Sport
Kylian Mbappe’s summer move to Real Madrid was a number of years in the making. The French forward had been on Los Blancos’ radar since his teenage years and so there was an element of inevitability to Mbappe signing for Real Madrid. This was a stage that had been prepared for the arrival of one of the best players in the world.
Mbappe’s presence, however, has disrupted Real Madrid’s fearsome frontline. With the Spanish champions kicking off the defence of their Champions League title this week, questions are swirling around the Frenchman and his role in Carlo Ancelotti’s team. There is still a lot of work to do before Mbappe is integrated.
While Mbappe has scored four goals in his first six games for Real Madrid including the UEFA Super Cup win over Atalanta, three of them have been penalties and the 25-year-old has struggled to get on the same wavelength as his new teammates. In particular, his partnership with Vinicius Junior has so far faltered.
This is because both Mbappe and Vinicius want to occupy the same area of the pitch. Both attackers are most comfortable when they can play off the left wing, but obviously this creates a problem because there is only one role for two players. Mbappe and Vinicius are having to job-share at this moment in time.
At Paris Saint-Germain and for the French national team, Mbappe made clear his unhappiness at having to play through the middle as a centre forward. He argues, with some justification, that it doesn’t suit his natural game. So far this season, though, this is the position he has played most often for Real Madrid and it is limiting the impact he can have on matches.
There is also a growing sense that Mbappe has unsettled the Real Madrid dressing room with Rodrygo reportedly unhappy at not being considered in the same bracket as the Frenchman, Vinicius and Jude Bellingham. There is a feeling that the Brazilian winger is being squeezed out, something that was reinforced by his omission against Real Sociedad on Saturday.
“There’s a very good and healthy atmosphere in the dressing room,” insisted Ancelotti when asked about stories of Rodrygo’s disgruntlement at playing second fiddle to Mbappe and also being left off the Ballon d’Or shortlist. “There are players who will have more responsibility, like Vinicius, Rodrygo, the youngsters, who are not so young anymore.
“For him, it is a motivation to compare himself with these players [Vinicius, Mbappe, Bellingham]. For me, he is as important as the others. He doesn’t tell me that he has a problem, he has never talked to me about this. He was not valued in the Ballon d’Or selection. He deserved to be in the top 30 without a doubt. I understand that he is upset.”
Of course, there is still time for Ancelotti to remould his team and find solutions to the problems Real Madrid have suffered over the first few matches of the season. This is, after all, what he did last season when Karim Benzema left the Santiago Bernabeu to make the shock move to the Saudi Pro League. Real Madrid actually grew stronger as a result.
It’s not just the arrival of Mbappe that has disrupted Los Blancos. They are also missing Toni Kroos in the centre of the pitch with nobody stepping into the playmaking void of the German midfielder. It also hasn’t helped that Barcelona have started the season in exceptional form. Mbappe will surely click in this Real Madrid team at some point, but his early performances have raised doubts.
