His performance against Atlético de Madrid has set off the alarm at Real Madrid. At this point in the season, much more is expected from Kylian Mbappé.
After a difficult start, Mbappé gradually found his place in the team through goals. He even managed to decide matches with his talent. His zenith coincided with Vinícius's absence due to injury.
Did Real Madrid Play with Nine Men Against Atlético?
But the Brazilian returned, and neither he nor Mbappé have performed at the level expected of them, except for sporadic flashes.
Against Atlético de Madrid, for many, Ancelotti's team played with 9 men due to the ineffectiveness of Vinícius and Mbappé.
Meanwhile, Ancelotti is particularly concerned about the latter. He has already started an ambitious and urgent plan with him to regain his best form in the final third of the season when all titles are at stake.
In the Euroclassic, Mbappé contributed nothing to the team's offensive play and lost up to 14 balls. A nullity.
Scores 365 summarizes his match against Atlético as follows:
Total Shots: 0
Offsides: 0
Expected Assists: 0.01
Key Passes: 1
Passes in the Final Third: 2
Backward Passes: 3
Completed Passes: 13/13 (100%)
Dribbles: 1/3 (33%)
Touches: 19
Fouls Received: 0
Fouls Committed: 1
Possessions Lost: 3
Dribbled Past: 0
Clearances: 0
Interceptions: 0
Possession Recovery: 1
Recovering Soldier Mbappé
Many 0s on his scorecard: 0 shots, 0 fouls received, 0 interceptions, 1 recovery, 1 key pass, 1 dribble, 3 possessions lost. Poor, very poor balance.
Meanwhile, Ancelotti wants to recover "Soldier Mbappé" as soon as possible, hoping he awakens in next week's return match at the Metropolitano. Real Madrid can't afford to have the best player in the world inactive.
The Origin of the Problem Lies with Vinícius
In the locker room, they attribute it to the extraction of a tooth. But that doesn't affect his performance. If he's fit to play, he has to be at one hundred percent.
Just over two weeks ago, Mbappé was on top of the world, scoring a hat trick against Manchester City. Such a drastic change overnight is not possible.
But the truth is that after the spark against City came the blackout against Betis and Atlético. Carlo Ancelotti believes he knows the origin of the problem, which is why he will seek the solution alongside Vinícius.
The Italian coach suspects that Vinícius's presence in the team has a lot to do with the decline in Mbappé's performance.