Carlo Ancelotti believes Kylian Mbappe's initial struggles to cope with the demands of playing for Real Madrid are now over.
The Frenchman is their top scorer in LaLiga, scoring nine goals in 15 appearances, as well as two in six Champions League games in his first season for Madrid.
He also scored the opener in their 3-0 win over Mexican side Pachuca as they won the Intercontinental Cup final on Wednesday. In doing so, he became only the third player to score in each of his first two finals for the club in all competitions in the last ten years. , to Gareth Bale and Marco Asensio.
“His adjustment period is over. He has already shown a good version of himself and can still improve,” Ancelotti told reporters on Saturday.
“He has recovered well from the little injury he had. He is motivated, excited and happy to be here. He needed that period, everyone does, but it is over now.”
The Frenchman, who missed last weekend's 3-3 draw at Rayo Vallecano due to a muscle injury, initially struggled with a dip in form and had to adapt to the Spanish squad, but his revival has seen him score five goals in his last seven games. for Madrid.
Ancelotti lamented the injuries that prevented his four attacking stars from playing together. Vinicius Junior also suffered a muscle injury and missed three league games before returning as a substitute against Vallecano.
“They didn't play much together, because sometimes Rodrygo or… [Jude] Bellingham was injured. But from what I have seen, they combine well and adapt to each other's characteristics,” he added.
“Sometimes Mbappe has played on the left, sometimes Vinicius has moved inside and other times Bellingham has drifted to the left. I'm not going to assign a fixed position to all four; I'm giving them the freedom to find the right position.” position.”
Defenders Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao will be sidelined for several months as the ACL suffers tears early in the season, but there was good news for David Alaba, who could soon return to strengthen Madrid's defense for their next Champions League matches.
“Alaba will return to group training at the end of December and will be available in mid-January,” Ancelotti said.
Third-placed Madrid are on 37 points after 17 games, one behind Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, who play each other on Saturday, and have dropped points in two of their last three LaLiga games (W1 D1 L1), after had won nine of their previous matches. 11 games in the league (D1 L1).
However, they have not lost any of their last eleven games against Sevilla in LaLiga (W9 D2), their second-best unbeaten run against them in the competition's history, following a 15-match unbeaten run between 1993 and 2003 (W13 D2) . ).
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