Lizarazu criticised Mbappe: He needs to go back to being a pure player and focus only on training matches【hongyan】

    Live on September 9, the French team lost 1-3 to Italy in the European League of Nations, Lizarazu was interviewed to criticize Mbappe's performance.

    Lizarazu: "I was surprised and disturbed by Mbappe's performance in the press conference before France's game against Italy. The words he used were not appropriate, not like the words of a leading player, certainly not like the performance of a captain. You cannot be indifferent to the feelings of the French fans, the frustrations they may have and the questions they may have. You should try to respond to these questions and give them hope, which is part of the job and necessary to build an emotional connection with the fans.

    "Mbappe is usually excellent in terms of communication, but on Thursday, I think he made a mistake. Perhaps he was less relaxed and more nervous than usual because he was slow to recapture his best football. At some point, I think in order to get to that point, he needs to get back to being a pure football player, just focusing on training, games, the game itself and recovery, and not being distracted like he was last season.

    There are times in your career when you need to stop and refocus on yourself because you're having trouble finding yourself. I think the captain of the French team is having one of those moments. Mbappe's best performance may date back to the 2022 World Cup, and we need to see him like that again.

    "He has had a difficult year, which started with Paris Saint-Germain and continued with the French national team. In my opinion, this was the result of an extraordinary conflict situation between him and his former club, a period in which off-field factors prevailed over on-field performances. For me, as a footballer, it's also about protecting your mental health.

    "If you get caught up in external, intrusive, negative thoughts, which are bound to affect your mental state, you lose power, energy, and fun. The psychological warfare between Paris Saint-Germain and him has undoubtedly had a huge impact. Mbappe is no longer as explosive and decisive as he once was. He's certainly still a good goalscorer, a good player, but he's not as intimidating as he used to be.

    "He said something like, 'Do you think this is going to affect me? 'In that case. For me, the answer is yes, it does affect him. Just like it affects everyone. I think for that reason it's difficult for him to really be a leader now, because he needs to rediscover himself first, the qualities that make him a unique player."