Tyler Stearns |
After the signing of Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid shut down their summer transfer window. The club lost a few good depth pieces in Nacho and Joselu, along with academy talent Nico Paz. The team was expected to bid for Leny Yoro and/or Alphonso Davies, but they decided against both after having to pay Mbappe a $163 Million signing bonus (one of the reasons why they never bid for him at PSG).
Mbappe came in as the expected striker and has been in that role so far. You can see him backing into centrebacks, linking up with Vini, and making forward runs. But that isn't his strong suit. Mbappe has always been best as a left forward, not a pure left winger. Coming off the left and cutting inside has been one of the reasons he scores well over 35 goals per season. But unfortunately for him, Vini's touchline presence on that side doesn't allow him to play at his preferred position. And even Rodrygo tends to find himself on the left as he is a natural-born left-sided winger.
So Madrid has three left-wingers. It hasn't necessarily produced a poor result, but certainly not the one that Madridistas wanted to start the year. Of their amazing front four, only one (Rodrygo) has scored in their two league games. And Mbappe looks disoriented in his new position. Even Bellingham has to get used to his role as an attacking midfielder which differs from his center-forward role last season.
The attack will take time to get used to. Even as Rodrygo became a full time starter, he has always played on the right due to the quality of Vini Jr. on the left. He has to become accustomed to his right wing role. Vini and Bellingham are in positions that suit their strong suits, however, Jude has a bit more getting used to because he isn't in front of goal as much. Mbappe's situation is the most difficult to figure out, but if he can become an out and out number nine, then Madrid's attack will become unstoppable.
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