On November 24, 2018, Real Madrid suffered a bitter 0-3 defeat against Eibar in a match where Karim Benzema was flagged offside 7 times, equaling the La Liga record set by Jonathas de Jesus (Elche) in May 2015. Nearly 6 years later, Kylian Mbappe, Benzema's successor, set a new record when he was flagged offside 8 times in a painful 0-4 defeat in El Clasico.
Mbappe's El Clasico debut was expected to be explosive, having scored six goals in four games against Barcelona, including a hat-trick at the Camp Nou. The French superstar is also renowned for his performances in big games, with the Real Madrid new boy scoring four goals in two World Cup finals.
With their superior speed, Mbappe and Vinicius Junior were expected to easily exploit Barcelona's high-flying defense. However, the reality was far from expectations, as the duo of the "White Vultures" had difficulty connecting with each other and the satellites around them. Especially for Mbappe, he himself showed a lack of confidence and left a disappointing performance.
From the first seconds of the match, Real Madrid's plan was clear as they would play long balls for Mbappe, Vinicius and Bellingham to create scoring opportunities. However, in just the first 90 seconds, Mbappe was caught offside twice. This showed that Carlo Ancelotti's plan was not as easy to implement as expected.
After a series of offside errors, the 2018 World Cup champion seemed to be “frozen”. In one move, Eduardo Camavinga cleverly passed Mbappe through the space between Jules Kounde and Inigo Martinez. Despite getting past the defense, the 25-year-old striker missed the chance to score when his shot went wide.
Not only did he make mistakes in finishing, Mbappe continued to struggle when he was caught offside for the third time in just 12 minutes. Despite his smart runs, he still lacked the acumen to keep himself in a valid position.
One of Mbappe's most regrettable moments was when he had a clear chance but still fell into the offside trap. This was the French superstar's fourth offside in the first half. Not long after that, two more offsides occurred when Mbappe failed to pay attention to the Barcelona defense's movement. Even when the 25-year-old star successfully put the ball into the goal, his goal was still ruled out for offside.
Kylian Mbappe continued to try and create a few more chances in the second half. The striker born in 1998 had spaces to score but all were blocked by goalkeeper Inaki Pena. Despite his best efforts, the new Real Madrid player seemed to be stuck in mistakes and lack of confidence.
One of Mbappe’s major weaknesses in El Clasico was his ability to press opponents. While he tried to get involved in the duels, his pressing was noticeably less effective, especially in the second half. The 25-year-old’s half-hearted pressing allowed Barcelona to exploit the space and score two goals in quick succession.
Mbappe’s poor form shows that he has a lot of work to do to improve his ability to link up with his teammates, as well as improve his effectiveness in escaping the offside trap. Mbappe has natural talent and the ability to explode in big games, but to succeed at Real Madrid, the French star needs to develop more tactical sophistication and the ability to adapt to the general style of play.
