The match was over and Mbappe ran down the tunnel, almost without greeting anyone, without saying goodbye to the Bernabeu, probably overwhelmed by a bad afternoon in front of goal, the fourth consecutive one without seeing the goal at home. Mbappe seems increasingly distressed by not getting off the ground with the Real Madrid shirt, although the club, Ancelotti and the Bernabeu are supporting him and will not let him fall into discouragement.
“Mbappe didn’t score, but he played well, he was involved in a lot of plays, I’m happy with his game,” Ancelotti said after the Madrid-Osasuna game, aware that the Frenchman is not having a good time. The striker’s body language says it all. He is increasingly desperate, with his head down, raising his arms when he is not found or when he does not get a dribble, complaining to the referee about corner kicks when he does not find goals. Mbappe is overwhelmed by the sudden halt he has suffered, having not scored since October 19 against Celta. Zero against Dortmund, Barcelona, Milan and Osasuna, Mbappe is going through an unprecedented crisis.
At Real Madrid, the alarm bells are not yet ringing and they are backing him. In fact, the match against Osasuna was full of gestures of affection towards the French star. He was the last player to be announced over the PA system in the line-ups, when it is always Vinicius. He was the image chosen by the club to start the match on social networks. The Bernabeu chanted his name when they noticed he was down. Ancelotti left him on the pitch for the entire match to try and find his goal, even moving him to the left so that he could play in his preferred position. But even then, things did not work out for him.
Real Madrid’s pressure and the problem with France
The current context in his country does not help him either. The storm that broke out over his trip to Sweden, his absence from the previous squad, Deschamps’ decision not to call him up now and the trial he is having with PSG are not helping a player who arrived at Real Madrid after a very tough year at the Parisian club, in which he was sidelined and saw how he was sent to the bench for not renewing. All this context, together with the pressure from Madrid, is causing Mbappe not to be going through his best days in the white team.
Kylian, they say, is perfectly adapted to the dressing room and the city, but he is suffering on the pitch. Firstly, because the goals are not coming. And secondly, because the position does not help him. Mbappe is struggling as a number nine, while Vinicius enjoys starting on the left. The Brazilian is undoubtedly the leader of the team. Not Mbappe.
The Frenchman is trying to find peace of mind surrounded by his family, who make him see that it is only a matter of time. His teammates and Ancelotti are also trying to help him. Brahim Diaz, one of his best friends in the dressing room, is helping him through these difficult moments in which he is losing his smile. The French players, such as Camavinga, Tchouameni and Mendy, are also on top of him so that he does not fall into discouragement. They all agree that he will be vital to winning titles in May.