Kylian Mbappe sent clear Real Madrid demand as Jude Bellingham issue addressed

Carlo Ancelotti has defended Kylian Mbappe over suggestions that Real Madrid’s superstar striker is not doing enough defensive work for the team.

Real are still trying to adapt since finally completing the signing of Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain over the summer. Ancelotti is the man tasked with finding a way to field Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham in the same line-up.

They are currently second in La Liga, three points behind Barcelona but unbeaten through 10 matches. Mbappe has eight goals and one assist in 12 games across all competitions, but has been questioned over his work rate for the team.

Real host Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night in a repeat of last season’s Champions League final and Ancelotti was asked in the pre-match press conference what he expected from Mbappe. "I want Mbappe to score goals, I prefer he scores rather than pressing," he replied.

"The centre-forward’s role hasn’t changed, I ask the same of him that I asked of Karim Benzema. Mbappe needs to position himself well and be smart every time we recover the ball to make a quick transition."

The Real manager was also quizzed on the form of Bellingham, who has dropped off in terms of goal scoring this season. The Englishman bagged 23 goals and 13 assists in all competitions during his debut campaign but is yet to find the back of the net in 2024/25 so far.

“We're happy with his work because he works hard for the team and he always competes, fights and gives his all,” Ancelotti said. “He hasn't scored the goals he did last season, but the surprise was last year when he scored a lot of goals that nobody expected.

“We've always scored goals and we're going to score them because we've got very talented players. The work he's doing is more important now than the goals he scored last year. He just changed his position the other day and played on the right to look for more space to get into the second line.

“We're going to continue along those lines because the left is busier this year because Mbappe likes to play there and combine with Vini Jr. We think with Bellingham and with Rodrygo we can be as effective as we are on the left wing.”

Ancelotti opted for a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Bellingham and Vinicius flanking Mbappe for the 2-1 win over Celta Vigo on Saturday. And the veteran Italian coach admits that he is still tinkering to try and find the winning formula.

“We have players who can play rock and roll football,” he explained. “An end-to-end game is good for us. We have more problems in possession and controlled play because we don't have players with the characteristics to play in tight spaces but we do have the characteristics for open spaces.

“We're focused on defending better, which is key this season. We did very well last year and the team is less solid now. We're working on making the team more solid.”

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