Kylian Mbappé's Schnozzle remains an Enigma
It's crystal clear: Kylian Mbappé sustained a broken nose during the game against Austria. The question remains unanswered if the French soccer ace will take the field in the subsequent group stage match against the Netherlands. Neither Mbappé nor his team has provided any confirmation or denial.
France, both hopeful and anxious. Will Kylian Mbappé suit up with a bandaged nose in the Euro match against the Dutch? The French squad is keeping tight-lipped about Mbappé's health condition, much like a state secret - and even Mbappé himself has left fans of the Tricolore unsettled.
"Without risks, there are no victories," wrote the 25-year-old cryptically on social media. With a large bandage on his broken nose, Mbappé trained independently at the French team's quarters on Wednesday evening. However, the French Football Federation (FFF) failed to provide an update on Mbappé's condition as announced for Wednesday.
Whether everything is quite as hazy as the French officially suggest is up for debate. Doubts persist that Mbappé, who suffered the injury on Monday in the win against Austria, will be able to get back on the field after just a three-day rest.
French newspapers and online portals reported on Mbappé's solo training session on the field with great passion and emphasis. "It's 18.04 p.m., and on this Wednesday, he finally appears on the gleaming pitch of the Home Deluxe Arena in Paderborn under the rumble of thunderbolts, bathed in the sun," wrote "Le Parisien".
His teammates reported positive news. "Good news, he went better this morning," reported William Saliba, Mbappé had undergone some exams. Whether the captain will take part in the second group match against the Netherlands on Friday (21:00/ARD, MagentaTV, and live at ntv.de) in Leipzig remains undecided.
Mbappé is scarcely replaceable
After the nasal bone fracture Mbappé sustained in the final phase of the win against Austria (1:0), the team initially only announced that a mask would be made that would permit "a return to play after a certain period of treatment to be considered." Thus, Deschamps is facing a predicament.
Should he safeguard his undoubtedly irreplaceable world star against the formidable Dutch defenders, particularly Virgil van Dijk, for the remainder of the tournament, during which Mbappé is the team's main hope amidst domestic political turmoil? Or is the fight for the vital group victory a valid reason to let the potential Real Madrid striker play as a masked man?
A fact remains: Within the top-tier French squad, Mbappé may be the only player who is not easily interchangeable. A absence against the Dutch would be "a hard hit," said Adrien Rabiot: "He is a very important player for us, the captain, a leader of this team, and that will surely matter," explained the midfielder, "also for opposing teams in their preparations for the matches."
But the Vice-World Champion also boasts an experienced team and, at least "largely the means" to replace Mbappe, according to Rabiot. An option in the striking center could be Olivier Giroud, after all, he is the record scorer of the Tricolore Team. "My attitude is always the same: I want to provide something to the team if the coach gives me a chance", Giroud said after the Austria game - and waits like the whole nation for a health update from his teammate.
