Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has made the bold call to start Kylian Mbappe on the left wing for Sunday’s trip to Leganés, moving Ballon d’Or runner-up Vinicius Junior into a centre-forward role unnatural
The summer arrival from Paris Saint-Germain has struggled to settle in the Spanish capital, netting eight goals in his first 16 appearances for the club while finding himself awkwardly in a central role. Mbappe was left out of the French team for the international break in November despite being in top form.
insisted Ancelotti that the Frenchman never asked for a specific position in the team, instead moving the new recruit into the left-wing position he occupied so successfully for PSG. From this familiar role, Mbappé opened the scoring in Madrid’s 3-0 victory, finishing off a chance created by Vinicius.
“It was a good performance from start to finish,” Ancelotti said Official website of Real Madrid after the easy victory. “The team was solid and focused. We changed the position of the two strikers a little: Mbappé on the outside and Vini Jr on the inside. They did well. Vini Jr prepared him to open the scoring.”
Mbappé he had the ball in the back of the Leganés net after a pass from Vinicius within the first ten minutes. An offside flag ruled out that early strike, but there was nothing illegal about the forward’s 43rd-minute opener.
Vinicius latched on to a loose ball on the edge of the Leganés box, darting between two converging defenders as if leaping between a pair of closing elevator doors. Facing only the goalkeeper, the Brazilian unselfishly slotted a square pass for Mbappé to break a month-long goal drought.
“He’s more used to playing on the left.” Ancelotti said of Mbappe, who was well rested after a two-week break from league football. “Playing on the outside is more tiring than in the middle. Vini Jr. came back from the national team on Thursday and Mbappé was fresher than Vini Jr. He scored a goal with a fantastic assist from Vini Jr. Both are improving little by little “
While Rodrygo continues to recover from injury, Arda Guler, the striker linked with a move to Arsenal – completed a remodeled front three. The young Turkish international scored Madrid’s second goal, scored by Federico Valverde, who had to replace the right-back in the middle of the the club’s defensive injury crisis.
Jude Bellingham completed a straightforward win with his second goal in as many appearances after a Beating Osasuna 4-0 at the beginning of the month
Although Madrid have won back-to-back games, Barcelona have just one point from their previous two games. The Catalan giants remain at the top of the league, but Ancelotti’s men have reduced the gap to four points and have a game in hand.
“The positive feelings we had against Osasuna today have been supported”, said the Madrid coach after a successful tactical experiment. “We are much more compact and focused. Things are going well.”
