Kylian Mbappe early struggles with Real Madrid: Why it’s not too soon to start worrying about the French star

It is safe to say that Kylian Mbappe’s start to life with Real Madrid has not been what was imagined this summer by the Spanish giants but also the France international. After 11 appearances across all competitions with Los Blancos following his arrival as a free agent from Paris Saint-Germain, the 25-year-old has eight goals and two assists to his name.

Although it is arguably not awful just yet, it is also not nearly as great as what had been expected of Mbappe upon his arrival at Santiago Bernabeu after the European champions’ long pursuit. The former AS Monaco man was expected to dovetail perfectly with the likes of Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham, but it has been anything but simple for Real’s head coach Carlo Ancelotti so far.

If we dig deeper into the numbers which admittedly can only provide a fairly small sample size at this time, Mbappe’s situation becomes even more alarming with three of those eight goals penalties. The French superstar is currently on a goalless run of four appearances, having already experienced a three-game streak before his double in a 2-0 win over Real Betis.

Mbappe’s situation currently resembles that of Karim Benzema which was also a slow burner early on and the ex-France international’s advice to his successor was to the point: “The problem, in my opinion, is that [Mbappe] is not a central striker, even with the national team, every time he plays as a number nine he doesn’t feel right, because that is not his position,” Benzema told El Chiringuito.

“On the left, he has got a guy who is at the same level as him, Vinicius, so there is a problem, you cannot play Vinicius as a number nine or on the right, because when he plays on the left he makes the difference in every game,” the Ittihad Club man added. “Mbappe is not a real number nine. People ask a lot of him and he is under a lot of pressure, this is not PSG.”

“Do not give up, because I do not think he is going to push Vinicius to move,” Benzema offered Mbappe as advice. “He is the best player in the world at the moment. Mbappe needs to get it into his head that today he is a number nine, and forget about the left flank for a while.”

Adaptation periods are required, of course, but it is not simply the numbers that are cause for concern in the Spanish capital. Mbappe’s on-field issues have had a detrimental impact on Real and his new teammates as well as his new boss.

The Bondy native’s inability to truly loom convincing when asked to play as a No. 9 has not only impacted Ancelotti’s previously successful setup, but also disturbed Bellingham and Vini Jr. Multiple absences further back on the field have also played a part such as Dani Carvajal, Thibaut Courtois and lately Aurelien Tchouameni.

While Mbappe struggles, the Brazilian on the left flank remains Real’s key man, and his performances have retained an impressive level of consistency in the face of strong positional rivalry. With 12 goals and five assists, the South American is carrying Los Merengues when his French teammate is unable to step up to the plate which has deepened pre-existing questions.

Mbappe has been largely unconvincing since the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar and what was arguably one of the best individual showings for a losing side in final in the tournament’s history. Returning to life with PSG was difficult and his solitary season under Luis Enrique was impacted by the situation regarding his future which became increasingly clear was away from Parc des Princes.

Add to that his odd situation with Les Bleus and the ongoing wage dispute with PSG, Real are right to feel underwhelmed. Focusing on returning to club action against Leganes in La Liga before a big UEFA Champions League clash with Liverpool could make a big difference after the November internationals with Mbappe’s end to 2024 and start to 2025 potentially crucial to how his Real situation develops.