“He has to outlast the moment” - Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti speaks up on Kylian Mbappe’s recent struggles and penalty woes

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti recently opened up about Kylian Mbappe's recent struggles and penalty woes. This comes after the forward missed two penalties in a row, across three games.

In their Champions League match against Liverpool at Anfield on November 27, Mbappe missed an important penalty. However, Los Blancos ended up winning the game 2-0. In their next match against Getafe at the Bernabeu on December 1, the French forward handed penalty duties to Jude Bellingham, who scored from the spot.

However, in their most recent match against Athletic Club Bilbao on December 4 at San Mames, he took over penalty duties once more. However, his effort from 12 yards was saved by the goalkeeper, as Real Madrid went down by a 1-2 margin.

The poor run of penalty form has raised a lot of criticism towards Kylian Mbappe, and Carlo Ancelotti has shed light about it. In his pre-match press conference ahead of their league match against Girona at the Montilivi on December 6, the manager said (via Football Espana):

“He is aware, because the post he put out after the game is from a player who is aware of what he can and will do. We are with him. He is not showing his best version. There are many who do not and are not aware of that. He is. And he is doing everything he can to do it as soon as possible.”

Ancelotti added:

"The issue of penalties, for now, depends on the motivation. He was motivated to take it in Bilbao, another, he was not. He has to outlast the moment.

"He has to fight, sacrifice himself, give everything, because the moment, sooner or later, will end. What gives me a good feeling is that the intensity level has improved in the last two games.”

Kylian Mbappe will hope he can turn things around at the Montilivi and potentially find the net.

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Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti told to bench Kylian Mbappe

Real Madrid legend Predrag Mijatovic has told Los Blancos manager Carlo Ancelotti to bench Kylian Mbappe. Since October, the French World Cup winner has scored just three goals, notably getting left out of the national team during November internationals despite being the captain.

His recent struggles, especially from the penalty spot, have led to Mijatovic warning Ancelotti to keep Kylian Mbappe on the bench. The former club director said (via FootBoom):

"He needs to calm down, and it wouldn't hurt for him to spend a match on the bench to observe the atmosphere from there. He has to adapt to the expectations of Real Madrid, not the other way around."

This season, Kylian Mbappe has scored eight goals and provided one assist in 14 La Liga games. However three of those goals have come from the penalty spot, meaning that he has scored just six league goals from open play.