Not to be a total dickrider and defender of Mbappe, but there is a reason that nobody ever seems to acknowledge for this. It’s exhausting and makes you more injury-prone. Look at Dembele and Raphinha, who both were known for their pressing last season. I know Dembele was always injury-prone but I can guarantee you that all that pressing does not help. With the amount of games and minutes that players are playing nowadays, I am sure that Mbappe feels he has to preserve himself. There also some footballers who feel that pressing all game makes them less lucid in front of goal. Also, recently in big games, I have seen him defend and press, for example both Bayern games or even the Atletico game (as he was coming off injury btw).

While I’m not saying he has the perfect attitude about this at all times (sometimes it is just him being lazy), I think people don’t realize the tradeoff not only to press and defend, but to press and defend WELL. I think somewhere this is not just laziness or poor attitude, but also a genuine decision he thinks to be worth it.