Mbappé as a catalyst for the crisis: How Real Madrid has fallen into decline.
Thus, Benzema revealed the essence of Kylian Mbappe's playing difficulties at the Spanish capital club. It's unlikely that anyone understands football better than a person who was made for it. However, it's interesting that Karim does not see Mbappe as a "number nine," even though Kylian has played in that position for the past two years and scored a lot.
If we look at it from another perspective, I see in Mbappe a person who can become a Benzema-like figure for Real, but has lingered too long in a comfort zone. The "Whites" wanted to sign him in 2021, but PSG simply did not respond to the offer. Then Real tried to bring him in 2022 – it didn't work out. It seems that was the last moment that could be called ideal for Mbappe's move to Madrid from the player's standpoint.
3At that time, he was 22-23 years old, and danger emanated from every touch of the ball he made. But after that, the situation deteriorated. Ligue 1 was like a kindergarten for him, a training ground where other players operate at a significantly lower level. Obviously, spending too much time in such an environment leads to stagnation instead of progress. This is what Mbappe faced, as he became so comfortable that he stopped running without the ball, engaging in duels, and ultimately – developing.
A move to Real, where players not only match his level but may boast a greater "education" in understanding football, became an unpleasant confrontation with reality for his comfort. Moreover, there's La Liga, where the level of opposition and competitors is significantly higher than in French club football. Thus, in the first months, we see not the Mbappe of World Cup finals, but Kylian who struggles to control the ball, finish one-on-ones, deliver precise passes, and outplay opponents. This doesn't occur in every instance, but it characterizes a significant portion of the moments involving him. We also see Mbappe who hardly works without the ball – his stats are among the worst in Europe’s top leagues. 8 kilometers per game is something close to shame in modern football.
4Mbappe's stagnation in the comfort zone has led one of the best scorers the world has seen to have one of the worst conversion rates in the Old World. Kylian is indeed presented with many chances, yet the actual output is nearly non-existent. Without penalties, which his new star partner Vinicius has been taking – the numbers are truly dismal. But let's not be unfounded:
- La Liga: 10 matches, 6 goals, 3 from penalties, expected goals – 7.74
- Champions League: 4 matches, 1 goal (into an empty net from two meters - author's note), expected goals – 2.70
These figures wouldn’t cause surprise or shock if they belonged to Alvaro Morata or some version of Romelu Lukaku at their worst. But we are talking about a player who, before moving to Spain, had the pace of one of the best scorers in history and elite finishing abilities. Just last season, when he wasn't at his peak, Mbappe scored 53 goals and provided 16 assists for PSG and the French national team. The contrast is incredible.
5In reality, the situation is significantly worse. This has long been impossible to hide – the entire Real is in crisis. The bleak condition of the Madrid team has a gameplay aspect and does not pertain to personnel, infrastructure, or financial matters, but it is no less visible. On the contrary. While Barcelona showcases vibrant football, and most importantly – achieves excellent results on the pitch, no one even considers that the "culers" have catastrophic problems in all other areas.
What’s wrong with Real
Over the past season, the "Whites" lost only twice – to Atletico away in La Liga and in the Copa del Rey. This was cosmic stability amid incredible personnel losses due to playing without Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao, and David Alaba, as well as several other key players sidelined with minor injuries. Yet this did not prevent Madrid from having what is likely their best season in history.
This current campaign is entirely different. Yes, injuries are still abundant, but now the team is not overcoming challenges through internal mechanisms and reserves and coaching decisions. Rather the opposite. As of early November, Real has already suffered three defeats, two of which were at home – before this, the Madrid team hadn't lost at home since spring 2023. Worse than these failures is the team's performance and how Carlo Ancelotti reacts to the problems.
Real clearly struggles with high pressing – one can easily notice constant gaps and breaks between lines. It seems that the team is "infected" with a misunderstanding of the coach's requirements, even though Carlo himself has never been known for high pressing. However, since the beginning of the season, he stubbornly insists on this model of play, ignoring any measures of the obvious problematic nature of this approach and the factor of Mbappe, who struggles to work without the ball. As a result, the positioning of players on the field appears very stretched vertically, and midfielders are forced to run back and forth, seemingly without purpose.
6Ancelotti makes strange substitutions and similar personnel decisions. He stubbornly bets on starting Ferland Mendy, even though he repeatedly fails, and has to bring on Fran Garcia instead. Yet in the next match, the situation repeats itself. The Italian seems to have forgotten about the existence of Arda Güler and Endrick – in their last 5 matches, they played about 5 minutes combined, with the Brazilian proudly contributing 0. Although both rightfully belong to the main diamonds in the global crown of talent and are a long-term bet for the club. Yet for some reason, both are trusted less by Carlo than Dani Ceballos.
A telling situation is also present in central defense. In the match against Alaves (3:2), the Madrid team led 3:0, and Ancelotti decided to rest the main defenders. But instead of first bringing on Jacobo Ramon, who is considered a serious talent from the academy, he trusted Jesus Vallejo, whom even the most optimistic regarding the player's future at Real seem to have given up on. The Madrid team quickly conceded twice, which meant Ramon never made it onto the pitch and still hasn’t played a minute.
7A separate problem is the situation with Jude Bellingham. It seemed we were talking about possibly the main midfielder of the generation with the potential to reach absolutely exceptional heights in football. The Englishman had a fantastic first season, in part – thanks to Ancelotti. But what do we see now? Jude plays either on the right, where his heat map is lower than the right back's, or on the left wing, or further left in the center, but very low, even to the right position in attack. Bellingham operates almost everywhere except the zone where he showcased his best football at Real. The Brit visibly gets frustrated, as seen in his emotions on the pitch. He wants to be useful and bright, but instead is forced to perform a task that is not very understandable to him, which hardly impacts the game, and also in "unknown" areas for the player.
This attitude and trust from Carlo towards those who should lead Real forward, coupled with the genuinely weak, disassembled gameplay and results, which began to crumble like a house of cards in November, raise questions. First and foremost, to the coaching staff. The media traditionally circulate many rumors: from issues with Antonio Pintus (the fitness coach) in the context of Real not running as they should – to the management beginning to doubt whether the Italian will even last until the end of the season.
8Ancelotti can rightfully be called the best coach in the history of the most decorated club. He has conquered three Champions Leagues, his Real was the embodiment of a fairy-tale team, yet at the same time – a strict pragmatic machine with notes of individual brilliance. With him, the "Whites" provided fans with fantastic scenarios like the matches in Lisbon and Munich in 2014 or the Champions League playoffs in 2022. But every story must come to an end – and currently, there are more and more hints that the end of this story is not far off.