Kylian Mbappe's PSG struggles prove he isn't a centre forward

Three months into the 2021/22 season, and the world is still waiting to see Paris Saint-Germain turn into football's version of the Harlem Globetrotters.

They have the biggest stars, play in one of the world's biggest cities, and their kits are even supplied by Air Jordan. And yet whenever they've taken to the pitch this season, PSG looked more like a team with the Blackpool Tower on their crest rather than the Eiffel Tower (Ian Holloway's 2010/11 Tangerines were much more entertaining, for the record).

Mauricio Pochettino isn't a good fit for what PSG are trying to build, that's a-given at this point. But his star men aren't pulling their weight, either.

Lionel Messi hasn't hit the ground running in France yet, and questions are creeping in if he ever will at this stage of his career. Neymar is past his best and plays like Jack Grealish without gigantic calves. But a lot of PSG's problems stem from using Kylian Mbappe as a number nine.

The 22-year-old is the safest bet among players in his generation to win a Ballon d'Or at some point over the next decade. It's felt like an inevitability since he broke onto the scene with Monaco five years ago. He's already stacked his CV and scored a ludicrous number of goals at the highest level. That doesn't mean that he's a centre forward, though.

Mbappe struggled leading the line once again in PSG's 2-2 draw with RB Leipzig, spurning a host of chances while simultaneously not looking like a 'number nine' at all.

All of his chances came on the counter attack, sprinting into a whole half of space (as is standard against Bundesliga sides). Not every team is going to afford PSG that kind of space, and Mbappe doesn't have the instincts of centre forwards like Robert Lewandowski or Karim Benzema to compensate for that.

Georginio Wijnaldum scored a brace on Wednesday night as he sparked his PSG career into life. That's not to say he should be playing up front, but it showed that if smart footballers play in their best positions, there's a better chance that they are going to help you grab goals.

Though Messi was absent in the draw at Red Bull Arena, PSG's frontline still looks terribly unbalanced without a natural striker up top. For all of their riches, they still lack a direct route to goal and a player to unite all of their superstars.

If (when) Mbappe moves to Real Madrid, he'll be joined in attack by Benzema, who has surprised a lot of fans with his late Ballon d'Or surge. Vinicius Jr is coming into his own too, and signing Mbappe to join him on the flanks is a frightening prospect. That's partly because the guy playing between the two is one of the most natural centre forwards in the business.

PSG don't have anyone with Benzema's profile in their squad right now (Mauro Icardi is far from that and is too busy having internet fights with his wife anyway). Pochettino - or whoever eventually succeeds him - can persist with Mbappe as the number nine, but it's only going to get them so far.