It’s safe to say that Kylian Mbappe’s start at Real Madrid was not what the Spanish giants, as well as the France international, had imagined this summer. After making 11 appearances in all competitions for Los Blancos following his arrival as a free agent from Paris Saint-Germain, the 25-year-old has eight goals and two assists to his name.
While it may not be terrible, it’s also nowhere near as great as what was expected of Mbappe upon his arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu after the long pursuit of the European champions. The former AS Monaco man was expected to fit in perfectly with the likes of Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham, but it has been anything but easy for Real’s head coach Carlo Ancelotti so far.
Digging deeper into the numbers, which admittedly can only provide a fairly small sample size at the moment, Mbappe’s situation becomes even more alarming with penalties for three of those eight goals. The French superstar is currently on a four-match goalless run, having already experienced a three-match streak before his doubles win in a 2-0 win over Real Betis.
Mbappé’s situation currently resembles that of Karim Benzema, who was also a slow burner in the beginning and the ex-French international’s advice to his successor was to the point: “The problem, in my opinion, is that [Mbappe] is not a central striker, not even in the national team, every time he plays as number nine he doesn’t feel good because that is not his position.” Benzema told El Chiringuito.
“On the left he has a man who is at the same level as him, Vinicius, so there is a problem. You cannot play Vinicius as number nine or on the right, because when he plays on the left he makes the difference in every game ” added the Ittihad Club man. “Mbappé is not a real number nine. People ask a lot of him and he is under a lot of pressure, this is not PSG.”
“Don’t give up, because I don’t think he will force Vinicius to move,” Benzema advised Mbappé. “He is the best player in the world at the moment. Mbappe has to get it into his head that he is number nine today and forget about the left flank for a while.”
Of course, adjustment periods are necessary, but it is not just the numbers that are causing concern in the Spanish capital. Mbappe’s problems on the pitch have had a detrimental impact on Real and his new teammates, as well as his new boss.
The Bondy native’s inability to look truly convincing when asked to play as a number 9 has not only affected Ancelotti’s previously successful lineup, but has also left Bellingham and Vini Jr. disturbed. Several absences further up the pitch have also played a role, such as Dani Carvajal , Thibaut Courtois and lately Aurelien Tchouameni.
While Mbappe has struggled, the Brazilian remains Real’s main man on the left flank, and his performances have maintained an impressive level of consistency despite the strong positional rivalry. With twelve goals and five assists, the South American carries Los Merengues, while his French teammate fails to get on the plate, which has deepened already existing questions.
Mbappe has been largely unconvincing since the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and what was arguably one of the best individual performances for a losing side in the final in the history of the tournament. The return to life at PSG was difficult and his lonely season under Luis Enrique was affected by the situation regarding his future, which became increasingly clear outside the Parc des Princes.
Add to that his strange situation with Les Bleus and the ongoing wage dispute with PSG, Real are right to feel disappointed. Focusing on the return to club action against Leganes in La Liga before a big UEFA Champions League clash with Liverpool could make a big difference after the November internationals, with Mbappe’s run until 2024 and early 2025 potentially crucial to how his Real situation developing.