Kylian Mbappe joined the Bernabeu this summer with the expectation of helping Real Madrid consolidate their dominance. However, his appearance is creating a negative impact on the whole team, especially Vinicius and Jude Bellingham.
Vinicius has generally known how to shine this season, although not too often. The Brazilian striker scored from the penalty spot to help Los Blancos tie the score 1-1 against AC Milan.
However, Bellingham's season so far has been extremely confusing. In terms of playing style, the England international's contribution on the pitch is not bad at all. As of 5 November 2023, in his first season at the Bernabeu, Bellingham has scored 13 goals for Real Madrid. However, Bellingham has not scored any goals in this year's campaign.
Coach Ancelotti seemed to be at a loss as to what to do with Bellingham. Bring Bellingham back to the left midfield position as he was most recently last season or continue to use him on the right wing? Bellingham's last goal for the royal team was about 179 days ago.
Real Madrid's defense, one of their strengths last season, has now become loose. They have conceded 10 goals in their last 4 matches. Against AC Milan, Andriy Lunin's goal was constantly threatened, as both the defense and midfield were to be blamed.
Alvaro Morata continued to score when meeting Real Madrid again and was his 7th goal against his former team. The Spaniard plays hard, plays deep defense and is a complete centre-forward. This is the type of striker that Mbappe has not been able to adapt to or does not want to adapt to.
Things could have gotten worse for Los Blancos if goalkeeper Lunin had not continued to shine. They will have to wait another month to return to the Champions League, facing Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Before that, Ancelotti's team will have an international break and matches against Osasuna and Leganes in La Liga. Can the "White Vultures" return or will they continue to sink deeper into crisis? It would be no surprise if Anfield were to decide Ancelotti's future next month.
"For me, it's normal because when the team doesn't perform at its best, it's my responsibility. More importantly, the whole team must be responsible for the team.
We have to accept the criticism, we have to accept that the team didn't play well. The whole team will have to fix things and defend better because that is the key factor. I will have to think of solutions to have a more balanced squad and play more solidly. Sometimes a few small changes can change everything," Ancelotti said after the defeat to Milan.
