Kolo Muani in Blue and in Paris, two rooms, two atmospheres

“He’s a top player”. Luis Enrique never fails to bring out the shoe polish when it comes to Randal Kolo Muani. “I am very satisfied with him”he often explained last season. Except that with the Spanish coach, there are words and actions, and his “actions speak louder than (his) words”as he had said at the beginning of his mandate. And the truth is that the former Nantais starts in the shoes of a luxury joker in the spirit of the ex-Barça coach, no more, no less. A starter and scorer at Le Havre (1-4), in the curtain-raiser, while several key players were rested, “RKM” came off the bench against Montpellier (6-0) and in Lille (1-3), another goal against the Dogues.

There is no reason for this to change immediately, even if with the Champions League approaching, and PSG-Girona next Wednesday, at the Parc des Princes, «Fought» could be tempted to return to his habits in terms of turnover in the championship. Kolo Muani and others, such as Kang-in Lee or the newcomer Désiré Doué, will perhaps take advantage of this to obtain more playing time than usual and a starting place against Brest, this Saturday (9 p.m.), during the fourth day of Ligue 1. Especially since the international break brought its share of injuries, namely Vitinha and Warren Zaïre-Emery. In any case, the Bondy native arrived last summer for €95 million in order to play the match with Ramos, poached for a total of €80 million, with a view to the center forward position. He started the last six C1 matches in 2023-24, with only 42 minutes in total in the final phase. In the end, the numerical record of his first season (11 goals, 6 assists) is not infamous. But his status and confidence are clearly eroded.

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Profile question

Problem? The right side belongs to Ousmane Dembélé, while Bradley Barcola has taken possession of the left wing. And in the axis, we understood that Luis Enrique only moderately appreciates the profile of Randal Kolo Muani. For him, a number 9 must be a “target man” who touches few balls or a player who drops back to bring the extra man in the middle. In these conditions, the hopes of the Parisian number 23 can only be limited. The departure of Kylian Mbappé has therefore not opened a boulevard to the former Canary.

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In fact, if Nasser Al-Khelaïfi had not worked so hard to recruit him to Stuttgart and his purchase price had not been so high, it is a safe bet that the player concerned would have been exfiltrated, like Manuel Ugarte. To play for PSG, you have to fit into Luis Enrique’s mold. That does not call into question the qualities of «Wheel»but that’s how it is. It is also for questions of technical and tactical compatibility that Luis Enrique did not push to attract Victor Osimhen. “If you look at the last two games, in 9, we can play with Asensio, Kolo Muani, Ramos, Barcola, Dembélé, but also Warren, Hakimi, Vitinha, Neves, Fabian… That makes 10. Same thing with the defenders. I have a very versatile squad, a lot of players who can play in a lot of positions.”swore Luis Enrique before the match in Lille.

It is up to Kolo Muani to find his place. And to take advantage of every minute he is given to show himself. “If someone scores 40 goals, we won’t close the doors. But if we have four players who score 12 goals, that makes 48 in total, so it’s even better.”smiled the Spanish technician before the end of the transfer window. A transfer market during which Paris Saint-Germain therefore attracted Doué after having failed in the Khvicha Kvaratskhelia case.

Also readMbappé/PSG: the LFP legal committee rules in favor of the player, the club awaits a court decision… War is declared

When I have to call on him, he answers.

Didier Deschamps

Will Kolo Muani be one of those players with 12 goals at the end of the season? We’ll see. In the meantime, the player concerned can be happy to have the confidence of Didier Deschamps. A surprise guest at the 2022 World Cup, he is now one of the regulars at the Château. And he was expected in the starting 11 against Italy, before having to withdraw at the last minute due to illness. “He has confidence with us. You know the situation in his club. He can occupy several positions. He had very good intentions but he had this little problem on the eve of the match which prevented him from being available but he will be concerned for the match on Monday, he is fine”had indicated «DD» before France-Belgium. And he kept his word, entrusting Randal Kolo Muani with a starting role during the 2-0 victory against the Red Devils in Lyon.

Top scorer for the Blues in 2024

The 25-year-old player did not take advantage of this to sign the match of the year (6 in the notes of the Figaro ). But he shone with his sense of duty at the Groupama Stadium. And he scored, again. The top scorer of the French team in 2024, it’s him. Improbable but true. A goal full of rage, full of power, as if to free himself from the straitjacket that is his at Paris Saint-Germain.

“With us, he scores, he is in a climate of confidence, but it’s been a whilenoted Didier Deschamps after France-Belgium. Even if he still has things to improve… With his club, even if he didn’t play the whole matches, he scored, including the last one with a header (against Lille). It’s good. He’s been with us for a while. He’s not always one of the starters but I know that when I have to call on him, he responds.”.

Note that the three French goals in the last meeting were scored by… three PSG players, Kolo Muani, Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola. “I have no doubt that they will play together in many matches. They get along very well and I can see that every day in training.”slips Luis Enrique, who added another layer, before Brest, on the versatility of his players, notably for the central attacker position, assigned to Marco Asensio at the start of the season. “I have many options in this position and others. I like all these options, each one brings different things, with Marco Asensio, Randal Kolo Muani, Kang-in Lee, Désiré Doué, Joao Neves… We are in a situation of versatility and we have the certainty that the players who will be brought to play will do so in the best way. So I am very calm.”he admits, mischievously.

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Finally free?

Two rooms, two atmospheres between club and selection for the former Canary. Luis Enrique does not disagree but wants to see the glass half full: “I try, with my tools, to reveal the best version of all the players. We know him, a very high-level player. There is a lot of pressure on him because he returned to his club, his city, the problems with his transfer… I am looking for the best version of Kolo Muani. I see him more confident every day, more relaxed. He has scored goals, and that necessarily allows us to better condition an attacker. I liked what I saw last year, I liked this version of Kolo Muani, we can improve it, and I think you will see a more liberated version of Kolo Muani, more capable of finding his fullness. When he expresses himself to the best of his ability, he is a very high-level player.”It remains to be seen whether he will succeed at Paris-SG as is the case in Bleu.