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#3 Mauro Icardi
With the signing of Lionel Messi, PSG have hung a question mark over Mauro Icardi’s career at the club. The feud between Icardi and Messi is an open secret in the world of football and could very well spell doom for the Argentine striker in Paris.
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Meanwhile, Icardi was once again a star of the PSG show on Sunday, and did not stand on ceremony to make his mark. Just three minutes after kick-off, Mauro Icardi broke himself free inside the Strasbourg box and met Abdou Diallo’s inch-perfect delivery. His glancing header took the Strasbourg shot-stopper out of the equation, giving the capital side a 1-0 lead.
He did not add to his tally over the course of the match, but his movement off the ball and interlinking with Kylian Mbappe were still praiseworthy.
#2 Julian Draxler
While Mauro Icardi finds himself in a personal pickle, Julian Draxler has become a victim of Paris Saint-Germain’s overambitious approach. Due to the presence of Neymar, Angel Di Maria, Kylian Mbappe, and now Lionel Messi, Draxler does not seem to have the opportunity to play in his preferred positions, which is a shame for a player of this caliber.
The absence of Neymar and Di Maria against Strasbourg allowed Draxler to stretch his legs down the right wing, and the forward made the most of the opportunity by scoring a goal and providing an assist.
His first major contribution came in the 25th minute, when he dispossessed Sanjin Prcic with a well-timed sliding challenge. He then fed the ball to Mbappe, which led to PSG’s second goal. Draxler scored his first goal of the campaign just two minutes after his assist. He tapped the ball inside the back post from close range to cap off Mbappe’s inch-perfect delivery.
Following his performance on Sunday, Mauricio Pochettino will be tempted to give the German another well-deserved opportunity against Brest on Friday.
#1 Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe is the most valuable player in the world right now. On Sunday, he showed exactly why that's the case.
The French forward, who was undoubtedly the best player on the pitch, scored a goal and provided an assist — in a two-minute window — to help PSG secure their second win of the season. His goal came in the 25th minute after Draxler sent him through on goal. The Frenchman’s shot took a massive deflection, but the wrongfooted Strasbourg keeper couldn't do much, as PSG gave themselves a two-goal cushion.
Two minutes later, Mbappe tore through the left flank and, this time, turned provider for Draxler, setting him up for PSG’s third goal of the night. Apart from the two major contributions, Mbappe also completed the most dribbles (6) and won maximum duels (10) for PSG.
