After scoring a goal against Getafe on Sunday, Kylian Mbappé has not yet convinced everyone in the Spanish capital.
Real Madrid reassured a little on Sunday, by winning 2-0 against neighbors Getafe. A success that allows the Merengues to breathe a little after the defeat at Liverpool in the middle of the week, while returning to just one point behind FC Barcelona in the Liga standings, with a game in hand. Kylian Mbappé, who was heavily criticized in Madrid following his performance at Anfield, was also able to smile again by scoring the second goal of the afternoon for Carlo Ancelotti’s troops, with a well-felt strike from outside the area. Enough to calm this avalanche of criticism against him? Not really…
Indeed, the analyses of him in the Spanish media are rather mixed. “He hasn’t completely got his head above water, but the patient (Mbappé, editor’s note) is improving significantly,” writes AS, which specifies that he was the most active offensive player on the pitch. However, he still missed several opportunities and that worries the media, which explains that he needs 87 shots on average to score a goal, compared to 4.7 for Vinicius Jr for example, 5.4 for Haaland, 4.8 for Raphinha, not to mention Harry Kane (3.6) or Robert Lewandowski (3).
A goal that is not enough
“He is still far from his best level, but there was a glimmer of hope with his goal,” the newspaper says in another article, specifying that he has taken a step forward. “Mbappé is breathing… but he is not exploding. The French star scored a nice goal, but missed three, while he continues to look for his release. Kylian is still the shadow of Mbappé”, goes the newspaper Marca. “The other Mbappé put them all in the back”, adds the media in another article, defending the Frenchman all the same: “no, Mbappé is not starting to look like Hazard. It’s just a matter of time”.
“He didn’t take the first penalty because he’s not confident, that’s obvious”, launched the journalist Javier Herraiz on Cadena SER. “Kylian Mbappé changes the paradigm of the Bernabéu with the stars of Real Madrid in poor form”, writes Relevo, which underlines the support of the Madrid stadium for the tricolor player, while generally, the stars who perform poorly are whistled. “He creates a lot of division within madridismo”, indicates all the same the media. Goals, Kylian Mbappé will therefore have to put a good packet to win everyone over.
