?

If he stays at PSG there's a risk they never get there and that a lot of people will continue to say he wasted his prime, or that he was never tested elsewhere, of course.

I wonder if that might factor in his future decisions and it is up to QSI to convince him and show they're building a real contending team around him.
 
I think some of the legacy arguments get a little lost. In short : How valuable, symbolically, would it be to lead PSG to a CL win and push the club to a new dimension ? To be labeled a transformative player ?
Is it more appealing to him than hoping the Real institution where, no matter how much glory he may reap, he'll never be bigger than the club ?

If he stays at PSG there's a risk they never get there and that a lot of people will continue to say he wasted his prime, or that he was never tested elsewhere, of course.

I wonder if that might factor in his future decisions and it is up to QSI to convince him and show they're building a real contending team around him.
By all accounts, PSG are already preparing for life without Mbappé, and for once we haven't seen any public reaction from their president to put pressure on him. He's leaving.
 
By all accounts, PSG are already preparing for life without Mbappé, and for once we haven't seen any public reaction from their president to put pressure on him. He's leaving.

Yeah he maybe made his mind and there's really nothing you could say to dissuade him at this point if so. PSG should be grateful they had him for that long. On the pitch he fulfilled more than his end of the bargain, best scorer for the club (by a healthy margin), third best assist total.
 
I don't think that he has reached Iniesta-level of big game greatness but he's been consistently productive at the biggest stage possible (both club-wise and internationally). In fact at the moment it's the biggest difference between him and Haaland.

To say that

is simply absurd.
Like sorry, how many UCL's has he won?
 
Imagine a modern coach like Xabi Alonso managing the best player in the world Mbappe surrounded by technical and strong players in a couple of years so.

Liverpool will be candidates to win everything.
 
I am truly not sure if you're being sarcastic, but yes for me it is a little. It's still a WC final hat trick, one of two to ever do it, but he was non existent for most of that game and I'd say he had two good moments in it (his goal and winning the pen, if you can call someone handballing your shot a good moment) then managed to wrangle a hat trick out of it. Scoring two pens in a WC final is a huge achievement but yeah I think it'll be remembered in the decades to come as something it absolutely wasn't.
In Mbappe, I see a hyper-talented player who can be the best in the world, who sold his career up the river and now has a very middling/uninspiring CV. The guy is in his mid-twenties, meant to be in his prime and he's got some tractor championships (Ligue 1). His fan club leans so heavily on the WC win that the trophy might snap tbh (a WC win is great to win but a tiny bit of a hollow achievement given the luck of birth - if the man was Canadian, he wouldn't winning a world cup) hence why I don't like grabbing international victories when appraising a player unless you have too (CR7/Messi)

Outside of that, he's achieved very little of note except for making about $500m playing for a small club. Now he has a choice, does he want to go down in immortality and be considered one of the all-time greats (yes he can do this) or does he just look at the commercials of playing? Taking club offers, not for football but for money?

I think he's stuck and unless he decides to lower his expectations, Madrid won't sign him and he's then left with PSG or Saudi.
 
By all accounts, PSG are already preparing for life without Mbappé, and for once we haven't seen any public reaction from their president to put pressure on him. He's leaving.
They'll likely be a better team and could even go and win it.
 
Like sorry, how many UCL's has he won?
You were saying that he doesn’t perform in big games, not that he doesn’t win CLs. Which is, quite simply, wrong.

How many World Cups has Vinicius Jr. won? There is a correlation between individual performances and team trophies but it’s inherently stupid to equate the two.
 
You were saying that he doesn’t perform in big games, not that he doesn’t win CLs. Which is, quite simply, wrong.

How many World Cups has Vinicius Jr. won? There is a correlation between individual performances and team trophies but it’s inherently stupid to equate the two.

Just to get this out of the way: Vini is an incredible big game player. So dumb subbing him against Croatia.

Mbappe did fail in that final against Bayern but we’ll see.
 
You were saying that he doesn’t perform in big games, not that he doesn’t win CLs. Which is, quite simply, wrong.

How many World Cups has Vinicius Jr. won? There is a correlation between individual performances and team trophies but it’s inherently stupid to equate the two.
  • Big games in my view are UCL games/big league games (I feel the same about a lot of players in weaker leagues tbh). He, by definition, cannot have big games in Ligue 1.
  • The World Cup, is by definition, a geographical lottery and overegged when talking about a player's career. Some of the all-time greats didn't win it CR7, Cruyff, Best, Puskas, Platini, Di Stefano, Van Basten, Best, Eusebio we don't hold it against them. We certainly should ignore it when appraising the best player of all time.
  • Regarding your inane point about Vini and World Cups - Vini only has 23 appearances for Brazil, he didn't start playing regularly until 2022.
  • Mbappe has 3x as many appearances for France ffs at 75, and played in the World Cup six years ago when Vini was still at Flamengo.
  • Six years ago Vini was playing for Flamengo, Mbappe was starting for PSG ffs.
So for a player 24 months his junior and who started his career later, Vini has a much more impressive CV than Mbappe. UCL, 2x La Liga, Super Cup, Copa Del Ray etc. Mbappe has the World Cup.

Cool. A final appearance in the UCL? Great.

I am discussing and of the opinion that Mbappe's club career is hugely underwhelming and he doesn't get it done in the biggest games. That's what top players do. People will then reference one final six years ago where he scored two penalties as evidence of his big game chops.

Weirdly his fan club gives him a huge amount of individual credit for the World Cup and try to put that win on his shoulders, but curiously when PSG are dumped out of the UCL or bottle it, it's suddenly "a team sport". It's very funny