Louis Saha is frustrated by the behaviour of Kylian Mbappe, who the former Manchester United striker says is sending "the wrong message".
Mbappe has been criticised over the past week after his actions in Paris Saint-Germain's 5-2 win over Montpellier.
The striker, who signed a lucrative deal to stay at PSG for a further three years back in May, snubbing Real Madrid's interest, was in a stroppy mood on what was his first start of the season.
He missed a penalty in the 23rd minute, but created the first goal soon after when his low cross was turned into his own net by Falaye Sacko.
A spat between Mbappe and Neymar then became apparent when the latter stepped up to take PSG's second penalty of the game.
Mbappe was sure he should have remained on spot-kick duties, and in his frustration to raise the issue with Neymar he even barged past Lionel Messi.
Neymar subsequently converted from 12 yards before helping himself to a second. Mbappe got on the scoresheet in the 69th minute, yet did not celebrate.
He also reacted furiously to Vitinha's decision to pass to Messi rather than him late in the first half, throwing his arms up in disgust and seemingly refusing to continue with the attack.
PSG coach Christophe Galtier explained Mbappe's behaviour as being down to a lack of match fitness, and on Friday confirmed any row between the France forward and Neymar was over, though Saha was not at all impressed.
"I would think it's unacceptable for a player of this nature," Saha said in an exclusive interview with Stats Perform.
"Yes we all make mistakes, especially since he's a young player.
"But [being a young player] doesn't give you the position to do this, because all the people will be on his back. We will say, 'Wait a minute, we have seen a lot of things going on'.
"We've seen fights with Neymar. Doing that [throwing his arms up in the air after Vitinha's pass to Messi] after whatever choices from a player giving the ball, that's the wrong message. That's not helping.
"He still needs to show from the outside that he's remaining eager.
"You have ambition and all that, fine, there's no problem. You want to win, but you don't bring the right message to the other players - some very expensive players should be respected, some young players should be respected."
Saha does believe the 23-year-old's winning mentality is what makes him such an influential figure, however.
"He helps represent the youth, the really young guys who can work under pressure," Saha continued.
"He's got great communication skills, I like he's committed to football, but slowly beat by beat he can commit to messages about society. You have to be careful because you represent so much.
"It's all really impactful. He has more to give still to football and he has to remain humble, that he's still able to learn from people because getting too quickly into that position where you think you know better could be dangerous for his development.
"I'm really scared about that because he has more impact than he thinks on just football.
"In society he could be a gamechanger so I'd love for him to be slowly taught in some way to be an icon and an ambassador because he's very smart, he speaks three or four languages, and has winning spirit, I love it."
Chelsea quartet left at home as Bompastor rotates squad for Celtic clash
Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor has said that they will be without four key players ahead of their Champions League game away to Celtic on Wednesday.
Bompastor confirmed that Millie Bright, Mayra Ramirez, Sjoeke Nusken and Kadeisha Buchanan have not travelled to Scotland for their encounter at Celtic Park.
The Blues know a victory will seal their progression to the knockout stages, though have decided to rest a few of their key players during a hectic fixture schedule.
Their trip to Scotland will be the second of three matches inside seven days in all competitions for Bompastor's side and, as a result, she has decided to rotate her squad.
"The squad is in a good place and we have a good dynamic and we are full of confidence," she told a press conference
"We have been playing a lot of games and this week we play three games so it’s important to manage players as individuals.
“We have some players who didn’t travel for this game. Kadeisha Buchanan, Millie Bright, Sjoeke Nusken and Mayra Ramirez didn’t travel."
Chelsea come into the game with a 100% record in all competitions under Bompastor, including two wins from two against Real Madrid and Twente in the Champions League.
And they will be confident of maintaining their perfect run, having lost just one of their previous 20 group stage matches in the competition (W14 D5) and are unbeaten across their last 14 (W11 D3).
“As you know, Chelsea have a good squad with quality and a good team will start the game and be competitive because we want to finish first in this group," she said.
Their early-season form has them second in the Women's Super League and top of their Champions League group, at least three points ahead of any other team.
Despite resting players, Bompastor reassured people that it was Chelsea's ambition to fight on all fronts.
“The Champions League is important and we have ambition and we want to make sure we finish first in the group," she said.
“We have ambitions and if we want to go for all the competitions then you need to beat every team.
“It will start again in March and that’s when the really important games start, but right now we are focused on the group stage.”
Upamecano: Mbappe shown 'lack of gratitude' in latest France omission
Dayot Upamecano believes a "lack of gratitude" has been shown towards France team-mate Kylian Mbappe after his latest omission from Les Blues' Nations League squad.
Mbappe was not included for France's upcoming fixtures against Israel and Italy as a "one off", according to Didier Deschamps.
The France captain also missed Les Bleus' last two matches, being rested despite his return to fitness in time for the October international break, with Mbappe coming under scrutiny for his absence.
The 25-year-old played the duration of Real Madrid's 4-0 win over Osasuna at the weekend, but was unable to find the target for the fourth game in a row.
Mbappe has netted six goals in 11 LaLiga appearances since his move from Paris Saint-Germain, but has underperformed his season's expected goals (xG) total by 2.04.
He has also scored 48 goals in 86 outings for his nation, along with helping them claim the 2018 World Cup and 2020-21 Nations League title.
Despite the recent speculation about Mbappe's absence from the side, Upamecano leapt to the defence of his team-mate and is hopeful for a swift return to the France set-up.
“Am I worried [about Mbappe]? No. You can’t forget what he’s done for the France national team. We lack a bit of gratitude towards him," Upamecano said.
"I hope to see him again quickly. You can’t forget that he is our captain."
When asked if Mbappé’s absence could be due to physical or mental fatigue, Upamecano expressed understanding for his team-mate’s situation.
“There are many games, and I mentioned this at the start of the season. We’re human, and mental well-being is a big factor for us.
"I won’t go into details, but as I said, he’s our captain, and I hope he’ll be back with us soon. He’s very important to us.”
Inter Miami 2-3 Atlanta United: Slisz completes comeback to upset favourites
Atlanta United stunned MLS Cup favourites Inter Miami, coming from behind to win 3-2 and setting up another trip to Florida to face Orlando City in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Bartosz Slisz scored the all-important winner to ensure Atlanta overturned the deficit in the series, having lost their first trip to Chase Stadium.
The hosts started brightly, with Matias Rojas sharply turning in the rebound of Lionel Messi's saved shot moments after Jamal Thiare was denied by the post.
However, the Senegalese striker would soon turn things around with two goals in two minutes – he powered his first shot past Drake Callender after some chaos in the box and was left with a simple tap-in from close range for his second.
Diego Gomez was denied an equaliser by VAR shortly after, having drifted offside before receiving Luis Suarez's pass, while Brad Guzen made a string of fine saves to keep Atlanta's lead intact.
He could not keep them out forever though, with Messi peeling away at the back post to nod in an equaliser in the 65th minute.
It was Slisz who would have the last say though, leaping high to power a header past Callender against the run of play, with Atlanta causing the biggest upset of the playoffs so far.
Data Debrief: One for the books
Miami were classed as the favourites to win the MLS Cup this year, but their defeat to Atlanta maybe should not be too big of a surprise, with this their third loss against them this season.
The Five Stripes ended a six-match winless run on the road in the play-offs (D1 L5), but have still conceded multiple goals in each of their last six such games.
Slisz is not known for his goalscoring, but he stepped up at the right time for Atlanta - it was just his second goal in MLS this season, and his first since May 18.
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