Mbappe could be punished for angry reaction, PSG boss Tuchel
Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel said he needed a good night’s sleep before determining whether Kylian Mbappe will be punished for his angry reaction to a substitution.
While the Ligue 1 leaders romped to a 5-0 victory over Montpellier on Saturday, the game was more fraught than the scoreline might suggest.
In particular, Tuchel was given a potential headache by not one, but two of his starting strikers.
Neymar earned a yellow card in the first half and held a furious debate with referee Jerome Brisard, while after the break Mbappe was to take centre-stage.
The France international was not happy to be withdrawn for Mauro Icardi 69 minutes into the game with PSG already five goals ahead and remonstrated with Tuchel on the sidelines before eventually sulking off to the bench.
Tuchel later asserted that while he understood his young charge’s frustration, the final word had to remain with the boss.
“I’m the coach, someone has to decide who goes out and who comes in. It’s me,” he told reporters after the final whistle.
“[Mbappe] is very intelligent, he knows what he is doing. He doesn’t like going out, nobody likes going out. These are not good images, but we are not the only club that has to deal with this sort of thing.
“It’s not good, because it opens up subjects that go against the team’s state of mind. Too bad. I am not angry, but I am sad because it is not necessary.
“I explained to him why we did this, and it will stay that way. I will always decide the technical aspects. We don’t play tennis, we play soccer and we have to respect everyone.”
Despite Mbappe’s transgression, Tuchel is yet to decide whether the forward will face sanctions.
Read Also: PSG boss positive on Cavani move
“I don’t know, I have to think, I have to sleep. I will make a decision tomorrow,” he added.
“We have training at 11am, we will talk about the match with the group. I’ll see if I talk about this or if I do it individually. It will depend on my night’s sleep too.”
PSG now lead Ligue 1 by 13 points ahead of closest challenger Marseille’s visit to Bordeaux on Sunday, and look likely to retain the French title for a third straight season – and for the seventh time in the last eight editions.