In order to help the squad, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti stated on Monday that he wanted Kylian Mbappe to prioritise scoring goals above pressuring.
After the former Paris Saint-Germain sensation arrived this summer, the Spanish and European champions have not been at their best this season and are still figuring out how to best use him. In their most recent Champions League match, Madrid fell away to Lille. On Tuesday, they will face Borussia Dortmund in a replay of the final from the previous season, which they won to claim a record-tying 15th European title.
At a press conference, Ancelotti stated, “I would rather (Mbappe) score goals than he presses.” “Our team still uses a central striker, and I ask him the same questions that I asked Karim (Benzema, who left in 2023).” to be in a good position and prepared to make a quick transition each time we get the ball back.” This season, Mbappe has scored eight goals for Madrid in 12 games across all competitions, whereas Robert Lewandowski, a striker for Barcelona, has scored 14 goals in 12 games. After recovering from a thigh injury, the attacker faced criticism in his native country for not participating in France’s recent Nations League games.
Jude Bellingham, the main offensive player for Los Blancos the previous season, is playing a more defensive role as a result of Mbappe’s arrival at Madrid. After scoring ten goals in his first ten games last season, the former Borussia Dortmund midfielder is yet to score in nine games this season.
“We’re satisfied with his work… because he works a lot on the pitch, he’s always there, he competes, fights, sacrifices himself,” Ancelotti stated. “He hasn’t scored as many goals as he did last year, but that’s not the surprise—last year, he scored a tonne of goals that nobody saw coming. The work he is doing is far more crucial to us right now because we have guys up front with excellent attacking ability, and we have always scored goals and will continue to do so.”
According to Ancelotti, Madrid enjoys end-to-end games because of their assortment of attacking stars, which also includes Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes. “I want (rock and roll football) because I have players with these characteristics,” said Ancelotti. Because we lack players with the necessary skills to play in smaller spaces, it is more difficult for us to play a possession-and-control-based game. We enjoy a back-and-forth game, but we’re concentrating on improving our defence because we played so well the previous season.”
Before Monday’s flight to Madrid, Dortmund trained in Germany, reportedly out of fear that the Spanish powerhouses might witness their practice. “We need a strong mentality, the game has to go our way to be able to survive here,” Dortmund coach Nuri Sahin stated during a press conference following his arrival by the Bernabeu. The former Madrid player claimed that in order to stop Mbappe, Vinicius, and company, his struggling team—which currently sits seventh in the Bundesliga—had to cooperate.
“He went on, “We can only succeed as a team, not just against these two, but against all of Real’s players.” “Of course, every coach thinks of (a plan) and the lads know what to do, but we also want to be brave.” Julian Brandt, a midfielder, stated that swiftly shutting down Madrid players was crucial. “It’s about working even more defensively… you probably shouldn’t give them any breathing room to get close to our goal,” Brandt added. “The defence will be a big factor, but we don’t just want to focus on it, we also want to get forward.”
