The French forward has found his rhythm in front of goal, and Los Blancos are humming on all fronts
Kylian Mbappe put it in only the way he could. "I've adapted to the team now," cockily told Spanish media after Real Madrid battered Las Palmas on Sunday, with the Frenchman on the scoresheet twice.
However, for the first time this season, such self-confidence was warranted. Mbappe was immense, having been robbed of a hat-trick by a questionable VAR decision as he spent the afternoon ritually torturing the opposition's defence. He created six chances, tallied 10 goal-creating actions, and hit he post. It was the kind of display most fans have been waiting patiently for over the past six months.
For Madrid, there has to be a sense of relief. Mbappe was always going to take some time to adjust, but his early performances in a white shirt led to concerns that he might struggle to ever reach his full potential despite being surrounded by superstars. Now, though, there are glimpses of just how good he can be – and that improvement has come at the perfect time for Carlo Ancelotti's side.
GettyTeething problems
The growing pains were rough at first. Yes, Mbappe's debut resulted in a European Super Cup win over Atalanta – complete with an impressive goal for the France captain – but that was more friendly than actual competition. Once the real games started, everything looked a little off.
Mbappe failed to score in his first three games for Madrid, nor did he provide any assists. The defending Spanish champions drew two of them as their summer signing struggled to find his feet while all the while looking slightly clueless as to where, exactly, he should be on the pitch.
All of the fears around Madrid during pre-season focused on how Madrid's new-look attack would function. Vinicius Jr and Mbappe are, of course, both most comfortable playing off the left while Jude Bellingham likes to operate as a high No.8 on the left side of midfielder. Even Rodrygo, Madrid's alleged right-winger, prefers to drift centrally. You could, then, have seen the congestion coming from miles away.
And so it proved. Madrid's forward line was a clogged up, one that relied on individual moments of brilliance rather than a fully-functioning machine. They still picked up wins, but defeats to Lille, Barcelona and AC Milan highlighted a lack of fluidity.
Ancelotti, for his part, played down concerns over Mbappe, saying: "He is progressing. He’s working with humility and he’s doing well. His adaptation is going well."
AdvertisementGettyFinding form – with a caveat
In characteristic fashion, the great Italian was right as the goals began to arrive for Mbappe. An effortless against Real Betis on September 1 got him going, and he then bagged four in four following the international break. Two of those were admittedly penalties, while Mbappe's underlying numbers told the real story.
Across those fixtures, he touched the ball markedly less than in his early days in a Madrid shirt, though he was direct, aggressive and ruthless. His expected goals numbers spiked (a combined 3.7 across those four games versus 3.6 in the six before that, according to ) while his passes were down, as were his take-on attempts. This was Mbappe stripped down – and it looked to be working.
But there were also some concerns. Most notably, Mbappe was never really going to defend. He never has in his career, and things haven't exactly changes at Madrid. He neither pressed nor dropped into position when possession was lost, and was instead caught in no-man's land. Passing lanes were left wide open, and Madrid could subsequently be cut through.
Getty ImagesTactical tweaks
Ancelotti went in search of a solution. The 4-3-3 formation that had been used to start the season was largely abandoned, and Mbappe was used either as a central striker or right winger. When he edged to the right, Bellingham pushed up into a central role, while on the occasions he drifted to the left, Vinicius covered the middle.
There were reverberations elsewhere, too. It asked more of fill-in full-back Lucas Vazquez, who had to cover the right side mostly by himself. Rodrygo, meanwhile, was benched for tactical reasons on a few occasions. Not for the first time in his career, all sorts of allowances were being made for Mbappe, which in turn led to some visible frustration. Bellingham was often seen gesticulating at his team-mate in annoyance, while even the usually calm Ancelotti got hot under the collar on occasion.
Mbappe, for his part, didn't always do enough going forward to justify his shortcomings. He was held scoreless and rendered near-anonymous – save for missing a penalty – against Liverpool in the Champions League, while he also failed from the spot against Athletic Club a week later. That game, though, was a turning point for the Frenchman, as he admitted on Tuesday.
"It was a mental thing. To hit myself in the chest and say, 'I have to do more'. I was physically well, happy with the group, but I had to give more. I knew it. And Bilbao was a… . To tell myself, ‘now is the time to change this situation, you didn’t come to Real Madrid to play badly.’ And I have changed it, but we have to continue. Because playing well for a month is easy. What you have to do is always play well. And I am ready to help my team.”
GettyVinicius conundrum remains
Mbappe scored in each of his next three games following that chastening night at San Mames, and despite then going through another three-game drought thereafter, he clearly found a real groove on the pitch with some impressive performances.
"I thought a lot. Too much. How to do this, how to move… And when you think so much, you don’t play well," he explained ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash against Red Bull Salzburg.
Still, for all of the tweaks, there remain some concerns as to how, exactly, he and Vinicius can fit in the same team, with some of his best peformances having been saved for when the Brazilian has been missing through injury or suspension. Mbappe spoke of the freedom of his new role this week, highlighting that when he is allowed to float and play off instinct, the two can work together efficiently, and to an extent, that is true. But in their first 19 matches together, the pair combined for goals just five times. There were scattered reports of in-fighting over penalty-taking duties, while even now they still make the same off-the-ball runs as one another during Madrid attacks.
Their La Liga numbers read roughly the same. Mbappe has scored 12 and assisted two, meaning he has been directly involved in 0.81 goals per 90 minutes. Vinicius has eight and five, respectively, in fewer matches, and is averaging 1.0 goals and assists per 90. There isn't a sense, statistically, at least, that the two are clashing, even if the eye test sometimes tells a different story.
