The beginning of Carlo Ancelotti’s troubles? While it is probably still too early to tell, the Italian coach was certainly expecting a more flashy start this Sunday on the Mallorca pitch on the occasion of the first day of La Liga. Despite the fantastic four (Mbappé, Vinicius, Bellingham and Rodrygo) lined up on the pitch and the opening score of the latter, the Merengues, in fact, conceded a draw (1-1) against the Islanders. A match during which the attacking quartet of the Madrid club generally disappointed. In a discussion captured by the Movistar cameras at half-time of the match, we see the young English midfielder take on his teammates Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius and Rodrygo on the way to “finish the opportunities”otherwise you will free up too much space. “You three, finish the actions, because running after… it’s very difficult.”Real’s number 5 said to his teammates. A reprimand validated by the former PSG scorer: “That’s what I’m saying, we have to finish them off with something”. And the Englishman concludes: “try, try, try. Create space and… (makes a gesture of shooting at goal)”.
Just before Bellingham’s reframing, images from Spanish television had also revealed a discussion between Vinicius and Mbappé on their positioning. “I think when we change positions, they don’t expect us to be there. And we can pass to the other side, quickly.”explained the Bondynois in particular. One thing is certain, the connection between the four men is still far from perfect and the overall balance of the Madrid collective is not yet up to scratch. “The balance is found with players who think the same way when we have to win the ball back. We all have to go together. Everyone can think that it is a problem for the attackers, but it can also be a problem for the defenders or the midfielders. They did not understand that it was a very important aspect. Mallorca played a great game and were better than us.”Ancelotti ranted in this sense after the match. Mbappé and his teammates will have the opportunity to correct this aspect next weekend, at home against Valladolid.
