Ancelotti: Mbappé’s Struggles Are a Team-Wide Issue

Real Madrid’s Italian coach, Carlo Ancelotti, stated on Saturday that Kylian Mbappé’s challenges this season stem from the team’s overall lack of consistency in performance. His comments came ahead of their La Liga clash against Getafe on Sunday, as part of Matchday 15.

Mbappé missed a penalty in Real Madrid’s 2-0 loss to Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday. This marked the defending champion’s third defeat in the competition this season. Since joining from Paris Saint-Germain last summer, the French captain has faced mounting criticism, having scored only two goals in his last nine appearances for the team.

Ancelotti defended his star player, saying, “Mbappé’s problem is the same issue we all face. The idea is to try to present the best version of ourselves—not just from him, but from me and the other players too.”

He added, “The issue isn’t with one player. The problem is that the team as a whole hasn’t been able to achieve consistency. We all need to work on improving this and give our maximum effort. Besides, Mbappé is still new here and needs time to adapt. Despite that, he has already scored eight goals and contributed with assists in attack.”

Ancelotti acknowledged that while Mbappé could perform better, the responsibility for improvement lies with the entire team.

The coach also noted that Mbappé had not been included in the last two French national team squads and has faced some off-field challenges during his initial months at the Santiago Bernabéu.

“Mbappé is not frustrated at all. He knows he needs to improve, just as we all do,” said Ancelotti. He attributed the criticism after the Liverpool match to the missed penalty, noting that other players on the team have faced similar scrutiny.

Ancelotti highlighted injuries as a key factor in the defeat to Liverpool, with players like Vinícius Júnior, Dani Carvajal, and Éder Militão unavailable. However, he confirmed that Brazilian forward Rodrygo is fit to face Getafe.

Real Madrid currently sit in second place in La Liga, four points behind leaders Barcelona, with a game in hand.