"Almost did not exist" – Kylian Mbappe given brutal rating by L'Equipe after PSG's shock loss to Newcastle in UEFA Champions League
L'Equipe, a leading French newspaper, handed Kylian Mbappe an underwhelming rating of 2/10 following Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) 4-1 hammering at Newcastle United on Wednesday (October 4).
PSG, who lifted their 11th Ligue 1 title last season, crashed to a surprise defeat at St. James' Park in their recent UEFA Champions League Group F contest. Miguel Almiron, Dan Burn, Sean Longstaff scored three back-to-back goals before Lucas Hernandez pulled one back. Fabian Schar wrapped up the win with an injury-time long-range strike.
In their post-match column, L'Equipe claimed that Mbappe "almost did not exist" in the Parisians' loss against Eddie Howe's outfit. They also claimed that the attacker was "very disappointing" during the first half.
Mbappe, who was embroiled in a summer saga involving Real Madrid, started in a withdrawn role behind Goncalo Ramos at Newcastle. He completed 95% of his 38 passes, created three chances, registered one shot off target, and won two of four duels in 90 minutes.
L'Equipe also offered critical assessments of other PSG stars, giving Randal Kolo Muani a 2/10 for his recent start on the left flank. They stated that the Frenchman was "messy when he had rare ammunition."
Apart from Warren Zaire-Emery, no other Parisian player received a rating of more than 6/10 in L'Equipe's post-game evaluation. Marquinhos was given a 2/10, while Ramos, Achraf Hakimi and Manuel Ugarte were all given poor ratings of 3/10 after the loss.
The Parisians are currently second in their UEFA Champions League group, while also struggling to be atop the domestic table. They are fifth in the 2023-24 Ligue 1 standings with 12 points from seven games.
Luis Enrique's side are next set to be in action against sixth-placed Rennes in their Ligue 1 trip to Roazhon Park on Sunday (October 8).
Rio Ferdinand backs PSG's Kylian Mbappe to be better performer than Erling Haaland
Speaking on talkSPORT, Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand backed PSG's Kylian Mbappe to be the better player than Manchester City's Erling Haaland at the end of their careers. He said:
"Haaland had some crazy numbers last year. I think when their careers are over, Haaland will be the more devastating goalscorer, but I think Mbappe will be the all-round better player."
So far, the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner has scored a whopping 220 goals and laid out 98 assists in 268 appearances for PSG. He is averaging a goal involvement at a stellar rate of every 67 minutes for them.
Haaland, on the other hand, stole the headlines with his world-class performances at Manchester City past season. He guided them to a treble, contributing 52 goals and nine assists in just 53 overall matches.