PSG not at their best but no reason to panic, insists Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe conceded Paris Saint-Germain are struggling to play to their potential this season, but insists there is no reason to be alarmed.

Mauricio Pochettino’s team sit 10 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 after a hard-fought 3-2 away win over Bordeaux on Saturday.

There did not appear to be much concern at all as PSG breezed into a 3-0 lead, Neymar scoring twice in the first half, with both goals teed up by Mbappe – those strikes the Brazilian’s first from open play in the league since May.

Mbappe made it 3-0 just after the hour with a simple finish into an open goal, though PSG’s defensive vulnerabilities have reared their head throughout the campaign and Alberth Elis stole in to tuck home and give the hosts some hope.

M’Baye Niang then slotted in at the culmination of a slick team move in stoppage time, yet it proved too little too late.

Mbappe, who had been subbed off by that point, was clearly exasperated by his team-mates’ defending, but the striker was adamant there is no need for PSG to panic about the level of their performances after picking up an 11th Ligue 1 win of the season.

“We did not tremble at the end, this match was not as hard as it has been for us and we had made ourselves comfortable,” Mbappe told Canal+ after being involved in three goals in the same Ligue 1 game for only the second time in 2021.

“They scored at the end, it’s avoidable but we cannot say that we were shaken. We were shaking a lot more than that in previous weeks. In this game we showed our quality.

“We will say that this is not yet sufficient compared to the team we have but we try to improve day after day. We hope that things will get better and better.

“Everyone has the right to give their opinion. People think that we play badly, I think that we do not play very well at the moment but we still manage to win.

“We will continue to work because the team is hard working and conscious. It is not so alarming. But we will continue to work.”

PSG, who were without the injured Lionel Messi, faced 18 shots in this game, their highest tally in a Ligue 1 game so far this season.

Their defensive issues may soon be allayed by the return from injury of Sergio Ramos, who is expected to train with the team next week. He is yet to feature since his arrival from Real Madrid.