France skipper Kylian Mbappe says he will step up defensively ahead of the defending World Cup champions’ opening match against Senegal on Tuesday, Yankee Scores reports.
The 27-year-old Real Madrid forward has attracted criticism not only for his playing style but also his captaincy duties at club and international levels. However, Ousmane Dembele, an international teammate, came out in support of Mbappe, claiming the criticism aimed at him had become too much.
In an interview with French daily, La Parisien, Mbappe was subjected to questioning from his colleagues and even his friends. When jokingly challenged about his abilities to play defense, by his brother Ethan, an academy player for Ligue One side, Lille, he admitted his defensive skills were poor.
“I need to take the extra step [with my defensive work] because it’s something important for the team and I have to do it,” he said.
“It will start this time because we want to win, and to win, I’m ready to do whatever because I want to win at all costs.”
Having signed for the Spanish giants last year from Paris St-Germain, Mbappe has had a very tough season with the team struggling to clinch any trophies after fans showed signs of frustration with the player and there were whispers of discontent in the dressing room.
Even though he was top goalscorer in La Liga, the Frenchman was not too impressive when it came to defence and according to statistics by Opta, he fared poorly in this department.
His ranking in the top five leagues in Europe, where the cut-off point is at least 19 league appearances, stood at 1,350 out of 1,490 for interceptions, blocks, tackles won and possession won.
In addition, he averaged just 0.14 tackles per 90 minutes; one of the poorest ratios in the rankings.
