MADRID, OCT 22 – Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said yesterday that he wants striker Kylian Mbappe to focus on scoring goals rather than pressuring the opposition to help the team.
The Spanish and European champions have yet to hit their peak this season and are still looking for the best way to incorporate the former Paris Saint-Germain star following his arrival this summer.
Madrid have lost their last Champions League game and will host Borussia Dortmund tomorrow.
“I’d rather (Mbappe) score than press,” Ancelotti said at a press conference.
“The center forward position in our team has not changed, I ask him the same thing as I asked Karim (Benzema, who leaves in 2023).
“To be in a good position and be ready every time we get the ball back to make a quick transition.”
Mbappe has scored eight goals for Madrid in 12 games in all competitions this season, compared to Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski who has 14 goals in 12 appearances.
The striker has come under fire in his homeland for not playing in France’s recent League of Nations games after recovering from a thigh injury.
One of the effects of Mbappe’s arrival in Madrid has been a more defensive role for Jude Bellingham, who was Los Blancos’ main striker last season.
The former Borussia Dortmund midfielder is yet to score for the club this season in nine games, after netting 10 goals in his first 10 appearances last year.
Ancelotti said Madrid’s star-studded attacking line-up, which also includes Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes, meant the team often enjoyed great matches.
“I want that kind of football rock and roll because I have players with these characteristics,” continued Ancelotti.
“We find it more difficult to play based on possession and control because we don’t have players who have the characteristics to play in a reduced space.
“The back-and-forth matches suit us, but we are focused on defending better like we did last year,” he added. – AFP
