Carlo Ancelotti points to one Kylian Mbappe flaw as key reason behind Real Madrid's struggles: Reports
Carlo Ancelotti has reportedly identified Real Madrid's biggest issue with Kylian Mbappe. The Italian tactician believes that the Frenchman is not doing enough off the ball and should be helping out more.
As per a report in RELEVO, Ancelotti is not happy with Mbappe's contribution off the ball. The manager wants the forward to drop and help out as his lack of off-ball work causes defensive imbalance in Los Blancos' set-up.
Real Madrid were humiliated 4-0 by Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu, in a game where Mbappe was caught offside eight times. The Italian manager stated that the high line was there for the taking, but his players did not make the most of it. He said after the match:
"We knew that they played with a high line, and we just couldn't take advantage of it. Sometimes (Mbappe) fell offside, but he had three or four chances to score and needed a better finishing touch."
Real Madrid will take on AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, November 5. Los Blancos will be hoping that Mbappe and Co. get back to their best after their match against Valencia was called off over the weekend.
Kylian Mbappe was blasted by pundit after Real Madrid lost to Barcelona
ESPN pundit Craig Burley was critical of Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid players after their loss to Barcelona. He claimed that the Frenchman kept getting caught offside, which showed a lack of awareness on the pitch.
Burley said:
"When somebody's getting caught offside as much as that, and we've talked about it all game, ridiculous in the end. Ridiculous. To continue to be in offside positions, when you have that level of understanding of the game and experience. He wasn't the only one, but the biggest culprit. I suppose at Real Madrid it's happened a lot. You sign these Galacticos, these big stars, you've got to sort of find a way to get it right."
"But they've basically taken, again, another side that was fluid and very successful and ripped up that blueprint and moved a load of people around to try and make it work for Kylian Mbappe. And yes, they're only a few points behind, but we've seen all the performances, we've seen the games. Thus far, it is not working. They had no midfield runners to try and break an offside trap, and they had one guy who was trying to break it for 95 minutes, and he couldn't do it," he added.
Kylian Mbappe has been caught offside 17 times in the league this season. He joined Los Blancos on a free transfer this summer after running down his contract at PSG.