MADRID : Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe should prioritise scoring over pressing to support the team, manager Carlo Ancelotti said on Monday as he backed Jude Bellingham amid his goalless campaign.
European champions Real host Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday in a rematch of last year’s Champions League final, which the Spaniards won 2-0, as they continue their continental campaign.
Ancelotti’s side are looking to bounce back from a shock 1-0 defeat at French side Lille in their last Champions League game, after a 3-1 home victory over VfB Stuttgart in their opener.
Mbappe has eight goals for Real from 12 games in all competitions this season, while Bellingham has yet to find the net in nine outings.
“I want Mbappe to score goals, I prefer he scores rather than pressing. The centre-forward’s role hasn’t changed, I ask the same of him that I asked of (former Real striker player) Karim Benzema,” Ancelotti told reporters on Monday.
“Mbappe needs to position himself well and be smart every time we recover the ball to make a quick transition.”
England midfielder Bellingham was phenomenal for Real last season, when they did not have Mbappe, scoring 23 goals with 13 assists in 42 appearances in all competitions.
“We are satisfied with Bellingham’s work. He works hard on the field, competes, fights and makes sacrifices. He hasn’t scored like last year but that was unexpected,” Ancelotti said.
“We’ve always managed to score and will continue to because we have a lot of talent up front. Bellingham’s role is more important than the goals he scored last year.”
The Italian coach added that Real’s star-studded lineup excels during end-to-end games because of their talent.
“I want this (style) because I have players with those characteristics. A back-and-forth game suits us,” he added.
“We struggle more in possession-based games because we don’t have players suited to playing in tight spaces.”
Ancelotti added that his team were focused on working hard on defence as well, having lost right-back Dani Carvajal to a serious knee injury earlier in October.
The 65-year-old said his players were still not performing at their full potential amid a busy run of fixtures. After Dortmund, Real host LaLiga leaders Barcelona on Saturday.
“There’s a physical condition issue. Not everyone is at 100 per cent. The high pressing has been good, but we’re lacking solidity in the mid-block. That’s where the team loses some of its solidity,” added Ancelotti.
