Real boss Carlo Ancelotti not ‘affected or worried’ by Kylian Mbappe speculation

By Sports Desk February 17, 2024

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti insisted he has no intention of letting speculation over Kylian Mbappe’s arrival at the club take his focus away from the job at hand.

Real are seen as the most likely destination for the French striker, who has informed Paris St Germain he intends to leave in the summer, but Ancelotti was careful not to fan the flames of those rumours.

With his side leading the way in LaLiga and well fancied to secure the title, the Italian coach is more interested in what happens in their away game at Rayo Vallecano on Sunday than what happens in the transfer market at the end of the campaign.

Pressed on the club’s interest in the 2018 World Cup winner, he said: “I see and hear what has happened. I understand that it’s the subject of the day for you, but for us it’s tomorrow’s game.

“Vallecas is always a tough place to play at. It has been in the past and it’ll be a tough game against a team that needs points.

“Do I seem affected or worried (about Mbappe) today? No. It will be the same at the next press conference.

“We have to finish this season well. We’ve discussed the game, we’ve watched a video and we’ve tried to prepare for the game as well as possible.

“It’s a vital game for our season. I’d like to finish this season well and try to win trophies. There’s plenty of time to think about next season.”

While Ancelotti was not keen to discuss the possible arrival of one global star, he was willing to reflect on the reduced role of another: Luka Modric.

The 38-year-old has had to settle for a more peripheral role than he is accustomed to this season and, although he looks certain to leave at the end of his contract, he has continued to make a positive impression behind the scenes.

“A player who is used to playing every game finds it tougher than others to sit on the bench,” admitted the head coach.

“But I understand and respect him. His behaviour is that of a very serious professional who continues to train and fight to be able to play.

“He’s available to play in any game, even tomorrow’s. He continues to contribute in the dressing room just as he did before when he played all the games.

“He’s a highly-respected player and an example of how a professional should be. He continues to be a figurehead for the squad.”

Former assistant Inigo Perez faces a baptism of fire as Vallecano’s new coach, attempting to lift a side who have lost five and drawn one of their last six and sit 14th in the standings.

“Four days are enough to work on an idea and it is not a new project because I already knew them,” he said.

“When it comes to picking up a team in the middle of the season, I’m lucky because I know everything.

“It’s relatively easy. But a team like Madrid demands the maximum from you in all aspects.”

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    Kylian Mbappe must learn to play as a central striker at Real Madrid because he cannot displace Vinicius Junior on the left wing.

    Those were the words of Los Blancos' second-highest scorer of all time, Karim Benzema. 

    Mbappe has scored eight goals in 14 appearances in all competitions for Madrid since his move from Paris Saint-Germain, but has failed to score in his last five games. 

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    "The problem, in my opinion, is that [Mbappe] is not a central striker, even with the national team, every time he plays as a number nine he doesn't feel right, because that's not his position," Benzema said on Spanish television show El Chiringuito.

    "On the left, he's got a guy who's at the same level as him, Vinicius, so there is a problem.

    "You can't play Vinicius as a number nine or on the right, because when he plays on the left he makes the difference in every game.

    "Mbappe isn't a real number nine. People ask a lot of him and he's under a lot of pressure, this isn't Paris Saint-Germain."

    The France captain has underperformed his expected goals (xG) figure in LaLiga by 1.75 this term, recording a shot conversion rate of just 18.18% from his 33 total attempts.

    He has also missed seven big chances, with only Real Betis duo Abde Ezzalzouli and Vitor Roque (both eight) and Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski (11) wasting more in LaLiga. 

    In Madrid's last game, a 4-0 Clasico defeat, Mbappe recorded just 27 touches. Only Aurelien Tchouameni (24) registered fewer among those who started the encounter.

    Benzema also endured a difficult start to life in the Spanish capital, netting just nine goals in his 33 appearances in all competitions in his debut season after his move from Lyon.

    He would, however, go on to become one of Madrid's best ever players, scoring 354 times in 648 outings, a total that puts him behind only Cristiano Ronaldo (450) in the club's history. 

    Benzema won 25 major honours during his time at the club, also scooping the Ballon d'Or in 2022, and had some advice for his compatriot moving forward. 

    "Don't give up, because I don't think he's going to push Vinicius to move. He's the best player in the world at the moment," Benzema added. 

    "Mbappe needs to get it into his head that today he's a number nine, and forget about the left flank for a while."

    Mbappe will be back in action for Madrid on Tuesday when they face Milan in the Champions League. 

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    He scored the winner in the 72nd minute to complete Liverpool’s comeback against Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday, as they moved to the top of the table.

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    "He’s been incredible for Liverpool over the past eight years. He’s been incredible for us this season and I hope he can continue doing this for the rest of the season and maybe longer to come, but that’s up to him and the club to find the idea about the future."

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    The last player to score in six consecutive home games in the competition for an English club was Ruud van Nistelrooy for Manchester United in April 2003.

    Salah sparked renewed talk over his future after posting on Instagram on Sunday, saying that the feeling of scoring at Anfield would remain unforgettable “no matter what happens.”

    But Slot was keen to quash any deeper meaning in the post.

    "I haven’t spoken to him about that. You interpreted it in a way that maybe other people don’t," he told the press.

    "I don’t look at Instagram posts of my players, I only talk to them which you can’t, which is the advantage I have.

    "Mo is in a very good place at the moment. As long as he has been at Liverpool, he has been in a very good place, but this season again as well. I am hoping he will make a post after tomorrow and on Saturday again. What he said with that, that is not important.

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    “With the right support and with the guys we have, I do believe we can qualify for a World Cup. We need a coach that understands the culture we have, with players coming back in two, three days before a game. Dwight was the ideal choice for us and he understands the culture of teams in Concacaf as well,” Edwards noted.

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