Tuchel: Mbappe can't cover for Neymar and Cavani

With Neymar and Edinson Cavani injured, Thomas Tuchel wants the pressure off Kylian Mbappe when Paris Saint-Germain faces Manchester United.

Published : Feb 12, 2019 00:34 IST

Neymar (L), Edinson Cavani (C) and Kylian Mbappe (R)
Neymar (L), Edinson Cavani (C) and Kylian Mbappe (R)
lightbox-info

Neymar (L), Edinson Cavani (C) and Kylian Mbappe (R)

Thomas Tuchel insists Kylian Mbappe cannot be expected to fill the roles of Neymar and Edinson Cavani when Paris Saint-Germain faces Manchester United.

The Ligue 1 leader visits Old Trafford on Tuesday for the first leg of the much-anticipated Champions League last-16 tie, but will do so without Neymar and Cavani, who are sidelined with respective foot and hip injuries.

France star Mbappe is therefore likely to be PSG's main hope of ensuring it leaves England with at least an away goal to take back to Parc des Princes for the second leg on March 6.

But head coach Tuchel does not want the 20-year-old to alter his game to compensate for the absence of his usual attacking partners.

"There's no point putting pressure on Mbappe," he told a news conference on Monday. "It's not his job to replace Neymar and Cavani and do the job of all three of them. 

"He has to play freely. I want us to be able to help him with good passes. He's here to grow and this is the perfect moment for that."

Neymar irreplaceable

Tuchel admits PSG will inevitably be worse off without Neymar, who damaged a metatarsal during a Coupe de France match last month - the same bone he broke last year.

"Let me put it another way: will Manchester United miss [Paul] Pogba, if he was not there? Will they miss [Marcus] Rashford? Of course they will," Tuchel said when asked if his PSG could replace the Brazil star.

"You cannot replace quality players like this. Neymar is one of the key, key players in Europe and we miss him a lot."

A close game

Tuchel is particularly wary of the threat posed by Pogba and Anthony Martial, who between them scored all three goals in United's 3-0 Premier League victory over Fulham on Saturday.

"I don't think there's any surprise Pogba is key," he said. "He's an incredible player with wonderful qualities. He's extremely strong with the ball at his feet. I think he's always dangerous offensively. Him and Martial are a dangerous pairing."

However, Tuchel intends to set his team up to attack United and hopes to score at least once.

"We have our identity and it's not easy to change a team's identity. We play attacking football - it's in our DNA," he said. "We're here to score, maybe more than one.

"I imagine United will be bold and we'll have to be at our best level. I'm sure there will be times tomorrow where we'll be defending deeply. 

"Over 180 minutes, I'd say it's a 50-50 game. At Old Trafford, I'm not sure. We have a second leg in Paris, and we feel very strong and comfortable at Parc des Princes. It's one of these games where the details, you can get a decision from the referee, a yellow, red, anything can make the difference. It's a close game."

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment