Kylian Mbappé may be feeling concerned about his performance at Real Madrid, despite his superstar status.
As one of the world’s top players, Mbappé arrived at Santiago Bernabéu with high expectations from Madridista fans, fueled by his impressive goal-scoring record with Paris Saint-Germain. The excitement was palpable after he scored in the UEFA Super Cup final against Atalanta, following a crucial assist from Jude Bellingham, effectively sealing the match for Los Blancos.
This promising start led to widespread praise for Mbappé and his new teammates. However, there were underlying concerns about his adaptation to the new season. Those concerns seem to be proving accurate as the season progresses.
In the first two La Liga matches against comparatively weaker opponents, Real Mallorca and Real Valladolid, Mbappé started both games but failed to score. According to Footystats, after these two matches, Mbappé attempted 4 shots with an accuracy of 50%, but his expected goals from these attempts were only 0.35, resulting in no goals. This indicates that he is not performing as effectively as expected.
Another concerning statistic is Mbappé’s passing. His average passes per 90 minutes over these two games was 31, with a success rate of 80.65%. The only positive metric was his dribbling success rate, which stood at 75%.
Previously, Mbappé’s average goals per 90 minutes at PSG often exceeded 1, peaking at 1.27 during the 2018/19 season. Last season, he averaged 1.13 goals per game. However, he has yet to score in his first two La Liga appearances this season.
Carlo Ancelotti has attempted to reassure fans and relieve pressure on Mbappé by expressing confidence that the striker will soon find his scoring touch. While it’s expected that a player of Mbappé’s caliber will eventually start scoring, adapting to a new environment like Real Madrid, which operates differently from PSG, could pose a challenge.
If Mbappé does not quickly regain his goal-scoring form, he risks being relegated to the bench. Notably, young talent Endrick managed to score just 8 minutes after coming on as a substitute for Mbappé in La Liga, underscoring the competitive environment at Real Madrid.