The one who didn't score in the penalty shootout in the end is definitely a sinner on the team, unless you're Robert Baggio of the 1994 World Cup, who single-handedly led his country to the final and conquered the world with his eyes. But it's clear that Gillian Mbappe isn't the "melancholy prince" and at Euro 2021 he's just a 22-year-old Frenchman eager to ascend the throne. On the stage where his talent should be shown most, the "future leader" of the Gallic rooster has been smashed, not only bidding farewell to this competition, but also saying goodbye to the coveted Golden Globe Awards this year.
It sounds unfair, after all, we shouldn't talk about heroes with one shot – from 0-1 to 3-1 to 3-3 and penalties, France vs. Switzerland, Mbappe is by no means unfinished. At this point, we should not forget how "amazing" the young man's debut was: although Mbappe was blown off a goal and an assist in the first round of the group stage against Germany, and once appeared to have been shoved down in the box without a penalty, even so, people still relished the Frenchman's forced breakthrough of Hummels's sprint speed of close to 38 kilometers per hour.
With this speed, why worry about the world not being broken? Mbappe's presence is one of the important reasons why France is considered the biggest hit of this tournament. And when the Swiss won by surprise and won the 1/8 final, the No. 10 of the Gaul rooster also showed his style: Benzema's first goal was Playa Mbappe's direct goal; the second goal was assisted by Griezmann, but the latter also received the no. 10 heel pass before cutting into the small penalty area.
Twice "instigated the goal", Mbappe is still a hero of the French team - as long as they finally win, the new trident "BGM combination" can be touted again. Unfortunately, the emptiness of the left side defence and Boba's midfield "walk" eventually led to Deschamps' side being tied and dragged into a penalty shootout, which also reminded everyone of an awkward question: Mbappe, which the world needs, obviously should not be what it is now.
First of all, from this round of 16 match alone, Mbappe has failed the manager who has entrusted him with a heavy responsibility, after all, in france's starting 3412 system, the 10 will actually have easier access to the ball than in the previous 433 system. Since neither wing of the Gaulish rooster is the kind of serious wing-backs with fast front and back coverage, their attack initially relies more on straight plugs from the middle, that is, using Mbappe's speed to tear apart the opponent's defenses. However, the ace of the French team, although it was still a little fierce at the beginning, slowed down quickly after encountering the Swiss team's multi-person defense. His incision always hits the "human wall" and his shot never hits the frame.
When it comes to shooting, this is also a pain point for Mbappe. Anyone with a heart may remember the extremely sharp angled shot he blew off against Germany, but beyond that, the French guy seems to have never found a crosshair. 9 shots on goal 14 times in 4 games, before the quarter-finals were completely over, the former one could rank 3rd after Ronaldo and Morata, who was 1st in the "shame list". Of course, most of these 9 times were newly "brushed" in the round of 16, and 1 of the Swiss Kylian Mbappe's 6 shots and 5 deflections were blocked, and the problem of no foot on goal was exposed before the penalty shootout.
0 goals in 4 games, so in this state to go to the 5th penalty, is it a bit self-inflicted? However, with Mbappe's personality, it is "incumbent upon" to bravely shoulder the burden in the face of difficulties. At this point, you can't help but think of the voices that have been coming from the beginning of this tournament, such as Giroud's "dissatisfaction" with Mbappe's failure to pass the ball, the rumors that Mbappe is ready to publicly refute, and the news that france no. 10 is vying for the right to take the set-piece.
"Can you remember that he scored a free kick from Bull X?" After the group stage, former French midfielder Rothenburg questioned Mbappe in this way, believing that the young man's mentality of grabbing power was too obvious, and his temper was so big that manager Deschamps could not control it. Although this comment is a bit of a catch, but in the match against Switzerland, we did see Mbappe take a direct free kick: the first foot hit the wall, and the follow-up shot was outrageously deflected.
So, what was once The hope of France is now the seed of civil unrest in gaul's cocks? This question may take time to answer. But in any case, mbappe's extremely mediocre quality penalty was saved by Zomer, which is an ironclad fact. All the Frenchman has to do is get out of the hurt as quickly as possible, like the encouragement of Pele, the king of the ball: "Look up, Killian." Tomorrow is the first day of your new journey! ”
This article is written by Yan Yu