Mbappe position switch works wonders for Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti was pleased that his tactical decision to change Kylian Mbappe's attacking position had paid off in Real Madrid's 3-0 win over Leganes.

Mbappe scored his seventh goal of the season to help Madrid to a comfortable victory in LaLiga on Sunday.

However, his position in Madrid's front line has been a subject of debate since joining the Spanish champions, with Mbappe often playing wide at Paris Saint-Germain.

And Ancelotti opted to move Mbappe to the left flank against Leganes, with Vinicius Junior leading Los Blancos' attack.

“Mbappe played on the left, where he did well, and Vinicius on the inside,” Ancelotti told reporters.

“We have to highlight their play to open the scoring. They did very well. Mbappé scored, after a fantastic assist from Vinicius. Little by little, they are both improving.”

“Kylian is more used to playing there and today it was the best thing that happened for the team and for him.

“Playing outside requires more effort and Vinicius was there again on Thursday. In the meantime, Kylian had been training with this for a week and a half, he was fresher.”

Mbappe was not called up for this month's Nations League matches by French coach Didier Deschamps despite being the captain of Les Bleus.

With an injury crisis at the back and a trip to Anfield to face Premier League and Champions League leaders Liverpool, Ancelotti added that he was hopeful of Lucas Vazquez, who has a hamstring injury, and Aurelien Tchouameni, who is recovering is from a sprained left hand. single, back in action.

@fedeevalverde: “I'm happy with the victory and that I have realized the dream of being captain.” #LeganésRealMadrid pic.twitter.com/eF2Cx8zkFN

— Real Madrid CF 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) November 24, 2024

He was also optimistic about the contribution of Federico Valverde, who scored from a free kick and came on as right back.

“The truth is that Fede has done very well at the back,” Ancelotti said of the Uruguayan, who also wore the captain's armband.

“He is a fantastic full-back. The best right-back in the world after Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez. His problem is that he can play in many positions at this level and it is the coach's problem to choose the best position for the team. “

“Let's see if Lucas and Tchouameni can recover. If not, we will make decisions.”

Jude Bellingham scored Madrid's other goal as Ancelotti's side moved to within four points of LaLiga leaders Barcelona, ​​who drew 2-2 with Celta Vigo on Saturday.

Madrid also have a game in hand for Hansi Flick's side.