Mbappe’s Madrid Debut: Can the French Superstar Deliver?
Kylian Mbappe’s highly-anticipated La Liga debut for Real Madrid didn’t quite go as planned, with Los Blancos drawing 0-0 at Mallorca last weekend. Coach Carlo Ancelotti was left frustrated, citing a lack of "balance" in his team’s performance.
Mbappe, the French superstar striker, will look to make a bigger impact in his first home appearance for Madrid against promoted side Real Valladolid on Sunday. The game marks a chance for Mbappe to silence his critics and prove he’s the real deal.
But can Mbappe deliver? The 23-year-old has already shown glimpses of his brilliance, scoring a clinical goal in the UEFA Super Cup win over Atalanta. However, he was shut out by Mallorca and their goalkeeper Dominik Greif.
One of the main issues for Madrid is the lack of balance in their attack. Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, and Rodrygo Goes all prefer to play on the left flank, which can leave Jude Bellingham, who’s most effective in attacking areas, pushed back into midfield.
Ancelotti has been working to address this issue, but it’s clear that his team still needs to find a way to gel. "We just had to do better, with more attitude, you can learn from these games – it’s clear where the problem is," Ancelotti said.
The good news for Madrid is that they have the firepower to blow teams away. When their attack is firing on all cylinders, they’re almost unbeatable. But the challenge for Ancelotti is to find a way to get his team to click consistently.
Real Valladolid, who beat Espanyol in their opening match, won’t pose too much of a threat to Madrid on paper. But the sooner Ancelotti can get his team firing on all cylinders, the happier he’ll be.
Mbappe will be looking to make a statement in his first Bernabeu appearance, weeks after being greeted by over 80,000 fans at his presentation. The Frenchman has the potential to be a game-changer for Madrid, and it’s up to him to prove it.
Player to Watch: Julian Alvarez
The former Manchester City striker made his Atletico debut as a substitute at Villarreal in their opening fixture and could be given a bigger role against Girona on Sunday.
Key Stats
- 0 – Real Valladolid were the only team in La Liga not to concede a goal in the opening round of fixtures
- 2 – With a brace against Valencia, Robert Lewandowski is the division’s top scorer
- 17 – French players appeared in week one, the most represented nationality behind 285 Spaniards
Fixtures
- Friday (all times GMT)
- Celta Vigo v Valencia (1700), Sevilla v Villarreal (1930)
- Saturday
- Osasuna v Real Malloca (1500), Barcelona v Athletic Bilbao (1700), Espanyol v Real Sociedad, Getafe v Rayo Vallecano (both 1930)
- Sunday
- Real Madrid v Real Valladolid (1500), Leganes v Las Palmas (1700), Alaves v Real Betis (1715), Atletico Madrid v Girona (1930)
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