Tribal Football

Kolo Muani: France must do more to help Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe
Kylian MbappeAction Plus
On Sunday, France and PSG striker Randal Kolo Muani spoke to the press ahead of their Euros semifinal against Spain.

Among the topics was the form of Real Madrid-bound Kylian Mbappe and the prospect of facing Spain's star wingers Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams.

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On Youssouf Fofana: "I wouldn't say he's the only coach who understands me, as things were going very well with Kombouaré and we also have a very good connection with coach Luis Enrique.

 

Clumsiness in front of goal: "We don't score many goals but we have the chances, it's up to us to be more diligent, that will come. When the first goal comes, it will come.

 

Defending: "I'm obliged to defend, to help my team-mates, that's also why we're here, we all defend together. Do you enjoy defending? I'll try to, but it's not what I like to do.

 

Kylian Mbappé's captaincy: "I have him as captain at club level, it's a bit different, it's natural for him. He gives ideas and advice to the team and the players. He's been through a lot, and I think he was born to pull a group forward.

 

His preferences on the pitch: "I'd say that I'm more comfortable when I'm on the pitch, with two strikers there's more freedom, you can go wide in the middle. But the two players also have to complement each other.

 

Spain: "The games are going to get tougher and tougher. We're going to have to take the semi-final seriously. Spain are one of the best teams in the competition and they know how to play football. We'll be ready for Tuesday.

 

No doubts: "At the moment, I have no doubts. I play by instinct.

 

Busy schedule: "Disappointing? No. I wouldn't say so. The competition is tough. That's why it's hard to score.

 

Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams: "Yes, they're very good players, but we have them too, so they don't scare us.

 

His lack of goals for his national team and PSG: "Since the start of the tournament, we've lacked goals. But the top scorer has 3 goals. There are a lot of own goals. It's not just us. We need to be less hasty in our final moves. I think I need to forget about last season. It happens, I can't always be at my best. I finished with 8 goals. It's not that disappointing.

 

Multiple tactics: "The coach decides. In the previous match, we played a 4-4-2 diamond formation. The game before that, Antoine was on the right. That surprises the opposition. We're all capable of playing anywhere and in any formation.

 

Kylian Mbappé: "He's never had a bad patch. He's had a huge season. Seeing him fail to score or contribute what he has shows us that we need to push him on. He's ready.

 

The crosses: "It's true that there's a lack of presence in front of goal. The strikers need to cut back more in the 1st or 2nd. But the crosses are good. The midfielders need to get on top of it.