Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti acknowledged that Kylian Mbappe is currently “not at his best level” after a missed penalty contributed to a 2-1 defeat against Athletic Club in La Liga. The match, held at San Mames, saw Alejandro Berenguer score for the hosts, while Mbappe missed a crucial penalty that could have equalized the game.
Jude Bellingham managed to score from a rebound after Mbappe’s attempt, but a mistake by Fede Valverde allowed Gorka Guruzeta to secure the win for Athletic Club. This result helped FC Barcelona maintain a four-point lead at the top of the league.
In a post-match press conference, Ancelotti was reminded that Mbappe, who joined Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain, has scored only 10 goals in 20 games and missed two penalties. Ancelotti defended his player, stating, “It’s much more than 1%. He is not at his best level, but you have to give him time to adapt. He has scored 10 goals and is working to do better.”
When asked about Mbappe’s confidence, Ancelotti said, “I haven’t spoken to him. It was a complicated match, even, fought, competitive. When we equalized, we could think of having control, and small details penalized us tonight. We missed the penalty… Obviously, he is sad, disappointed, but we have to continue.”
Ancelotti also defended Valverde, saying, “Like Kylian, the Uruguayan is sad and disappointed. He made a mistake, but you don’t have to hit him. Fede is a great player. Mistakes in football are made, like everyone else makes them. We have to look at the next game.”
Reflecting on the match, Ancelotti commented, “Athletic is a very dangerous team, we competed and fought. I think the match was a draw. For what the two teams did, for me, it was a draw, but there’s nothing to say about the fact that they have won.”
He concluded by saying, “We could have got a worse result, but we’re there, and let’s think about Saturday’s game in Girona. Vinicius has usually taken a lot of penalties, and all of them are good. The ones who take penalties are the three of them: Mbappe, Bellingham, and Vinicius.”