The scene logically took a back seat on Wednesday in Lorient, while the entire squad celebrated their victory. Away from the group, far from the scenes of joy, Luis Enrique took on Randal Kolo Muani for a few seconds on the pitch. Big gestures in support, his gaze staring into that of his attacker, the coach came to debrief his half hour of play, once again, sluggish.
If the content of this conversation remains secret, these are indeed words of encouragement that his coach gave him to restore confidence to a center forward who is sorely lacking in it and who is out of place in the middle of this Parisian collective sure of its strengths, despite the evening quack.
Luis Enrique didn’t let go
Luis Enrique is not the type to kill his players at the slightest failed performance, so the Spaniard chose to start Kolo Muani this Saturday against Le Havre (3-3). The context of the evening, the nature of the opponent in the fight for maintenance and the identity of his two attacking partners, Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé, should have allowed the vice-world champion to shine. . To get out of this long tunnel from which he seems unable to find the way out for several weeks, to find this path to goal which has eluded him since February 10 with PSG. Unfortunately, this evening spent in the pouring rain turned into a cold shower.
Aligned at the forefront, “RKM” once again struggled to express his qualities in a role where he struggles to connect with others and highlight himself. Although he tried to play simple with a few one-touch throws in order to make the game more fluid at the start, the former Frankfurt player gradually disappeared from circulation, not helped either by the apathy of some teammates in the first half.
In a team where all the attacks came through the wings, Kolo Muani did not manage to be found in the area, nor to burst out to cut off the trajectories of the crosses, like the one delivered by Dembélé who passed in front of him (25th).
Only 4 goals in 2024
With only 13 balls touched in the first period, the French international was very discreet, once again appearing to lack sensation. Luis Enrique could have been tempted to take him out at half-time, but he still maintained his confidence in him, a gesture echoing his statements the day before at a press conference.
“It’s important to be by your players’ side when they need it. Randal is a top player, a great transfer, but he is at a moment where he is not 100% confident. But he has an incredible capacity for work. I am very happy with his performances. I believe he can do better. When he regains his confidence, his performances will be better,” assured the Parisian coach.
Lucid, the Spanish technician extended the experience only a quarter of an hour longer during which Kolo Muani only touched one additional ball on a breakthrough stopped 25 m from the opponent’s goal. Like a summary of this year 2024 which remains far from the expectations raised with only four goals scored. To find some joy again, he may have to wait until this summer and the Euro with the Blues where the staff is counting on him and continues to believe in his qualities…
