PHILADELPHIA — French superstar Kylian Mbappe believes the current French national team packs more attacking punch than the squads that made it to the World Cup finals in 2018 and 2022, as Les Bleus prepare to take on Iraq on Monday with a spot in the knockout round on the line.
France got off to a slow start before turning it on in the second half to defeat Senegal 3-1 in their Group I opener. Mbappe found the net twice, while Michael Olise drew widespread acclaim for his second-half performance — a display that underscored the offensive weapons available to manager Didier Deschamps.
“This is a more attacking team than in 2018 and 2022, a team that is much more geared towards going forward,” Mbappe told reporters Sunday.
“The second half was already a glimpse of what we can do when we’re in good technical conditions,” he added.
Mbappe noted that the chemistry between himself, Olise, Ousmane Dembele, and Desire Doue is starting to develop, and suggested that bond could make France harder and harder to stop as the tournament moves forward.
“We had that connection with Michael because the four of us in attack managed to be perfectly coordinated in terms of movement, positioning and rotations,” Mbappe said.
“With this type of movement and rotation, maybe tomorrow it will be two other attacking players who shine more. The advantage of this team is having so much talent. We are very aware of the quality we have up front,” he continued.
The France captain also pushed back on criticism that Ballon d’Or winner Dembele had an underwhelming outing against Senegal. After watching the match twice, Mbappe came to his teammate’s defense.
“In the first half, he’s the best attacker out of the four. He’s the one who makes our play flow the most,” Mbappe said.
“Then in the second half, Michael and I were decisive, but Ousmane also contributed,” he added.
Mbappe credited Dembele’s off-ball movement with creating the space that helped France’s attack break open in the second half.
“That doesn’t show up in the statistics but it’s very important because otherwise we wouldn’t have scored,” he said. “Ousmane is very calm. He’s the Ballon d’Or winner. He has the confidence of the team and the staff. I’m sure from tomorrow onwards he will continue moving forward and grow stronger.”
Dembele had a standout club season, scoring 35 goals across all competitions as Paris St Germain claimed their first-ever Champions League title.
Deschamps acknowledged that Dembele plays in a more advanced role at the club level than he does for the national team. “He is really playing further forward at his club, which is not the case here,” the manager said. “Those are some adjustments we have to make.”
A French victory over Iraq on Monday would punch their ticket to the round of 32 with one group match still remaining — a Friday showdown with Norway.
