Thomas Tuchel Explains Dropping Kylian Mbappe, Adrien Rabiot for Le Classique

Paris Saint-Germain manager Thomas Tuchel has said that he dropped Kylian Mbappe and Adrien Rabiot for Sunday's fixture at Marseille in Le Classique because the pair were late for a team meeting in the buildup.

Mbappe came on after an hour and broke the deadlock within minutes of his introduction at the Stade Velodrome, while Julian Draxler supplied the second in a 2-0 victory.

The French youngster and compatriot Rabiot were shock absences from the XI, and Tuchel detailed the decision in his post-match comments, per MailOnline's Patrick Boyland: "It was a disciplinary issue in the hotel before the match, and that's why we decided that they wouldn't start. It's a shame because I don't like to play without Kylian and Adrien but today it was necessary and after that it's all good, it's finished."

It was brave of the PSG boss to leave out Ligue 1's leading scorer this season (now on 10 goals)—who is now also PSG's top scorer for the term—considering star striker EdinsonCavani was absent through injury.

Mbappe's opener against Marseille was his 12th goal in only 10 appearances this season, taking him one past Neymar, who did start at the Stade Velodrome and has 11 goals in 13 outings across all competitions.

While Neymar struggled to make an impact in the first hour, however, Mbappe showed a clean pair of heels and a sharp eye for goal to make the breakthrough only three minutes after coming on.

ESPN provided highlights of the PSG win, which took them eight points clear at the top of Ligue 1:

Mbappe, 19, has six goals in his last three league games and has only failed to score in two of his 10 appearances this term.

The teenager's late arrival to the team meeting wasn't his only show of ill-discipline of late. He was shown a straight red card—his second in two seasons—against Nimes in September after retaliating and pushing an opponent who had fouled him.

French football writer Jeremy Smith agreed with Tuchel's decision to drop Mbappe but argued the result is an example of how France's top tier is lacking competition at the top:

Sunday's victory was PSG's 11th in succession in the league, but there was a time when Marseille looked capable of becoming the first Ligue 1 team to strip points off the defending champions this term.

In place of Mbappe and Rabiot—two of the club's best players this season—Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Stanley N'Soki started in attack and midfield, respectively.

Choupo-Moting was signed as a free transfer this past summer after he left Stoke City, and presenter Matt Spiro joked his start was one way to humble Mbappe:

Tuchel indicated the issue is behind the club now, which is just as well as PSG prepare for an important run of fixtures.

They host second-placed Lille in Ligue 1 on Friday and travel to Napoli in the UEFAChampions League on Tuesday, and they'll need Mbappe and Rabiot at their best.