24 games in, Kylian Mbappé is heading into his first winter break as a Real Madrid player after a first five months in the white jersey which have proved more challenging than many initially expected.
The Frenchman has been the brutal scapegoat for several of his team’s poor performances, but despite everything he seems to be picking up pace at the Santiago Bernabéu. After a brief absence due to a muscle injury, Mbappé returned in December to score against Pachuca to win the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final, and then followed up with another goal in the La Liga match against Sevilla.
“Their era of adaptation is over,” coach Carlo Ancelotti hopefully said in his press conference prior to the final adjustment of the year 2024 against Sevilla. “He already seems like an intelligent version, although he can still improve. He has recovered from his last injury and I see him more motivated, more excited. He needed this time, like everyone else, but it’s over,” he continued.
Mbappé has been almost available at Real Madrid since his arrival. There have only been 3 games in which Mbappé has not been in Ancelotti’s starting eleven, none of which have ended in a white victory. Two draws opposite Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano, where Mbappé was absent due to muscle injuries, and a third was the 1-0 defeat in the Champions League against Lille, where he was recruited in the second half.
However, the 26-year-old striker was asked about his commitment, as he first struggled to locate his position in a formula that sought to deploy Mbappe and Vinícius Júnior on the left wing of an attack that was overloaded. Only in recent weeks did Ancelotti prove to have figured out the best way to make the most of either one, with the Brazilian swapping with Mbappe to occupy a more central position.
It seems a struggle to understand that a player with 14 goals at this stage of the season could be questioned so harshly, but it reflects a tricky period for Mbappé. Despite the fanfare and adoration of the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, he is yet to fully win over his new fans.
There has been no shortage of opportunities for Mbappé since his arrival at the club. His expected goals for the season are 16. 43, 2. 43 more than his actual goals. He has averaged the most shots and the most shots on target in 90 minutes in La Liga this season with 4. 8 shots and 2. 5 shots on target in 90.
Compared to his rival Vinícius Júnior, the Brazilian has scored thirteen goals, one less, with just 9. 28 xG and 310 fewer minutes. He is much more clinical, with just 3. 2 shots per 90 and 1 shot on target per 90, and yet his overall goal-scoring pales in comparison to his teammate.
This is where Mbappé has his biggest challenge: being compared to the names of the game’s top elite. Adapting to a new league, a new team and, for much of the first part of the season, even a new position, is not an easy task, and Mbappé himself admitted as much, posting on social media to say: “I’ll take everything. ” responsibility. Matrix It’s a difficult time, but it’s the most productive time to update this situation and show who I am.
He has since reacted. The Instagram post followed a defeat to Athletic Club on December 4, just a week after the defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, where he missed the aftermath in both matches.
In the four appearances which have followed, painfully interrupted by a muscle strain which sidelined him for just over a week, he has scored in all four. In the two outings since returning, against Pachuca and Sevilla, he has claimed both a goal and an assist in each. Claiming the MVP award against Sevilla in La Liga, he created more chances than any other player and scored the opening goal of the game.
If Ancelotti is right and Mbappé has discovered his place at Real Madrid, 2025 could be a big year ahead. It will begin with the Frenchman’s chance to win his third name with the Real Madrid shirt in the Spanish Super Cup, and all eyes will be on him to lead the team to glory.
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