The upcoming quarterfinal clash between old friends (and foes) England and France on Saturday night at Al Bayt Stadium is undoubtedly the headline fixture of the next round of the knockout stage of the 2022 World Cup, with a myriad of storylines set to unfold as two European heavyweights clash amid expectations from both sides of the Channel.
Despite the wealth of talent on offer when the two come to grips on football’s biggest stage, the chief talking point on the night will surely revolve around Les Blues star man Kylian Mbappé and how the current goalscoring leader in Qatar can be shut down by Gareth Southgate’s men.
That is, of course, meant with no disrespect to England given the deep talent pool that Southgate can call upon, but Mbappé has outshone even his efforts from four years ago when France lifted their second World Cup trophy in Russia and is now performing at a level for his country that borders on unstoppable, akin to others before him the likes of Thierry Henry.
Southgate has complete faith in his side’s ability to deal with the Paris Saint-Germain talisman, including keeping faith in Manchester City’s Kyle Walker or turning to Newcastle United’s Kieran Tripper. But according to France midfielder Youssouf Fofana, Walker, and England, should pass on their defensive secrets to the rest of Ligue 1.
Youssouf Fofana : « Si Walker sait comment stopper Kylian, c’est tout à son honneur. En attendant, il y a 19 autres équipes en Ligue 1 qui attendent cette solution. » 😂
(CP) pic.twitter.com/2Q32ehDc36
— Actu Foot (@ActuFoot_) December 8, 2022
In quotes provided by Actu Foot, the AS Monaco midfielder joked about how hard it has been for the entire top flight of French football to find a solution regarding how to slow the 23-year-old Paris native down as the entire league still searches for a working formula, that perhaps Walker can bring to the table.
“If Walker knows how to stop Kylian, it’s to his credit. In the meantime, there are 19 other teams in Ligue 1 waiting for this solution.”
There is no guarantee that France will defeat England just a few days from now, but one thing is certain; Mbappé is set to take centerstage once again as the heir apparent to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the next forward to take football by storm for years to come.
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