Carlo Ancelotti identifies Kylian Mbappe as 'actual problem' for Real Madrid's disappointing form

The Italian manager feels the French star needs to be involved when his side is defending.

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has been frustrated with Kylian Mbappe’s lack of involvement in defence as the forward has looked clueless when the team is defending and often doesn’t fall back when the team loses possession, reports suggest.

Although Mbappé, 25, has been publicly declared by Carlo Ancelotti to be the centrepiece of the attack, his work—or lack thereof—out of possession has been found to be the main problem for this Real Madrid team.

The team that won LaLiga and a UEFA Champions League trophy last season has strived to win matches this season. They have struggled to put up a convincing performance despite the addition of Mbappe. It was expected that Los Blancos would become one of the deadly teams in attack but that has not been the case.

Meanwhile, their rivals Barcelona have been terrific and have scored the most goals under new manager Hansi Flick. They recently defeated Real 4-0 in their own backyard.

Ancelotti has tried to figure out why there has been a decline in comparison to last season after losses to Lille OSC and Barcelona.

It is now known that Mbappé, who joined on a free transfer during the summer, is the problem. Given that he only covered eight kilometres during the 4-0 loss in the Clásico, it is clear that the France captain is not helping in defence.

This lack of investment in carrying out defensive tasks is producing an imbalance that penetrates the rest of the team, such that attempts to win the ball back are disorganised.

Kylian Mbappe’s slow start at Real Madrid

Mbappe has had a slow start to his life in the Spanish capital but the forward is yet to settle with his attacking partners Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo as is evident in the games when there is a lack of understanding during matches.

Real Madrid “regrets” signing Mbappé, according to a statement made last month. Relevo disputes this, but the team wants the former Paris Saint-Germain attacker to be more critical of himself and to comprehend and perform his defensive responsibilities.

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