I watched all 256 goals Kylian Mbappe scored for Paris Saint-German, and the common theme is that he didn’t think. He took one- or two-touch shots, and more importantly, there were no wasted steps. He has been wasting steps at Real Madrid.

Kylian would take a touch to enter the box and then fire on the next touch. One touch, next step to plant, and then shoot with the opposite foot. He preferred to surprise the goalkeeper with a first-time volley from a cross. He had an eye only for the goal. Deflection high up in the air, most would take a touch to control, but he instinctually heads the ball into the net from the top of the box, 15 yards from goal. 

With every action, he exuded complete confidence. The only reason he would take an extra step would be to draw the goalkeeper in. His eyes were not trained on the defenders; he only had eyes for the goal. He would be thinking about the goal while others around him thought about the next pass or defensive clearance. He has the ability to surprise his teammates.

The goal he scored against Atalanta in the Champions League on Tuesday looked like the PSG version of Mbappe. Quick, one touch to open to shoot, minimal steps taken before the shot, shoot on the second touch, hips and shoulders aligned with the target.

When I look at Mbappe’s missed chances for Real Madrid this season, he looks more worried about the defender and the goalkeeper, rather than just the goalkeeper. He will sometimes take a third unnecessary touch, in an effort to increase separation from the defender, even though it has the opposite effect; it draws in the defender closer. His step count is higher; once he enters the box, he takes one or two extra steps before he shoots. Then, due to taking those extra steps, his chest is positioned off to the side, away from the ball, which then makes him lean to the side for the shot, reducing the amount of power he can generate. 

As Thom Harris for the Athletic pointed out, the location of his shots hasn’t changed all that much. It is a mixture of a lack of confidence, and he is increasing his step count unnecessarily to adjust to the faster pace of play. The timing is off now due to the increased steps. It is like a golfer changing something in their swing. He has adjusted the timing, and it is both impacting, one, the accuracy, and two, more importantly, the pace of the shot when defenders close him down at his side at an angle.

Jon Macenzie made a thread about this phenomenon that strikers are more productive when they predominantly take one- or two-touch shots. It’s similar to how Trent Alexander-Arnold passes on his first or second touch. They are more likely to get the best outcome because they don’t have to think, and it catches the opposition off-guard.