Ancelotti says Mbappé is ‘aware’ he must play better after missing penalties in Madrid defeats

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Carlo Ancelotti is convinced Kylián Mbappé will find a way out of the rut that has included two big penalty misses since his highly-anticipated move to Real Madrid, the Italian coach said Friday.

Mbappé had spot kicks saved in losses at Liverpool and, most recently, Athletic Bilbao this week. After the 2-1 defeat in Bilbao the France star said on social media that he took “full responsibility” for another disappointing performance.

“He is aware of what is going on. His post after the Athletic game is one of a player who knows how he is playing and that he can play better,” Ancelotti said a day before Madrid visits Girona in La Liga.

“There are players who are unaware they are not playing up to their potential, but he is aware that he can do more, and he is going to do all he can to improve as soon as possible.”

Mbappé’s arrival as a free agent this summer created huge expectations that arguably the world’s top talent would quickly reach new heights, with an experienced side coming off a double of the Champions League and Spanish league titles.

But the results so far have underwhelmed. Mbappé did not score in the biggest games of the season as Madrid lost to Barcelona and Athletic in La Liga and to Liverpool, AC Milan, and even the modest Lille in the Champions League.

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Ancelotti said that while the penalty misses have not helped, he can vouch for Mbappé’s effort.

“You have to evaluate everything. He has improved in recent games as far as playing with more intensity,” Ancelotti said. “The penalties are another issue. He has to hang in there, fight, and work hard because sooner or later it will work out.”

Mbappé will have another chance to quell doubts about his adaptation on Saturday when Madrid visits Girona. The Catalan side has three wins and a draw in its most recent league games, even if it was eliminated by a lower-division opponent in the Copa del Rey this week.

Ancelotti is also coming under pressure despite his long list of successes with Madrid and other clubs.

Madrid has lost four of its last seven games overall, numbers considered unacceptable for the 15-time European champions.

Given Madrid’s troubles with handling pressure in its own half, Ancelotti said that he is working on encouraging his team to play long balls and avoid taking risks, like the error by Federico Valverde that led to Athletic’s winning goal.

“We have played Champions League finals like that, playing long balls from the very start,” Ancelotti said after admitting Liverpool and Athletic hurried his defenders into errors.

While Ancelotti said he felt the Spanish sports press was too critical of his work, he admitted his level of concern “is normal”.

“My level of worry is normal, but this is not a funeral,” he said, noting his team was still in the league title race, four points behind leader Barcelona and with an extra game to play.

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