Soccer-Mbappe must respect my choices, says PSG coach
PARIS, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Paris St Germain striker Kylian Mbappe must respect the coach's choices, Thomas Tuchel said on Tuesday after the French international sulked following a last-minute substitution in a Ligue 1 match at the weekend.
Mbappe showed his discontent when Tuchel replaced him with Eric Choupo-Moting just before stoppage time in their 3-1 win at Montpellier, prompting the German to remind him who the boss is at the club.
"He has a specific mindset. When you win titles and have talent like him, you don't like to be substituted but he must accept my choices, it is necessary to show respect to the player who comes on," Tuchel told a news conference on the eve of PSG's final Champions League Group A game against Galatasaray.
Tuchel added that the Mbappe incident had been forgotten 'a minute later'.
"I'm not taking it personally," he said.
The French champions have already qualified for the knockout stage and with a five-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid, they have secured top spot in the group.
It gives Tuchel the possibility to rest several players and he will decide after Wednesday's training session if defender Thomas Meunier, midfieler Marco Verratti or winger Angel Di Maria, who will miss the following match if booked, will start.
"I don't want to take risks," added Tuchel. (Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
