Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has asked fans and followers to support Kylian Mbappe through his difficult moment, backing the Frenchman to put the poor spell behind him sooner rather than later.
Real Madrid succumbed to a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool in Gameweek 5 of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League season on Wednesday, November 27. Alexis Mac Allister (52′) and Cody Gakpo (76′) found the back of the net as the Reds cruised to a comfortable victory. The defeat at Anfield Stadium pushed Real Madrid down to 24th place in the Champions League rankings. Liverpool, meanwhile, extended their 100% record in the competition and retained the No. 1 spot.
Kylian Mbappe Fired A Blank as Liverpool Beat Real Madrid
With Vinicius Jr. out injured, Mbappe got the opportunity to play down his preferred left flank on Wednesday. However, the change of position did him no good. He had a difficult time beating Conor Bradley in one-on-one duels, with him rarely making inroads into the final third. He also squandered a glorious opportunity to equalize for Real Madrid in the 61st minute, failing to beat Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher from the penalty spot.
Over the course of the game, Mbappe completed 18 passes (75% accuracy), had one shot on target (penalty), lost the ball three times, failed to pull off three of six dribbles, and came out second-best in eight of 15 duels. It was a night to forget for the former Paris Saint-Germain superstar.
Carlo Ancelotti Is Confident Kylian Mbappe Will Overcome Rough Patch
Speaking after the game, Ancelotti acknowledged Mbappe did not have a good run against Liverpool but backed him to return to his soon enough. The Italian tactician said (via Al Jazeera):
“We’ve got to give him our support and love and he will soon be fine.
“It could be a lack of confidence maybe. Sometimes when moments in the game and things are not working out, the idea is to keep things simple. Don’t complicate things. He’s going through that moment now. You get through them. Don’t blame him for missing a penalty. People miss penalties. We can’t put too much grief on him for that.”
Mbappe has played 18 games for Real Madrid this season, scoring nine times. The 25-year-old has only scored one goal in the Champions League.
