LEGANES, Spain : Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti is confident his tactical decision to switch Kylian Mbappe’s position in attack paid off after the Frenchman broke his goal drought in Sunday’s 3-0 win at Leganes.
The 25-year-old scored his seventh goal of the season, but his position has been the subject of debate since joining the LaLiga champions, as he has struggled to play as a centre-forward.
However, according to Real’s boss, a simple change with Brazilian striker Vinicius Jr was all it took for the France international to find the back of the net again.
“Mbappe played on the left side, where he did well, and Vinicius on the inside. We have to highlight their play to open the scoring. They did very, very well. Mbappe scored, after a fantastic assist from Vinicius. Little by little, they’re both improving,” Ancelotti told a press conference.
“Kylian is more used to playing there and today, for the team and for him, it was the best thing. Because playing on the outside brings more effort and Vinicius was back on Thursday. Meanwhile, Kylian had been training here for a week and a half, he was fresher,” the coach added.
Mbappe was not called up for France during the international break, despite being the team captain, while Vinicius played in Brazil’s two matches in the South American World Cup qualifiers earlier this month.
With an injury crisis at the back and a trip to Anfield to face Premier League and Champions League leaders Liverpool on the horizon, Ancelotti added he was hopeful of Lucas Vazquez, who has a hamstring strain, and Aurelien Tchouameni, who is recovering from a sprained left ankle, returning to action.
He was also upbeat about the contribution of Uruguayan Federico Valverde, who scored from a free-kick while playing in a different position.
“The truth is that Fede, at the back, has done very well. He’s a fantastic fullback. After Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez, the best right-back in the world. His problem is that he can play at this level in many positions and 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,” the manager said.
