"Mediocre and insufficient in the game for a long, long time” - Pundit urges Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe to 'improve as an attacker'
Despite his envious accolades and statistics, Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe has come under scrutiny from former French international and World Cup winner Christophe Dugarry.
The former Bordeaux forward has voiced significant concerns about Mbappe's overall performance, suggesting there is much room for improvement.
“It’s a successful start to the season; he scored in the first game, he just scored a brace, if you stick strictly to the statistics, it’s a success,” Dugarry said (via Mundo Deportivo & Madrid Universal). “He’s there to score goals. Then, in the game, he and his team have to be much better.”
In stark contrast to the praise often heaped on the 2022 World Cup Golden Boot winner, Dugarry stressed that the French forward's lackluster displays extend beyond his performances for Real Madrid.
“Mbappe, despite important statistics and goals, has been mediocre and insufficient in the game for a long, long time. For several months now, whether with the French national team, with Paris Saint-Germain or currently at Madrid,” Dugarry said.
The 52-year-old Frenchman emphasized the need for the former AS Monaco prodigy to develop multiple facets of his game if he aspires to be considered one of the best in the world.
“He needs to improve as an attacker,” Dugarry stressed, noting that Mbappe is “making less and less of a difference” and that his technical limitations have become more apparent.
“We know that he is not in the top 10 of the most technical players. And today his limits are evident with a player like Vinicius at his side.”
Meanwhile, after a bit of a barren spell in La Liga, Kylian Mbappe managed to get the monkey off his back with a brace against Real Betis on the weekend. A World Cup winner at 19, the explosive winger-turned-forward already has over 300 career goals.
"Ancelotti was not worried and neither was I" - France boss Didier Deschamps on Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe ending his La Liga goal-drought
French men's national team coach, Didier Deschamps, has downplayed concerns about Kylian Mbappe's recent goal-scoring drought in La Liga, expressing confidence in the Real Madrid forward’s ability to handle pressure and deliver when it matters.
"I have no reason to feel relieved, obviously I am happy for him, even if he had already scored in the first game of the European Super Cup," Deschamps said (via Goal.com).
"Kylian is used to this in his daily life, he sets very high standards for himself. His coach Carlo Ancelotti was not worried and neither was I. Kylian has always scored goals and he will score them."
Mbappe, who recently joined Real Madrid, had a rocky start to his La Liga campaign, failing to register a goal contribution in Los Blancos' first three league matches. However, the 25-year-old silenced his critics with a brace in Real Madrid's 2-0 victory over Real Betis last weekend.
Although the star's form dipped notably during Euro 2024, where he managed only a single goal, Deschamps remains unconcerned as the team heads into the Nations League.
"The French national team is better when Kylian is there," Deschamps said.
"From experience, being in the French national team is a break that is good for many of them. He was not effective - at first - but I spoke to him and he feels good. Obviously, he is not at his best yet, but he is not a robot or a superman. Expectations are high. He has a great capacity to absorb everything that happens on and off the pitch. But we can understand that human fatigue can be significant."
France prepares for their Nations League group-stage matches against Italy and Belgium, and expectations will be on Kylian Mbappe to rise to the occasion.