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• Mbappe position switch works wonders for Ancelotti

  Carlo Ancelotti was satisfied his tactical decision to switch Kylian Mbappe's position in attack paid off in Real Madrid's 3-0 win over Leganes.

  Mbappe scored his seventh goal of the season to help Madrid to a comfortable victory in LaLiga on Sunday.

  However, his position in Madrid's front line has been a topic of debate since he joined the Spanish champions, with Mbappe having often played out wide while at Paris Saint-Germain.

  And Ancelotti elected to switch Mbappe out to the left flank against Leganes, with Vinicius Junior spearheading Los Blancos' attack.

  "Mbappe played on the left side, where he did well, and Vinicius on the inside," Ancelotti told reporters.

  "We have to highlight their play to open the scoring. They did very, very well. Mbappe scored, after a fantastic assist from Vinicius. Little by little, they're both improving.

  "Kylian is more used to playing there and today, for the team and for him, it was the best thing.

  "Because playing on the outside brings more effort and Vinicius was back on Thursday. Meanwhile, Kylian had been training here for a week and a half, he was fresher."

  Mbappe was not called up by France coach Didier Deschamps for this month's Nations League games, despite being Les Bleus' captain.

  With an injury crisis at the back and a trip to Anfield to face Premier League and Champions League leaders Liverpool coming up, Ancelotti added he was hopeful of Lucas Vazquez, who has a hamstring strain, and Aurelien Tchouameni, who is recovering from a sprained left ankle, returning to action.

  He was also upbeat about the contribution of Federico Valverde, who scored from a free-kick while filling in at right-back.

  "The truth is that Fede, at the back, has done very well," said Ancelotti of the Uruguayan, who also wore the captain's armband. 

  "He's a fantastic fullback. After Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez, the best right-back in the world. His problem is that he can play at this level in many positions and is the coach's problem to choose the best position for the team.

  "Let's see if Lucas and Tchouameni can recover. If not, we will make decisions."

  Jude Bellingham netted Madrid's other goal as Ancelotti's team closed to within four points of LaLiga leaders Barcelona, who drew 2-2 with Celta Vigo on Saturday.

  Madrid also have a game in hand on Hansi Flick's side.

• Slot relishing Liverpool's Real Madrid, Man City double-header

  Arne Slot is relishing Liverpool's upcoming double-header against Real Madrid and Manchester City.

  Liverpool came from behind thanks to Mohamed Salah's second-half double to beat Southampton 3-2 on Sunday.

  That victory at St Mary's moved the Reds eight points clear of Man City, who were thrashed 4-0 at home by Tottenham on Saturday for a fifth straight defeat in all competitions.

  Pep Guardiola's team visit Anfield on December 1, though first the Reds host European champions Madrid in the Champions League.

  And Slot cannot wait for Liverpool to go up against two heavyweights.

  "It's what you need in a league like this, with so many quality teams. You have to keep winning because if you don’t, the other ones will," the Dutchman told BBC Sport.

  "That's what we try to do every game, now it's Real Madrid and next Sunday it's Man City.

  "You couldn't wish for more than playing these two games in the upcoming week, at home."

  No manager in Premier League history has reached 10 wins in fewer matches from the start of their career in the competition than Slot (12 games, level with Guus Hiddink and Carlo Ancelotti).

  Liverpool were indebted to Salah, however, with the forward dragging them level and then converting the winner from the penalty spot after Mateus Fernandes had put Southampton into a surprise lead early in the second half, following goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Adam Armstrong before the break.

  Salah became the first player to score in five successive Premier League appearances for Liverpool since the Egyptian himself in October 2021 (seven in a row). His second goal was his 100th away from Anfield for Liverpool in all competitions.

  "It was very good that Mo scored in that moment," said Slot of Salah's first goal, which came in the 65th minute when he nudged Ryan Gravenberch's pass beyond the stranded Alex McCarthy.

  "It was not the best period of the game so he helped us with that and then afterwards we dominated so much, they got tired.

  "That is what special players do. They can score goals out of nowhere. It's not completely out of nowhere because the assist of Gravenberch is a great ball as well, but Mo is known for the timing of his runs, he feels the right moment to run behind the last line, and normally you know he’s not offside because he always finds the right moment, and then he scores the goal, which was very helpful for us."

  While Slot acknowledged Liverpool were tested by the Premier League's bottom club, he felt his team were always in control.

  He added: "It wasn't a surprise for us, we saw how they played against Man City, Arsenal and Newcastle in away games, never mind how they would play in a home game against a top team. But we dominated. Because we went down 2-1, it made it really difficult for us.

  "We dominated the whole game, which is not that easy against Southampton because they want possession, they want to dominate the game as well, but they couldn't. Because the scoreline was as it was, it felt like a difficult match, but if you look at the underlying numbers we deserved to win."

  Those metrics support Slot's point. Liverpool accumulated 2.9 expected goals from 27 shots, 11 of which were on target, while they also limited Southampton to 37.9% possession.

• 'In eight years we never lived like this' – Guardiola shocked by City drop-off

  Pep Guardiola admits he has been surprised by Manchester City's alarming dip in form, saying: "In eight years we never lived like this".

  Guardiola is in the midst of the longest losing run of his managerial career, with City suffering a fifth straight defeat in all competitions on Saturday as they were thrashed 4-0 by Tottenham.

  They have also lost three Premier League games in a row and could end the weekend eight points adrift of leaders Liverpool, who visit bottom club Southampton on Sunday.

  It is their worst run in the competition since they lost three straight between February and March 2016, when they finished fourth under Manuel Pellegrini.

  "In eight years we never lived this. I knew sooner or later we would drop," Guardiola said after Saturday's game.

  "I never expected to lose three Premier League games in a row but we have been incredibly consistent again and again and again. 

  "Now we cannot deny the reality that sometimes happens in football and life is here."

   

  City's drop-off has coincided with star midfielder Rodri – who won the Ballon d'Or last month – being sidelined by an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

  Guardiola's side did not lose any of the 34 Premier League matches in which Rodri appeared last season, winning 27 and drawing seven, though they lost three of four when the Spaniard was absent.

  Each of City's last six league defeats have come when Rodri has not featured, but former Manchester United defender Gary Neville believes their poor run cannot be totally blamed on his injury.

  "We've seen City lose the odd game here, but we've very rarely seen them outplayed in every department, but that's what we're watching," pundit Neville told Sky Sports.

  "They look well short. As short as I've seen them since Pep's first season. I've not seen them as bad as this, how they've been in the last few weeks.

  "He will have wanted that international break to come, thinking it would be a reset moment. But now here, it further entrenches the opinion this is a City side currently in decline.

  "This is more than just Rodri, far more."