Ancelotti: “Mbappé is having a bad time”

Carlo Ancelotti is seasoned in a thousand battles, he knows the idiosyncrasies of Real Madrid perfectly and he has a ‘bare ass’, as the remembered Luis Aragonés would say without ambiguity, but he looked denatured in the press conference prior to the duel against Osasuna, a dangerous rival, notable at the start of the season and a visitor to the Santiago Bernabéu at a turbulent time for the whites. Apparently calm and sure of himself, convinced that he has the support of Florentino Pérez and his team and that he has found the key to solving the team’s problems, especially the defensive ones, but his concern is evident as he is more sparing in explanations. than usual.

It gave the impression in Valdebebas that Carletto is hiding details that cannot see the light because it would perhaps put even more focus on the coach himself, on some stars accused of a certain indolence and of having a full belly in recent times and, above all , Kylian Mbappé, on everyone’s lips after not being called up again by Didier Deschamps in the France team.

Bondy’s star has gone three games without scoring for the second time this season, he is seen with some anxiety on the field and, although timid, in the recent debacle against Milan he received the first boos from a Santiago Bernabéu that had been waiting for him for seven years and does not forgive anyone. He is not performing in Madrid as expected, his presence has so far broken an extraordinary ecosystem that allowed the whites to win the League and the Champions League last season, and neither his personal situation nor what is happening to him in his country helps him. .

Unexpectedly, the Frenchman was not included in Deschamps’ squad on Thursday for the upcoming games against Israel and Italy. The technician was not very clear in his explanations, rather vague and even enigmatic. «I have had several conversations with him. I have thought about it and made this decision. I think it’s better this way. Kylian wanted to come and it is not the non-sporting problems that come into play. “I am not here for the players to tell me that I am the best and the most handsome,” justified the Bayonne coach.

«I am not going to talk to him about this issue, I am not the one to judge this decision. We have to accept it. “Mbappé is motivated and disappointed by what is happening,” explained the Reggiolo coach when questioned about the non-presence of the Madrid star in the French team. When insisting on how he sees Kylian, Ancelotti was somewhat more explicit without going into further details and expanding the problem of the flagship of the merengue project to the entire group.

«Mbappé is having a bad time, living a difficult time. The problem he is having is everyone’s problem. We do not reach our best version. I am convinced that he will move this difficult situation forward. I can speak the same about Vinicius, Rodrygo, Bellingham… it is a difficult moment for everyone. It is normal that it happens, in football and in sports, where defeats take place. You have to accept it but not lower your arms, you have to have them higher than ever. “We are more united than ever,” emphasized the head of the Madrid locker room as a harangue.

long nights thinking

Returning to Mbappé, scorer of six goals in the League and two in the Champions League but without seeing the net in the heroic but misleading victory against Dortmund and the failures against Barça and Milan in Chamartín, it is criticized that he suffers in the demarcation of striker and that he would offer more performance starting from the left wing. What happens is that that position is occupied by Vinicius. “The Mbappé thing is a problem of offensive position but of defense,” Ancelotti surprised.

The seven goals conceded in the last two games bring the Reggiolo coach to his senses, who confessed that he has spent “long nights, thinking and looking for solutions”, adding that now “there is desire and motivation to see if what was detected could be the remedy”. He assured that he has spoken with the players and that they know what is happening. The team is aware of what is happening. I can talk but then we have to act in practice. The words are carried away by the wind. Tomorrow’s performance remains on the field and in everyone’s eyes,” Ancelotti remarked.

Zidane’s shadow

Without wanting to specify too much because in front of journalists “it is not the right place to talk about the problems,” he said he is not afraid because the matter has been detected and is defensive. How is it fixed? «Sacrifice, concentration and collective work. Sacrifice to be a compact team, concentration to make the right decision and collective work because you have to defend compactly like we did last season.”

On a personal level, Ancelotti assumes that football is forgetful. «This is not the time to laugh. “I appreciate all the time I spend here, these are difficult times, but I appreciate being here.” And rumors are beginning to emerge about his future and there is already speculation about the return of Zinedine Zidane or emergency solutions like Solari or even Arbeloa if the situation does not improve and until in the summer Florentino can undertake the signing of Xabi Alonso, who will leave the Bayer Leverkusen.

He avoided talking about possible signings in the winter market with the argument that now is not the time, confirmed that Fede Valverde has had back problems but “now he is very well”, and sent a message of optimism: “We are going to fight for all the securities. “In a month we will have a chance to win a title.”