Kylian Mbappe may miss at least one match at Euro 2024 for France following a broken nose in their group stage opener, but the new Real Madrid centre-forward could yet miss more, depending on the severity of his injury.
Manager Didier Deschamps has said the striker won’t have surgery until after the tournament and there are already plans in place for Mbappe to wear a mask, but until he returns the boss needs alternative options.
Fortunately for France, they have one of the most stacked squads at the Euros and particularly in the wide areas - here are four potential solutions to an absent Mbappe for Les Bleues.
Need for Speed
In a more-or-less like for like switch, Kingsley Coman looks the obvious alternative from the opening game’s bench.
The Bayern Munich winger has suffered terribly with injuries but like Mbappe is a fleet-footed ball carrier who is a huge threat on the break, can beat his man one on one and is happy to stretch play by running in behind or hugging the wide areas of the pitch.
Where he cannot match his captain is in goal returns; he’s more of a creator than a scorer - though did net a Champions League final winner, to be fair - and he also doesn’t have the consistency in actually taking shots.
Coman would be very much a wide option rather than a wide forward, but the likes of starting striker Marcus Thuram probably wouldn’t mind that, given it might see more chances aimed his way.
Unleash the new gen
If Coman’s fitness isn’t there yet for 90 minutes or Deschamps wants a little more build-up play involvement from his left-sided outlet, there is another choice: play Bradley Barcola.
The PSG youngster has had a brilliant breakout season and while he only has two senior caps to Coman’s 56, he looks to have all the tools to be a key part of the French side for years to come.
Wickedly tricky in possession, much more inclined to go for goal than Coman and a more imposing frame on him too, he would be a wildcard pick for a boss who is still seen as somewhat conservative at times.
Randal Kolo Muani can also play left flank, but seems to be used more as a striker late on in games for France and hasn’t had such a good season at club level.
Call on experience
We mentioned Thuram earlier as the central starter for France, and while that’s the role he now plays for Inter Milan, in both the Bundesliga and with the national team prior to the last 12 months he was a regular starter from the left himself.
The third option for Deschamps, then, is to push Thuram back out there to replace Mbappe’s driving runs and desire to get into goalscoring positions directly, and then for the vacant No9 spot, bring his most experienced campaigner into the side: Olivier Giroud.
The veteran striker has a good relationship with Antoine Griezmann who plays in behind, has 57 international goals to his name and is well-versed in battling away against established international defenders - which might be handy considering France’s next game is against Netherlands, including Virgil van Dijk.
It feels this might be the option Deschamps considers most strongly, given the aforementioned resistence to gambling, especially this early in the tournament.
Shuffle the pack
Finally, Deschamps does have the option to flick the actual formation of his team, with a couple of systems previously utilised including a three-man midfield and playing a diamond, with two split forwards in attack.
Should he wish to do so, Adrien Rabiot would be the natural options to shift to the left channel, with N’Golo Kante rampaging around breaking up play in the opposite channel. Behind them, that might see Eduardo Camavinga come into the side as an extra defensive shield against the talented Dutch attack.
It feels less likely that Deschamps will make such radical alterations to his team just to overcome one player’s absence, even such a key one as Mbappe, but there’s always the possibility for it as an in-game switch too.
What’s for sure is that no replacement can have the French star’s overall impact across a number of matches - but on a one-off basis for now, they certainly have the options to ensure he’s not missed too much, too soon.
