World Cup: Henry explains why Olise, not Mbappe, is France's most important player
France great Thierry Henry believes Michael Olise has become Les Bleus' most important player after the Bayern Munich star starred in their 3-0 win over Sweden in the FIFA World Cup Round of 32. Kylian Mbappe scored twice to send France into the last 16, but Olise's two assists and all-round display stole the show.
Kylian Mbappe scored twice to fire France into the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, but Michael Olise was the driving force behind the 3-0 win over Sweden, prompting Thierry Henry to declare that the Bayern Munich playmaker has become Les Bleus' most important player.
France eased to a 3-0 win over Sweden in the Round of 32, their biggest victory in the knockout stages of the World Cup since beating Brazil 3-0 in the 1998 final. Mbappe struck either side of Bradley Barcola's goal, but Olise orchestrated the attack throughout the night, setting up two goals and producing moments of individual brilliance that left pundits in awe.
Henry, who worked with Olise during his time with France's Under-21 side, reserved special praise for the 24-year-old after the match. While acknowledging Mbappe's status as France's talisman and leading goalscorer, the Arsenal legend argued that Olise is now the player who makes Didier Deschamps' side tick.
"What he does on the ball is second to none," Henry said.
"When you're that kind of guy, technical, you forget about your defensive duty. He doesn't Michael is a freak. The way he sees stuff is not the same as others he sees everything so perfectly, so quickly, if you're not his wave sometimes he (gets) annoyed.
"(When I coached him) sometimes he does stuff in training and you have to stop yourself from saying WOW this guy is on another planet - he is just different.
"MVP will always be Kylian (because of his numbers) but the most important player is Michael Olise."
Olise's performance gave weight to Henry's assessment.
The Bayern Munich attacker was at the centre of almost everything France created going forward. He nearly produced one of the moments of the tournament in the 35th minute when a looping clearance dropped invitingly on the edge of the area.
Olise contorted his body to execute an acrobatic bicycle kick that beat goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom but crashed off the post. Ousmane Dembele came close to converting the rebound, but Sweden survived.
"If he would've scored there, it would have been the goal of the tournament," Zlatan Ibrahimovic said on Fox Soccer.
France finally broke Sweden's resistance on the stroke of half-time. Olise and Dembele combined cleverly from a short corner before finding Mbappe on the left side of the penalty area. The captain cut inside Viktor Gyokeres onto his right foot and rifled an unstoppable finish past Jacob Widell Zetterstrom.
OLISE'S MASTERCLASS
Olise's vision was on full display again eight minutes after the restart. Spotting Barcola's run behind the Swedish defence, he threaded a perfectly weighted through ball between two defenders, allowing the Paris Saint-Germain forward to race clear and double France's lead.
The playmaker completed another memorable evening in the 74th minute with his second assist of the match. Another incisive pass split Sweden's backline and released Mbappe into the left channel, with the France captain finishing clinically to complete his brace.
Former England midfielder Owen Hargreaves was equally impressed by France's attacking duo.
"Mbappe and Olise were absolutely outrageous," Hargreaves said during Fox Soccer's coverage.
The numbers reflected Olise's growing influence. His two assists took his tally to five at the tournament, the most by a French player at a single World Cup since records began in 1966. He is also the first player to register five assists at a World Cup since 1994.
In doing so, Olise surpassed the previous French record of three assists, jointly held by Antoine Griezmann (2022), Youri Djorkaeff (1998), Dominique Rocheteau (1986) and Jean Tigana (1982). The performance also added to an extraordinary campaign in which he has now registered 31 assists for club and country.
France's victory booked a Round of 16 meeting with Paraguay, with Mbappe continuing his march towards the Golden Boot. Yet once again, it was Olise's creativity, vision and composure in the final third that shaped the contest.
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Kylian Mbappe scored twice to fire France into the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, but Michael Olise was the driving force behind the 3-0 win over Sweden, prompting Thierry Henry to declare that the Bayern Munich playmaker has become Les Bleus' most important player.
France eased to a 3-0 win over Sweden in the Round of 32, their biggest victory in the knockout stages of the World Cup since beating Brazil 3-0 in the 1998 final. Mbappe struck either side of Bradley Barcola's goal, but Olise orchestrated the attack throughout the night, setting up two goals and producing moments of individual brilliance that left pundits in awe.
Henry, who worked with Olise during his time with France's Under-21 side, reserved special praise for the 24-year-old after the match. While acknowledging Mbappe's status as France's talisman and leading goalscorer, the Arsenal legend argued that Olise is now the player who makes Didier Deschamps' side tick.
"What he does on the ball is second to none," Henry said.
"When you're that kind of guy, technical, you forget about your defensive duty. He doesn't Michael is a freak. The way he sees stuff is not the same as others he sees everything so perfectly, so quickly, if you're not his wave sometimes he (gets) annoyed.
"(When I coached him) sometimes he does stuff in training and you have to stop yourself from saying WOW this guy is on another planet - he is just different.
"MVP will always be Kylian (because of his numbers) but the most important player is Michael Olise."
Olise's performance gave weight to Henry's assessment.
The Bayern Munich attacker was at the centre of almost everything France created going forward. He nearly produced one of the moments of the tournament in the 35th minute when a looping clearance dropped invitingly on the edge of the area.
Olise contorted his body to execute an acrobatic bicycle kick that beat goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom but crashed off the post. Ousmane Dembele came close to converting the rebound, but Sweden survived.
"If he would've scored there, it would have been the goal of the tournament," Zlatan Ibrahimovic said on Fox Soccer.
France finally broke Sweden's resistance on the stroke of half-time. Olise and Dembele combined cleverly from a short corner before finding Mbappe on the left side of the penalty area. The captain cut inside Viktor Gyokeres onto his right foot and rifled an unstoppable finish past Jacob Widell Zetterstrom.
OLISE'S MASTERCLASS
Olise's vision was on full display again eight minutes after the restart. Spotting Barcola's run behind the Swedish defence, he threaded a perfectly weighted through ball between two defenders, allowing the Paris Saint-Germain forward to race clear and double France's lead.
The playmaker completed another memorable evening in the 74th minute with his second assist of the match. Another incisive pass split Sweden's backline and released Mbappe into the left channel, with the France captain finishing clinically to complete his brace.
Former England midfielder Owen Hargreaves was equally impressed by France's attacking duo.
"Mbappe and Olise were absolutely outrageous," Hargreaves said during Fox Soccer's coverage.
The numbers reflected Olise's growing influence. His two assists took his tally to five at the tournament, the most by a French player at a single World Cup since records began in 1966. He is also the first player to register five assists at a World Cup since 1994.
In doing so, Olise surpassed the previous French record of three assists, jointly held by Antoine Griezmann (2022), Youri Djorkaeff (1998), Dominique Rocheteau (1986) and Jean Tigana (1982). The performance also added to an extraordinary campaign in which he has now registered 31 assists for club and country.
France's victory booked a Round of 16 meeting with Paraguay, with Mbappe continuing his march towards the Golden Boot. Yet once again, it was Olise's creativity, vision and composure in the final third that shaped the contest.
FIFA World Cup | FIFA World Cup Schedule | FIFA World Cup Points Table | Football News
