‘We want to go back to being intimidating in France’
Kylian Mbappe has claimed that Paris Saint-Germain have lost the ‘fear factor’ in the past two years, despite winning the Ligue 1 title by double digits last season.
The Frenchman believes that PSG have become less ‘fearsome’ and ‘untouchable’, and it remains unclear if the 23-year-old was having a subtle dig at manager Mauricio Pochettino.
The Argentine is expected to be sacked by the Parisians, with an official announcement thought to be in the works as they finalise the terms of compensation for his departure.
PSG won the Ligue 1 title by 15 points last season – losing just four matches – but doubts remained about Pochettino after the club exited the Champions League in March at the hands of eventual champions Real Madrid.
Madrid frontman Karim Benzema scored an 18-minute hat-trick to secure a 3-2 aggregate victory for the LaLiga side, with PSG having given up a two-goal advantage.
🎙 Kylian Mbappé: “We want to become untouchable again in the league, even if it means killing the suspense of Ligue 1. And then we want to conquer Europe.” 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/Gejebn2WAk
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) June 25, 2022
Mbappe insists PSG needs to be ‘intimating’ again
The French forward, who registered 39 goals and 26 assists last season, told BFMTV: “This past season we weren’t as fearsome, we were far less untouchable. We want to go back to being intimidating in France, something we have not done these past two years.”
He also admitted that European glory was the ultimate goal for the players and whichever new manager comes in to replace Pochettino.
“Of course, the Champions League is the goal. This is the clear and announced objective. We don’t need to list many more adjectives regarding the Champions League. That’s what we want,” he added.
Mbappe almost quit international football after Euro 2020 penalty miss
Mbappe almost quit international football following the wave of abuse he received after his missed penalty in France’s European Championship last-16 defeat to Switzerland on penalties, revealed Noel Le Graet, the president of the French Football Federation.
The forward saw his spot-kick saved by Yann Sommer to see his side knocked out of the tournament – three years on from their World Cup glory.
The forward’s missed penalty led to an onslaught of criticism from all corners of social media, leading to fears that the 23-year-old may call time on his France career early.
Related links:
- Kylian Mbappe almost quit international football after Euro 2020 penalty miss
- Florentino Perez claims Kylian Mbappe ‘is no longer the Mbappe I wanted to sign’
- Spanish TV reporter in meltdown after Modric swapped shirts with Mbappe
