Carlo Ancelotti remains calm about Kylian Mbappé's slow start at Real Madrid, despite the club's mixed results early in the season.
The star signing hasn’t made an immediate impact, but Ancelotti is confident that Mbappé is adapting well to his new surroundings.
Real Madrid have only won one of their first three La Liga games and currently sit fifth in the table, seven points behind leaders Barcelona, who have played an additional game.
Ancelotti acknowledged the team’s struggles, particularly in defense, after drawing with both Real Mallorca and Las Palmas, but he is not concerned about Mbappé’s form.
Speaking at a press conference, Ancelotti dismissed any worries about the forward’s defensive contribution, emphasizing that Mbappé’s role is more focused on attacking output.
Despite the slow start, Ancelotti remains confident that both Mbappé and the team will soon find their rhythm as they prepare for their upcoming clash with Real Betis.
“He’s playing very well, he’s caused a threat. He hasn’t scored many goals, but he’s moving around very well. There’s no problem with adaptation.
“The focus is on defensive work and this should be collective, but obviously, a forward’s work in defence has to be less committed because that’s not his main role.”
Mbappe, a summer arrival from Paris St Germain, is yet to open his LaLiga goal account and his on-field relationship with Vinicius Junior has been a point of focus.
However, Ancelotti said: “I think they’re playing well together. The problem of scoring isn’t a small detail, because obviously it’s important for a forward.
“You can always play better, faster and show more movement, but the offensive problem isn’t specific to these games because we’re scoring in all of them and I’m sure we’ll improve. The problem isn’t there.
“With time, Mbappe and Vini Jr will combine better, but also Mbappe with the midfielders. We won’t have any issues offensively, we’ve never had any problems and even less so this season when we have the best players in the world.”
Madrid won the league by 10 points last season and their start has raised eyebrows, but Ancelotti is not remotely concerned and is happy to take the criticism which has come their way on the chin.
He said: “That’s completely normal. We’re not worried at all. We’re going to have criticism until May at some points, it’s quite normal whatever happens.
“Being worried isn’t bad because it means you’re dealing with the problem at hand. When the problem is clear, it’s fairly easy to solve.”
Betis, who have opened their campaign with back-to-back draws with Girona and Alaves, added Tottenham’s Argentina international Giovani Lo Celso to Manuel Pellegrini’s squad on Friday.
