Despite a return of eight goals and two assists from his first 14 games with Real Madrid, there’s no denying Kylian Mbappe’s start to life in Spain has not gone to plan.
Los Blancos have already fallen nine points behind Barcelona, who have played one game more than their fierce rivals, with a 4-0 defeat in his first experience of El Clasico epitomising what has undoubtedly been a disappointing start to the campaign from both Mbappe and Madrid as a whole.
According to Relevo, Ancelotti’s top priority is to improve defensively, but all that starts from the front line, where he has used statistics to highlight how Mbappe’s initial impact has fallen short of expectations.
During the Clasico defeat, Mbappe is said to have run a total of just 8km, which is comfortably the lowest of any outfield player. Most of the squad break the 10km mark with relative ease every week.
Not only is Mbappe’s individual output proving problematic, but the belief is that it is creating issues for his teammates, many of whom are trying to take on too many defensive duties an an attempt to compensate for the Frenchman’s shortcomings.
Jude Bellingham, for example, is running more than he ever has in his Madrid career, yet he is still awaiting his first goal of the season. He already had six in La Liga to his name at this point last season.
It is claimed that a number of Mbappe’s teammates have voiced their frustrations on the pitch at times in recent weeks, with club officials hoping he will have an epiphany and adjust his approach to games.
Karim Benzema’s early months at Madrid were littered with similar criticism, but the current Al Ittihad star eventually changed his ways and became an integral part in one of the greatest periods in club history.
The dilemma for Ancelotti, however, is that Mbappe is seen as undroppable, particularly at this early stage of his Madrid career, so the boss is working to find a way to get the most out of the Frenchman without compromising the values instilled on the rest of the team.
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