Mbappe ‘down but not out’, says Ancelotti

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said his troubled French striker Kylian Mbappe was as down as the rest of the team over recent setbacks but remained motivated ahead of today’s La Liga clash with Osasuna.
Mired in a sexual assault investigation in Sweden and struggling to find his feet in the ultra demanding Real Madrid spotlight, Mbappe was this week left out of France coach Didier Deschamps’ squad for the next round of Nations League matches. “Mbappe is down but not out,” Ancelotti said of his club form, adding that the 25-year-old remained “motivated”.
The European champions were hammered 4-0 by rivals Barcelona at the end of October and are now nine points behind their great rivals in La Liga. On top of that, they slumped to a second consecutive home defeat on Tuesday, with AC Milan triumphing 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Mbappe has been some way off his best but the Italian coach refused to lay the blame at his door.
“The problem he’s having is everyone’s problem. We haven’t hit our stride yet. But I’m convinced Mbappe is going to get through this difficult moment,” he said. “You could point at Vinicius (Junior), Rodrygo or (Jude) Bellingham. It is a difficult moment for everyone. You can’t let your head drop, you have to hold it high.”
Ancelotti, however, declined to speculate on Mbappe’s second consecutive omission from the World Cup finalists’ squad.
“It is a decision of the national team coach and I do not have the right to judge it. I do not allow myself to do so,” said Ancelotti. France are due to play Israel at the Stade de France on November 14 and Italy in Milan three days later.
Ancelotti said wants a positive reaction from his side when they face against Osasuna. “Osasuna are doing very well, playing brave football and well positioned in the table,” Ancelotti said. “We see tomorrow as a great opportunity to get back to doing things right...at this moment in time, which is obviously difficult. We have a chance to get back to our best. We have analysed the situation. We think we have found the solution, but it has to be seen in practice. We want to see a different version tomorrow. I see the team united, motivated and aware. But we have to wait until tomorrow to see if we act in the right way.”
Leaders Barcelona have been in sensational goalscoring form this season and visit Real Sociedad tomorrow on confidence. The Catalans have netted 55 times in 16 matches across all competitions and have scored three times or more in each of their last seven outings.
Basque side La Real have historically proven difficult for Barcelona to overcome in San Sebastian but Hansi Flick’s side have swept aside any team to cross their path since September.
Barcelona suffered their only league defeat six weeks ago at Osasuna and since then have thrashed Spanish and European champions Real Madrid 4-0, as well as beating Bayern Munich 4-1 in Europe. “The results speak their own language and it’s really good to see that,” said Flick.
One of the key factors in Barcelona’s form has been the resurgence of veteran Polish striker Robert Lewandowski under his former Bayern Munich coach Flick. After struggling for form at times last season the 36-year-old has been nigh-on unstoppable this season.
Lewandowski reached 19 goals in 16 games for the season with a brace on Wednesday as Barcelona strolled to a 5-2 Champions League win over Red Star Belgrade. “Since the beginning of this season we have a goal - we have to play very attacking football...we score a lot of goals,” said Lewandowski afterwards. “The defensive line also plays very well, everything works so far almost perfectly...
“We have many games until the end of the season, no matter if it’s La Liga or Champions League, we have to always look at what we can do better and what we improve too, no matter how many goals we have scored today. The next game is a new game and a new chance to win.”
Lewandowski has found the net 14 times in La Liga and is the division’s top scorer, with double the tally of any other player. The forward has superb support from Raphinha and teenage Spain star Lamine Yamal, with the trio shredding opponents on a regular basis.
Barcelona’s summer signing Dani Olmo is also likely to start as he continues his comeback from injury. The playmaker netted twice in the derby win over Espanyol last weekend and has five goals in five La Liga games since his arrival.
Real Sociedad are down in 11th in La Liga but Imanol Alguacil’s side are improving as the weeks tick by after a slow start. The coach suggested his team’s results would improve after some poor finishing cost them points earlier in the campaign. Real Sociedad have scored 10 league goals, in stark contrast to Barcelona’s 40.
Fixtures: (all times GMT)
Today: Real Madrid v Osasuna (1300), Villarreal v Alaves (1515), Leganes v Sevilla (2000)
Tomorrow: Real Betis v Celta Vigo (1300), Mallorca v Atletico Madrid (1515), Getafe v Girona (1730), Valladolid v Athletic Bilbao (1730), Real Sociedad v Barcelona (2000)
Note: Espanyol v Valencia postponed after heavy flooding in eastern Spain