Carlo Ancelotti has denied that Kylian Mbappé‘s form is the reason for Real Madrid‘s struggles this season, saying “it’s a collective problem, not an individual one.”
Mbappé has scored just two goals in his last nine Madrid games, a run which has seen the team beaten by Lille, Barcelona, AC Milan and Liverpool.
The France international has faced more criticism after missing a crucial penalty in Madrid’s 2-0 defeat at Anfield in the Champions League on Wednesday.
“Mbappé’s problem is the same as for all of us,” Ancelotti said in a news conference on Saturday ahead of Madrid’s LaLiga game with Getafe. “The idea is to try to find the best version of ourselves: from him, from myself, from the other players.
“We don’t consider it an individual problem for a player who, among other things, is new here, is adapting, has scored eight goals, and has participated in our attacking game with assists. We can all do better.”
Despite their poor form, Madrid remain in close pursuit of league leaders Barcelona, with a four-point gap — and Madrid having a game in hand — going into this weekend’s matches.
[Mbappé] isn’t depressed, he’s aware that he has to do better,” Ancelotti said. “Many of my players have missed penalties. We have to continue to support and help. It’s a collective problem and not an individual one.”
Madrid have also been dealing with an injury crisis that’s seen them lose a number of key players, with Dani Carvajal and Éder Militão out for the season and Vinícius Júnior unavailable for around three weeks.
“I’m like Mbappé. I am giving everything to get the best version of myself,” Ancelotti said, when asked how he was feeling about the situation. “The results say that I haven’t been able to find the best version of myself. I’m not happy, but I am convinced that we are going to fix it.”
Ancelotti said he wasn’t yet thinking about adding to his squad in the January transfer window.
Sources told ESPN that Madrid are looking to strengthen in defence, although there are concerns about the calibre of players who might be available in January.
“I think it’s a waste of time to think about signing players now,” Ancelotti said. “We’ll have 40 days to think about it. Things can change. [David] Alaba is doing very well and will be back soon.”
