England out to stop World Cup’s ‘irresistible force’ Mbappé

DOHA: England’s players have been asked one question on repeat as they prepare to face France in the World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday. How do you stop Kylian Mbappé?Hardly surprising, given Mbappé is the tournament’s leading scorer with five goals and is widely considered the man to succeed Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as soccer’s biggest star.“I’m sure England will have prepared to face Kylian,” France coach Didier Deschamps said at a news conference Friday.

“But Kylian is in the position to make a difference.“Kylian is Kylian and he always will be.”There is no sense of France trying manage expectations of their star player, even as the hype surrounding him grows with each stellar performance in Qatar.He has already scored one more goal than the four he managed as his country won the 2018 World Cup in Russia.In the round of 16, he struck twice as the defending champions beat Poland 3-1, with two thunderous shots past goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.“He cannot be compared to other players,” said teammate Dayot Upamecano.“We all believe in Kylian,” added Youssouf Fofana.Mbappé is being depicted as an unstoppable force in Qatar — something England defender Kyle Walker pushed back against this week.“I don’t know how to say it even more: I feel he is a top player. I’m not underestimating that one bit, but we are not playing tennis, it’s not a solo sport,” he said after being faced with a series of questions about the Paris Saint-Germain striker.But France’s players seem happy to feed the narrative that Mbappé is simply unstoppable.“If he (Walker) can stop Kylian Mbappé, good for him,” added Fofana.

“But 19 other teams in Ligue 1 have been waiting for the solution. The truth will come from the pitch.”Walker will have