Kylian Mbappe is a player with high ambitions. Shortly after arriving at Real Madrid this summer, the Frenchman declared: “I don’t want to score any goals and I just go home.”
A goal would surely have helped during Real Madrid humiliating defeat by 4-0 against Barcelona in front of their own fans on Saturday. On a night when there were a lot of them bad performances to choose from, Mbappe’s display stood out for all the wrong reasons.
After a three-month premiere that has been satisfactory rather than spectacular, the first signs of dissent Mbappé have begun to emerge tentatively. Here’s a closer look at the worrying numbers behind a display that fell well short of the striker’s lofty standards.
Offside, it’s worth it when you read this pic.twitter.com/7wmjxbczLi
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_es) October 26, 2024
Jonathas de Jesus, a hard-hitting Brazilian striker who has played for 20 clubs in eight countries, is not often mentioned alongside Mbappé. The former Elche striker has earned the comparison as the only other player entered The League history of being caught offside eight times in the same match.
Mbappé is not the first player to have been flagged by Barcelona’s high line: he has caused twice as many offsides as any club on the continent. But the lauded forward was unable to adapt his runs to the challenge in front of him, continually deflecting his penetrating bursts.
To put Mbappe’s eight offsides into context, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland has been flagged seven times in his last 40. Premier League appearances Since 2015, only Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ciro Immobile have been caught offside in the same game up to eight times in Europe’s top five leagues.
Carlo Ancelotti to let slip his mask of composure after a punishing evening. The Italian highlighted the wastefulness of his number nine, sniffing: “We knew they were playing with a high line, and we couldn’t take advantage of that. He was offside at times, but he had three or four chances to score and he needed a goal . best finishing touch.”
Mbappe had three legal shots on goal, but still failed to officially get on the scoreboard. The last time the Frenchman had more attempts saved without scoring at club level was in August 2019, when his waste proved less costly in a 4-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain.
After the triumphant final of the Champions 2024, Jude Bellingham speculated that Mbappe’s imminent arrival would provide “the one little bit that we might be missing: that new clinical”.
That clinical reputation has eluded Mbappe until now. Only Atletico Madrid’s Samuel Lino has recorded a greater negative disparity between his expected goals and actual shots in La Liga this season than Mbappé, who would expect to have scored two to three more goals than he has in reality according to the possibilities presented to him. .
“Kylian doesn’t need to be connected to the overall game,” wrote Mauricio Pochettino, Mbappé’s former PSG coach. The Athletic ahead of the 2022 World Cup. “He can be there for five or even ten minutes, not involved with his team, and then just turn up, do something amazing and win the game. If he doesn’t touch the ball, he’s relaxed.”
Mbappe did not look relaxed as he holed up in isolation for much of Saturday night. The foot forward registered just 25 touches, the fewest he has registered in any outing. Madrid this season
Ancelotti is still trying to design a set-up to get the best out of his top-heavy squad. The shrewd tactician deployed a different formation for the third game in a row this weekend, lining up Mbappe alongside Vinicius at the back of a 4-4-2. The Brazilian hasn’t picked up the ball much more than his European teammate and is still getting used to the dramatic change in gravity that Mbappé’s arrival calls for.
The perennial French champion with PSG he is not used to many defeats, especially in one-sided affairs. Saturday’s 4-0 was the heaviest home defeat of Mbappe’s entire career. Only once have they lost by a four-goal margin anywhere – the Frenchman set up PSG’s equalizer before they were reduced to ten men and collapsed in a 5-1 reverse at Lille in 2019.
Despite the Madrid one recent dominance in this matchthis was not their first heavy loss at home in the Clásico. As Ancelotti, who oversaw the heavy defeat in March 2022, was quick to point out after the game: “The last time Real Madrid lost 0-4 against Barcelona, they won La Liga and the Champions League “.