PSG

CBS Analyst Mike Grella Believes PSG Do Not Miss Kylian Mbappe

Grella believes PSG is playing much better without Kylian Mbappe.

Jordan Merritt

IMAGO / Le Pictorium

PSG continued their impressive form, especially over the last several months, beating Brest 3-0 in the first leg of the Champions League playoff.

Forward Ousmane Dembele has also seen his performances blossom this season after a disappointing 2023/24 season after transferring from Barcelona.

MORE: Ousmane Dembele Outshines Kylian Mbappe In Impressive Goal-Scoring Stat

CBS analyst Mike Grella had his opinion on why the Parisians are performing much better this season, possibly due to Kylian Mbappe's departure.

In a weird way, [Mbappé] has the [Cristiano] Ronaldo effect toward the end of his career… his time back at Manchester United, his time at Juventus, his time at some of these clubs where he’s such a big personality, and such a big player that sometimes the team plays worse because of it.

- Mike Grella

Grella praised Mbappe as a player but believes that his positions on the field diminish the abilities of others.

They feel like they have to get him the ball. They feel like the story is about him. They feel like they have to move him. He’s broadly similar to Mbappé because Mbappé is really a winger. He’s really in Barcola’s position or Dembélé’s position or Kvaratskhelia’s position. But they move him centrally, especially at Real Madrid as well.

- MIke Grella

Grella continued:

I don’t know if you can just make the argument; I think you could say that they played better. So Mbappé is… I don’t want to take anything away from him, but there’s this Ronaldo effect where the team he plays in doesn’t play as well as when he’s out of the team.

- Mike Grella

PSG is 13 points clear at the top of the Ligue 1 standings and has one foot in the Round of 16 of the Champions League. They also have won the Trophée des Champions and are in the quarter-final stage of the French Cup.

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Jordan Merritt
JORDAN MERRITT

Jordan Merritt is a freelance soccer writer who covers Real Madrid CF, Bayern Munich, and PSG On SI. He is an obsessive soccer fan and an Arsenal supporter.

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