Kylian Mbappé’s night to forget: that tackle, a missed penalty and attitude questions

Liverpool defeated Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday, hurting Carlos Ancelotti’s side, and especially Kylian Mbappe.

At the club, fans and media agreed that with Vinicius Junior absent due to injury, this was Mbappe’s day to prove his worth to his new club after a mixed start to the season.

But he didn’t. On the contrary, as he missed the penalty that could have brought his team back into the match.

His condition was summed up at the final whistle, seconds after losing the ball for the 15th time in a series that ended with a superb save from Thibaut Courtois to deny Luis Diaz to make it 3-0. The Frenchman stood with his hands on his hips for a moment before becoming the first player to reach the dressing room, dejected and comforted along the way by teammate Jesus Vallejo and assistant manager Davide Ancelotti.

Losing the battle with Bradley

Before his move to Real Madrid was announced, there was debate among fans and media about how Mbappe would fit in. The biggest concern is that his preferred position, on the left, is already occupied by Vinicius Jr., a player considered to be the best player. the second best in the world according to the Ballon d’Or judges.

The Brazilian started the season on the wing but in Leganes on Sunday, in a bid to improve the Frenchman’s fortunes, Ancelotti switched positions.

Now Vinicius Jr. was injured on the trip to Anfield, Mbappe’s area of ​​greatest impact was cleared. And opposite him was Conor Bradley, playing in only his fourth Champions League game and his first as a starter.

Although Bradley received help from his teammates, Mbappe continually failed one-on-one with him and against other opponents.

In the first four minutes he had the first two defeats, which were celebrated with cheers by the home fans, who whistled at him all the time. The first mistake also led to a chance for Liverpool, with Raul Asencio clearing the line.

One of the most important images came in the 32nd minute, when he challenged Bradley in a race he expected to win easily but lost. Anfield celebrated it like a goal.

Mbappe finished with just one shot on target (the saved penalty) and another blocked, three successful dribbles (the most, jointly with Brahim Diaz) out of six, a 75 percent success rate (the lowest outfielder), zero chances created, 15 property lost and three recoveries. His erratic display is illustrated in The Athletics‘s player dashboard below.

The missed penalty

Mbappé had the opportunity to change the script in the second half.

Eight minutes after falling 1-0 behind Alexis Mac Allister’s goal, a combination between substitutes Dani Ceballos and Lucas Vazquez ended in a penalty due to a foul on Vazquez. Without Vinicius Jr. there was no doubt that the penalty taker would be Mbappé.

Antonio Rudiger stayed close to the ball and his teammate during the VAR check and made sure no one disturbed him. But when Mbappe took on Caoimhin Kelleher, the Liverpool academy goalkeeper came out on top.

Caoimhin Kelleher denies Kylian Mbappé from the spot! 😳

📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/fr45wUF2Cj

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 27, 2024

Mbappé responded by putting his hands on his head, although he was slightly less expressive afterwards. For a moment he thought he would get another chance, waiting to see if the penalty would be retaken when the goalkeeper had stepped off his line, only to be disappointed again.

A third of his goals this season – three of nine – came from penalties. But this wasn’t his night.

Is Mbappé’s attitude a problem?

Body language can only tell us so much, but Mbappé’s gestures have not been making a good impression for a while.

He seemed lacking in confidence as he headed to the locker room at half-time. After those minutes inside, before he returned to the field, the cameras filmed him standing apart from a group of teammates, as if he were far away, with Jude Bellingham leading the way, giving directions and encouragement.

Mbappe’s frustration was on display after Cody Gakpo’s goal made it 2-0 with 14 minutes remaining, protesting to the referee about possible offside.

Just before that, there had been a moment that reflected his powerlessness: he lost a ball from Luka Modric’s short corner and lost a race back to regain possession.

Many fans also criticized him for his attitude after the match and not greeting the scoreline. He also did not show his face to the media or in the mixed zone, but represented Modric, Ceballos and Bellingham.

Ancelotti was asked about the Frenchman’s mood.

“It may be that he lacks a little confidence,” said the Italian. “When you have a moment when things aren’t going your way, the idea you need to have is to play simple and sometimes you make things even more complicated. But this moment is missing. You can’t judge a player on a missed penalty.”

Support to overcome a difficult period

Mbappé is struggling and his numbers reflect that. He produced nine goals and two assists in eighteen games, involving a goal every 136.5 minutes.

How can he improve his situation?

Perhaps the first step is support from within, something he has felt.

Club representatives have gone out of their way to speak highly of him privately to the media, emphasizing his high level during training.

Ancelotti and his teammates have also publicly supported him.

“Kylian has been criticized in an exaggerated way, it was very positive how he contributed. I see him at training and it’s scary,” Bellingham said at a news conference on Tuesday.

“The penalty (miss) is not the reason we lost,” the Englishman said on Wednesday.

“Work and keep fighting and keep going because the moment will pass,” Ancelotti said. “(A situation like this) has happened to me many times in my career, especially with attackers when they are struggling to score. There is a medicine: be patient. Everyone should support him.”

As captain, Modric also offered supportive words in the mixed zone: “It’s his first year and it’s never easy – at Madrid the first years are complicated. He has our trust and knows how to get out of it: not losing confidence, working day in and day out.”

Vazquez assured that his teammates “will always support him, he is a world-class player and he will prove it. The team is always ready to help him.”

Ceballos also nodded to him. “He doesn’t score the goals he wants to score, but we know better than anyone how hard he works,” he explained. “It is difficult to establish yourself at a club like Madrid, but Kylian will do it. I’m sure he will.”

(Top photo: Peter Byrne/PA Images via Getty Images)