In light of Kylian Mbappe still searching for his first goal in La Liga, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has said that the Spanish and European champions need to quickly overcome a spotty start to the season.
A 1-1 draw against Las Palmas on Thursday left Madrid with just one victory from their first three games in Spain. They are already four points behind Barcelona, which has gotten off to a strong start under new coach Hansi Flick.
Real will play Real Betis at the Bernabeu on Sunday, while Barcelona will play Real Valladolid at the Bernabeu on Saturday.
Ancelotti acknowledges that he has yet to discover the optimal strategy to accommodate his galaxy of offensive stars. However, he recalls that it took Madrid some time to settle down during the previous season before they had a successful campaign culminating in their 15th Champions League triumph.
The Italian said, “We also needed time the year before.” “In the beginning, we won several games in the last few minutes. To identify the most excellent version of the team, we will need to adjust it this year.
An English midfielder, Jude Bellingham, is expected to be out until at least the international break. Meanwhile, Madrid is still getting used to life with Kylian Mbappe, who scored after making his debut in the UEFA Super Cup victory against Atalanta, an Italian club. However, he has yet to score in any of the three matches that have followed.
We must hold on and suffer a bit because the team isn’t well balanced,” Ancelotti told reporters. “We have to look for a quick solution, and we’re going to find it.”
This weekend, Madrid will hope that returning to their home stadium to play Betis will help them overcome their teething difficulties and may even be the moment when Mbappe finally gets into gear.
For the first time since 2018, Barcelona has claimed victory in all three opening league matches. In two of those matches, they came from behind, with Dani Olmo celebrating his delayed debut with Barcelona by scoring the game-winning goal in Tuesday’s 2-1 triumph against Rayo Vallecano.
The 17-year-old defensive midfielder Marc Bernal, who suffered a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee, is expected to be out for an extended period as a result of his success. “We win, it’s OK, but nobody is happy when you see the dressing room,” Flick told reporters.
In other matches, Atletico Madrid will play Athletic Bilbao, and Villarreal, who is now in second position, will travel to Valencia, who have been defeated in each of their first three matches from a short distance south.
After assisting his country in reaching the final of the Copa America, the Colombian playmaker returned to La Liga this week by signing with Rayo Vallecano as a free agent from the Colombian national team.
Despite being elected the tournament’s best player, the 33-year-old athlete was without a club since he had terminated his contract with the Brazilian team Sao Paulo.
Ronaldo is a member of Portugal's team for the Nations League
An unsuccessful performance at Euro 2024 did not prevent Cristiano Ronaldo from being included in Portugal’s team for the UEFA Nations Championship matches against Croatia and Scotland the following month.
Even though Portugal was eliminated in the quarterfinals, the 39-year-old player did not score during his record-breaking sixth appearance at the European Championship. However, his coach, Roberto Martinez, continues to support him.
If I decide to leave the national team, I will not inform anybody in advance… As of right now, the thing that I want the most is to be able to assist the Selecao,” Ronaldo said in an interview on Portuguese television this week.
Ronaldo has opened the new season with four goals in as many games for Saudi side Al-Nassr. Ronaldo will likely continue to lead the attack for Portugal since Goncalo Ramos, a striker for Paris Saint-Germain, is currently out with an ankle injury.
Pepe, a seasoned defender, declared his retirement from football earlier this month at 41. Martinez, on the other hand, is looking to the future with the call-up of Geovany Quenda, a 17-year-old Sporting Lisbon winger.
Renato Veiga, a left-back for Chelsea, and Tiago Santos, a defender for Lille, are two of the notable new additions to the team for the matches against Croatia and Scotland that will take place in Lisbon on September 5 and 8, respectively.
