Paris Saint-Germain coach Christophe Galtier has explained that fatigue and a minor injury was behind Kylian Mbappe suffering a drop in form in recent weeks.
Mbappe hasn’t scored in any of his last three Ligue 1 games and put in a largely anonymous display during PSG’s rather unconvincing win over Nice on Saturday evening.
The Frenchman, who recently lashed out at PSG for the way he was used in a season ticket promotional video, has been a shadow of his usual self on the pitch.
Mbappe has scored 31 times in 35 appearances across all competitions for PSG this season, on top of an intensive pre-season, all-star game in Saudi Arabia and 14 for France since the start of June.
Galtier suggested afterwards that it is ‘normal’ for the player to dip.
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“Kylian may have played his 51st or 52nd game. It is normal that at certain times you don’t feel as good,” the coach insisted.
“He had to shorten his training session [on Friday due to a hip problem]. He was very uncertain. I think he played at a reduced level but he wanted to be on the pitch, to be with the team in a difficult moment,” Galtier continued.
“It also shows his state of mind, a certain solidarity. He didn’t have an easy game. But this morning, we didn’t know if he was going to be able to start the game.
“He had this great desire, this determination to do it. This is a strong sign for the team.”
PSG’s win over Nice ended a two-game losing streak in Ligue following back-to-back home defeats at the hands of Lyon and Rennes either side of the March international break.
Lens had reduced their lead at the top of the table to just three points on Friday, putting enormous pressure on PSG to beat Nice and push it back to six. Should Marseille beat mid-table Lorient on Sunday night, they too would move to six points behind.
For comparison, PSG won Ligue 1 by 15 points ahead of Marseille last season.
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