Kylian Mbappe is 23 years old but already has more goals (nine) at World Cups than Cristiano Ronaldo (eight) and the same number as Lionel Messi.
Mbappe was the best young player of the 2018 tournament in Russia and he looks unstoppable in Qatar, with five goals and two assists in four games.
If England are going to eliminate France in the quarter-finals on Saturday, they have to contain him.
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The million-dollar question is, how do you stop one of the most talented and in-form players in football?
Using Football Manager 2023, we tested six different line-ups Gareth Southgate could use and stress-tested them to determine how effective they might be against the world champions.
At the time of writing, Raheem Sterling’s availability was unknown, so we have left him out of the squad in the majority of the tests, but included him in one experiment to account for all possibilities.
To reduce the impact of luck which occurs in one-off games in FM23, we’ve tested each formation across three different matches. Here are the results.
The ultra-defensive XI
(3-4-3) Pickford; Stones, Maguire, Walker; Shaw, Rice, Bellingham, Trippier; Saka, Mount, Kane
Game one: If this result played out in real life, it would go down as an all-time classic. Mbappe was at the heart of everything France did well, scoring twice and laying on an assist for Olivier Giroud.
Even though Mbappe couldn’t be stopped, at least Harry Kane got going. Much of the talk is centred on stopping France’s young prodigy, but if England’s second-highest scorer of all time, who can beat Wayne Rooney’s record of 53 goals at this World Cup, has his scoring boots on then England have a chance.
Score: England 3-4 France
Game two: A smash and grab? Perhaps. A masterclass? Definitely not. But a win against France with Mbappe failing to impress? Absolutely.
In this trial, most of England’s starters struggled but a goal from substitute Trent Alexander-Arnold was all that was needed. England’s defensive resilience was crucial in keeping France’s star-studded front line from finding the net. This could, however, be a fluke, so it was time for the third test.
Score: England 1-0 France
Game three: One of the more consistent trends from this ultra-defensive line-up was that Mason Mount struggled in all three outings while playing in a front three.
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A convincing win for France, powered by the brilliance of Ousmane Dembele, was a timely reminder that stopping Mbappe doesn’t guarantee much unless you can stop the whole team.
Score: England 2-5 France
The ultra-attacking XI
(4-2-3-1) Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Bellingham, Rice; Saka, Foden, Grealish; Kane
Game one: It’s unlikely that Southgate would choose to use a No 10 and leave England with less cover further back, but it’s not entirely out of the question, so that was the next formation to test; time to fight fire with fire.
The aim was to field a team with enough attacking intent that it would be England, and not France, creating the majority of chances. A defeat on penalties, with Conor Gallagher missing the decisive spot kick, would suggest this formation choice was somewhat successful, as Mbappe didn’t score or assist.
Score: England 2-2 France
Game two: OK, maybe that first game was a stroke of luck because in game two, England were swiftly beaten and nobody covered themselves in glory.
If Southgate’s team gave this performance in Qatar, all the focus would be on the fact Kane left the tournament with just one goal while delivering a horror show in the last eight. Mbappe didn’t score but had a productive outing, providing an assist for Giroud while also having a strike ruled out for offside.
Score: England 0-2 France
Game three: At this point, two wins for France weighed in favour of those who argue this formation won’t work. But this victory could soften the blow.
Mbappe had the same statistical output as game two, but this time, it was England who were victorious, with Mount coming off the bench to score an extra-time winner.
Score: England 3-2 France
The classic 4-4-2 XI
Pickford; Alexander-Arnold, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Saka, Rice, Bellingham, Grealish; Kane, Rashford
Game one: In years past, English football has long been associated with a good old 4-4-2. Of all the formations we’ll try here, this is by far the least likely to become reality. But this is FM23, not real life, so let’s have some fun with it.
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Thank God for modern tactics. A comfortable victory for France, courtesy of a double from Antoine Griezmann, with no goal involvements from Mbappe, maybe proves why Southgate has left the tactics of the past firmly in the past.
Score: England 0-2 France
Game two: So far, the presence of Kyle Walker has nullified the impact of Mbappe somewhat, but France were still winning two out of every three experiments. Something has to give, which is why Alexander-Arnold got the nod.
And just like that, England had a 4-0 victory to celebrate. The use of two forwards up front and four midfielders, at least on this evidence, may be worth some consideration. But one more test was needed to be sure.
Score: England 4-0 France
Game three: Forget every piece of criticism you might have seen me write about a 4-4-2 formation. What an excellent tactic. Two dominant victories from three experiments in FM23 gives credence to the idea that this is the way to go against France in real life.
In both instances, Jack Grealish, Marcus Rashford and Jude Bellingham were the foundations of each victory. Kane was an afterthought here, but who cares? Nine goals and two wins against France, with Mbappe scoring just once against a rock-solid back four, has thrown a spanner in the works.
Score: England 5-2 France
The not-so-surprising XI
(4-3-3) Pickford; Shaw, Maguire, Stones, Walker; Rice, Bellingham, Henderson; Foden, Kane, Saka
Game one: Back to reality. England coasted past Senegal 3-0 with ease in the last 16, so let’s see how that same group of players would perform against the reigning world champions.
As it happens, if the first trial is to believed, England are in for a painful loss, one which will leave fans wondering what could’ve been. Kane missed a penalty and then had a goal ruled out for offside in the final minutes of the game to cap off a heartbreaking defeat. Mbappe was average, but still a member of the winning team. Time for game two.
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Score: England 0-1 France
Game two: So far, using the same team that beat Senegal has produced the best defensive results. Mbappe once again failed to deliver a goal or assist and England left with a victory on penalties.
There will no doubt be a clamour for certain players to be brought in, but on this evidence, it’s very much a case of “if it ain’t broke, use the same starting XI and hope Jordan Pickford can pull off heroics after 120 minutes of action”.
Score: England 1-1 France
Game three: I’m fully aware that FM23 is a video game, bound to statistical randomness, but after three experiments, the results speak for themselves.
For those who thought the win on penalties was a fluke, this victory only serves to cement the idea that the starting XI against Senegal was England’s strongest line-up, and may represent the best chance of stopping Mbappe.
Score: England 1-0 France
The Foden-in-midfield XI
(4-3-3) Pickford; Shaw, Maguire, Stones, Walker; Rice, Bellingham, Foden; Saka, Rashford, Kane
Game one: If Southgate gives in to the clamour to start Phil Foden in midfield, there’ll need to be two more defensive-minded players behind him to steady the ship. Having him in midfield is essentially like having four attackers on the pitch, so in theory, this formation should yield plenty of goals.
This tactical tweak appeared to unlock every ounce of potential that this team has and saw it come together in one amazing display. But before the match, it would be easy to point out how this team could be left exposed in defence, so let’s see how the other two trials play out.
Score: England 5-1 France
Game two: Turns out those doubters were onto something. Even though Foden performed well for the second consecutive game, England were handily beaten 4-2 after lacking defensive cover, just as those critics suggested.
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Mbappe ran riot with two goals, and England’s decision to enter ultra-attack mode only gave ammunition to Southgate’s critics. Still, there was always game three, right?
Score: England 2-4 France
Game three: Where are those haters now? Three games, two England victories and one incredible tactical masterstroke to start Foden in midfield.
With an overload of attacking talent in this formation, it legitimises the school of thought that suggests the best way to stop Mbappe is to field all of your best attackers to ensure France are on the back foot more often than not. Using Foden in midfield with Bellingham and Rice sitting slightly deeper, is a winning combination in FM23.
Score: England 3-1 France
The curveball XI
(4-3-3) Pickford; Alexander-Arnold, Stones, Maguire, Walker; Phillips, Bellingham, Mount; Sterling, Kane, Maddison
Game one: If Southgate decides to go all Pep Guardiola on us and introduce some unexpected twists against France, we’ve created a line-up to account for that possibility.
After plenty of pre-tournament attention focused on James Maddison’s inclusion in the squad, the time arrived for him to start. But things didn’t go swimmingly for Leicester’s talisman. France cruised to a 2-0 win, with no Mbappe goal involvements.
Score: England 0-2 France
Game two: Remember what I said about FM23 sometimes producing entirely random events? Turns out, Maddison’s clanger in game one was an anomaly, as he got on the scoresheet in a 5-1 win for England.
Mbappe once again failed to deliver, even if Southgate’s men did lose the first encounter. All eyes now turned to our third and final experiment.
Score: England 5-1 France
Game three: In three games, Maddison delivered two sub-par displays sandwiched between one outing that gave us false hope. Sterling, arguably England’s best player at Euro 2020, also failed to impress here.
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For what it’s worth, even though England lost two of three games using a leftfield line-up, Mbappe was quiet in all three games, but ultimately, England lost more than they won, so that was a small consolation.
Score: England 0-1 France
What we learned
For the most part, Mbappe was kept in check. Regardless of the formation used, he only managed five goals and five assists in 18 games — a roughly one-in-two-chance that the forward provides a goal contribution against England in the quarter-final.
The most effective formation going forward was the Foden-in-midfield XI, which produced two victories and 10 goals in three games. A classic 4-4-2 also proved effective, with England winning two of three encounters when setting up their team as if this was still 2002.
Defensively, the starting XI England used against Senegal provided the best foundations at the back, as they only conceded twice while winning two games out of three, with Mbappe not scoring or assisting.
France and England won nine games apiece in this FM23 experiment. But it was Giroud, and not Mbappe, who scored the most goals for France, with seven. Dembele was also a threat, while Griezmann was the least effective of France’s fearsome forward quartet.
At the Qatar World Cup, France have faced Australia, Denmark, Tunisia and Poland. Whichever formation Southgate uses in Qatar, England will likely represent the toughest defence Mbappe has faced.
England, on paper, have the tools needed to beat France, but the personnel they deploy in the quarter-final will determine which side ends up on the right side of history.
(Top photo: Laurence Griffiths via Getty Images)
