PSG: Luis Enrique again chooses to take out Mbappé, who finishes the match in Monaco... in the stands with his mother

Surprise when returning from the locker room in Monaco. And a series that continues... Holder and captain with PSG against ASM during this shock of the 24th day, the native of Paris did not leave the locker room to start the second half, he who was replaced by Randal Kolo Muani. Injury ? He suffered a strong tackle during one of his rare forays into the penalty area. Luis Enrique could simply have applied the precautionary principle before the Champions League round of 16 second leg against Real Sociedad on Tuesday in San Sebastian. He could also have sanctioned said Mbappé after a lackluster first period individually, it's true.

One thing is certain: the Parisian number 7 did not seem to be limping or to be hampered by a physical problem when he finally made his appearance, all smiles, in the bowels of this Louis II stadium which he obviously knows like the back of his hand, then at the edge of the field, in street clothes, greeting the supporters and taking a few selfies. He then joined, not the Parisian bench, but... the stand, to take his place next to his mother, Fayza Lamari. Amazing. The main person concerned quickly made it known that everything was going well on his side. No injury. And Luis Enrique put an end to the suspense, confirming that it was a choice: “I’ve been in football for a long time, I know that everything is important in this kind of club. Sooner or later we will have to play without him, so I am looking for the best solution for the team.

Relaunched by our comrades at Amazon Prime Video, the former Barça coach didn't say much more. “Sanction? Sooner or later he won't play with us anymore. You have to get used to it. (...) I have to make decisions all the time, it's my philosophy to think about what's best for the team and I will continue to do that. I don't want to argue. It’s my decision.” A decision which obviously risks getting people talking... And this even if, in the end, PSG played better in the second half, without Mbappé therefore, and finally won a 0-0 draw at AS Monaco this Friday evening at Louis II.

However, this change surprised even the ranks of AS Monaco. “Yes, sportingly, he didn't have a bad match, he could have had some moves to play in the second half. Afterwards, it’s the coach’s choice, we don’t discuss it,” said Youssouf Fofana, ASM midfielder and teammate of Kylian Mbappé in the colors of the France team.

Since the announcement of his departure at the end of the season, Kylian Mbappé, 25, started as a substitute in Nantes (0-2) before being replaced shortly after the hour mark against Rennes (1-1). It's hard not to see a cause and effect link, knowing that "KM" has played all the matches since the start of the season, excluding injury, since the end of his summer sideline. He then joined his teammates on the pitch at the end of the match. Note that PSG, already deprived of Marquinhos and Danilo Pereira in Monaco, in addition to long-term absentees Presnel Kimpembe and Milan Skriniar, lost Marco Asensio, visibly injured in the thigh, at the end of the first act. The main wound is undoubtedly that of Kylian Mbappé's ego...