When the signing of Kylian Mbappé was confirmed by Real Madrid during the summer after a lengthy pursuit, many football fans and experts thought the signing of the Frenchman would make Real Madrid bullet-proof. The addition of the Frenchman was a frightening prospect as Los Merengues had just sealed the treble of La Liga, the Spanish Super Cup, and their 15^th Champions League success. Anyone who backed Real Madrid before the start of the season to achieve a clean sweep of trophies on online bookmakers, a Bitcoin sportsbook, or just a bet between friends would have been optimistic going into the new season with Mbappé in a Real Madrid shirt.

However, going into another international break, Carlo Ancelotti’s side are languishing six points behind their rivals Barcelona in La Liga, and sit in 18^th position in the newly revamped Champions League table.

The arrival of Mbappé was supposed to be the cherry on an attacking cake that already consisted of Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, and Jude Bellingham, who combined to score 64 goals across all competitions last season. With a star-studded front four, where is it going wrong for Real Madrid? Is the arrival of Mbappé causing more problems than it is solving?

Attacking Reshuffle

Much debate after the news of the transfer broke was around where Mbappé would fit into the team. The trio of Vinicius, Bellingham, and Rodrygo had formed a formidable partnership in the treble winning season with Bellingham achieving great success pushing forward to fill the striker position flanked by the two Brazilians. However, with the inclusion of Mbappé, Bellingham is the player to make way for Mbappé to play down the middle.

Playing in a deeper position has clearly affected Bellingham’s threat in the opposition penalty area, with the Englishman only scoring his first goal of the season in the 4-0 against Osasuna (9^th November). It should be noted that Bellingham’s goal came about after a trademark deep run with the Osasuna defenders perhaps distracted by a deeper lying Mbappé. With Vinicius Junior continuing to shine on the left wing, bagging a hat-trick in that match against Osasuna, the dilemma for Ancelotti to work out perhaps stems from the use and movements of Mbappé and Bellingham.

Not So Gr-Eight

There is also the argument that Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappé are trying to occupy the same spaces. Mbappé is also accustomed to playing on the left wing and his heatmap collected from matches so far this season shows a tendency to drift towards the left, which in turn leaves Rodrygo isolated on the right.

However, Mbappé drifting into Vinicius’ area of the pitch was not the issue in the recent drubbing by Barcelona. The 0-4 defeat, at home in the Santiago Bernabéu, saw Mbappé caught offside an incredible eight times by Hansi Flick’s perfect high defensive line, which pointed more to a lack of football intelligence. A harsh critic of a player that scored a hat-trick in the 2022 World Cup final, but the performance was perhaps the wake-up call Real Madrid needed with their deployment of the Frenchman.  

Form is Temporary, Class is Permanent

It is possible that Real Madrid and Mbappé are suffering the Europe-wide fatigue felt by top level footballers across all major European leagues. The fear of player burnout has been raised by players, most notably by Rodri, Alisson, and Mbappé himself. Indeed, Mbappé is currently caught in a stand-off with the French Football Association about his desire, his lack of more specifically, to play for the national team. After being left out of the squad to face Israel and Italy, rumours began circulating about a fall-out with manager Didier Deschamps.

For Real Madrid, a fresher Mbappé on the pitch is only a bonus. Despite the supposed struggles, Mbappé has still scored eight goals from his first sixteen appearances. The former PSG striker has probably set standards too high, much like Cristiano Ronaldo had before his move to Real Madrid. Fans and pundits alike might have expected fireworks from Mbappé and the other attacking superstars but at the end of the day, Mbappé is still a new signing trying to find his feet in a new country and culture.

The season is still young, and there is a long way to go in all competitions. Real Madrid fans will not be close to losing hope yet. They will know that while form, or a lack of understanding with his new teammates is temporary, the frightening ability of Kylian Mbappé is permanent.