Carlo Ancelotti has said he is pleased with the start Kylian Mbappe has made at Real Madrid, despite the fact he has not yet scored a league goal.
Mbappe joined Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain in June and scored in their 2-0 victory over Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup but three weeks on, has yet to open his account in the league.
The 25-year-old has taken eight shots so far, five of which have been on target, missing some presentable chances, although his manager is not worried.
“(Mbappe) is playing very well even if he hasn’t scored yet. His influence creates danger,” said Ancelotti ahead of their clash with Real Betis this Sunday.
“For me (Vinicius Jr. and Mbappe) are teaming up well, the offensive work is being done very well. It hasn’t been a problem because we’ve scored goals in every game.
“With time, they will team up better, not just Vini and Mbappe but Mbappe with the midfielders as well.
“Offensively, we don’t have a problem. We haven’t had it these years and we’re not going to have it not that we have the best strikers in the world.”
Ancelotti also suggested that he is not worried about his team’s slow start to the LaLiga season, but appreciates that criticism is understandable.
Real Madrid have won one and drawn two of their opening three matches and are currently four points behind league leaders Barcelona, who have won all three.
“It’s absolutely normal because the demands on this team are at their highest,” he said.
“We are going to be criticised until May, this is normal for us. We are not happy because we are four points behind.”
But the Italian was quick to temper any overreactions.
“The season is very long and that (points difference) doesn’t mean much,” he said.
“We are trying to solve our problems. So far we have not been able to have a compact block and we have to improve this.
“I have talked about it with the players and they agree. When the problem is clear, it is easy to fix it.”
Barcelona 7-0 Real Valladolid: Raphinha hat-trick helps hosts to emphatic triumph
Raphinha's first career hat-trick helped Barcelona remain perfect in LaLiga as they thumped Real Valladolid 7-0 at Camp Nou.
A commanding display saw Barcelona enter the international break top of the table as Hansi Flick became the first head coach of the club to win each of his first four league games in charge since 2017-18.
Brazilian Raphinha opened the scoring with 20 minutes on the clock, beating Karl Hein with a deft finish after being picked out by Pau Cubarsi.
The hosts entered the interval with a three-goal advantage as Robert Lewandowski struck his fourth of the season before Jules Kounde picked out the top corner in the second minute of added time.
Raphinha grabbed his second of the game just after the hour, completing his maiden treble eight minutes later with another fine finish.
Dani Olmo later marked his home debut with his second goal in as many games for his new club, with Raphinha then turning provider for Ferran Torres to complete the emphatic display.
Data Debrief: Seventh heaven for Barcelona
Raphinha's treble was the first of his career across Europe's top five leagues, scoring two goals for the second time for Barcelona, having done so in April 2024 against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
Lamine Yamal, meanwhile, has now been involved in 14 goals in 42 appearances in LaLiga (six goals and eight assists), the most by a player before turning 18 in the competition in the 21st century, surpassing Bojan Krkic (13 - 10 goals and three assists).
It also marked Barcelona's biggest win in a LaLiga match since since April 2016 against Deportivo La Coruna at Riazor (8-0) and their biggest home win in the competition since March 2014 against Osasuna (also 7-0).
Everton 2-3 Bournemouth: Sinisterra seals sensational turnaround to stun Dyche's side
Luis Sinisterra's last-gasp strike completed a remarkable turnaround for Bournemouth, who recovered from 2-0 down to stun Everton 3-2 at Goodison Park.
The hosts were two goals to the good until the 87th minute, when a spectacular collapse saw what appeared to be a routine victory snatched from under their noses, while leaving them rooted to the foot of the Premier League table.
With both sides seeking their first victory of the season, Everton took control of the contest with two goals inside the first 12 minutes of the second half.
Michael Keane drilled the Toffees ahead five minutes after the restart, before Dominic Calvert-Lewin rounded off a neat team move to double the lead and put his side on course for their first points of the campaign.
However, Bournemouth pulled a goal back through Antoine Semenyo three minutes from time, while Lewis Cook nodded in Sinisterra's cross to level in the 92nd minute.
Sinisterra then remarkably sealed all three points in the sixth minute of stoppage time, as he ghosted in at the far post to head in from Justin Kluivert's centre.
Data Debrief: Toffees make unwanted history after late collapse
Everton had not won a Premier League game in the month of August since beating Brighton in 2021, but they appeared well on course to finally end that drought.
However, the Toffees could not see out their healthy advantage and became the first side in Premier League history to lose a game having been two or more goals ahead in the 87th minute.
Furthermore, Sean Dyche's losing streak in August continues, with Everton now having failed to win all six such top-flight matches under his guidance.
Leicester 1-2 Aston Villa: Emery's men record narrow victory
Aston Villa held on to secure a second Premier League victory of the season, winning 2-1 away at Leicester City courtesy of goals from Amadou Onana and Jhon Duran.
Leicester – who have only managed to collect one point from their opening three Premier League fixtures – faced an Unai Emery side who were in no mood to be charitable at the King Power Stadium.
The visitors were on top for much of Saturday’s encounter and they opened their account with a well-worked free-kick routine that resulted in a second goal of the campaign for midfielder Onana after 28 minutes.
Villa doubled their lead after the break when Duran made an immediate impact from the bench, heading in beautifully from Lucas Digne’s centre, but Steve Cooper’s men were not done yet and a sub of their own, Facundo Buonanotte, slammed in from close range to set up a nervy finish.
Leicester pushed for an equaliser but Villa secured a hard-fought win that sees them move up to sixth position on six points ahead of the international break, with the Foxes still waiting for a first win since promotion.
Data Debrief: Villa dominance secures win
Villa were dominant throughout, with an xg of 1.48 to Leicester's 0.39, while they also created a total of four big chances in comparison to the home side's one.
Emery's men have now won their first two away games for the fourth time in the Premier League era, having achieved the feat in 2009-10, 2014-15 and 2020-21.
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