Mbappé Crafted His Special Goal… with Pochettino

Kylian Mbappé has altered his style of play in recent seasons, adding a special touch to score goals: closing his foot at the last moment. This move was developed under the guidance of former PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino.

Mbappé, being a well-known player, had to evolve his game. To beat goalkeepers, he found a solution: closing his foot just before a shot, aiming for the near post to score. During an interview with Prime Video, the Paris Saint-Germain striker shared the details of the origin of this particular technique, explaining how he incorporated it into his skill set, with the help of Mauricio Pochettino.

“I only developed it in late 2020, early 2021 with Pochettino. I talked a lot with the coach, with his staff. We worked a lot, analyzing the fact that I often curled the ball to the far post, and whether it was defenders or goalkeepers, they were already positioned there.”

“I remember they told me that I had to find something to counter that. And we started working on it with empty dummies, doors, and cones. I had to hit between the cones without a goalkeeper, without anyone. Then we added a goalkeeper. I started doing it a little in training and then in matches.”

“Having multiple options for a striker is crucial. Sometimes you think, but sometimes you can’t think. Instinct comes with work. Now that I have that, I try to have as wide a range as possible because when you want to score as many goals as I do or am doing, you have to have several strings to your bow.”

[Video Link](https://twitter.com/PVSportFR/status/1746608038486679786)