On Saturday, Real Madrid will play Girona, last year’s LaLiga surprise package, with Kylian Mbappe under scrutiny after missing his second penalty in a week. After losing 2-1 against Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday, Real were left reeling. It was their fourth loss in seven games in all competitions.
Real, lacking star Vinicius Jr. and others due to injury, squandered a chance to catch Barcelona, who lead by four points with a game in hand. Eduardo Camavinga, Dani Carvajal, and Eder Militao are also out with ACL rupture, but Mbappe’s form is Real’s biggest concern. Fans and analysts have wondered why Mbappe is taking so long to become the difference maker he was anticipated to be when he joined Real in the summer.
The France captain and World Cup winner joined from Paris St. Germain with enormous expectations to boost an already stellar group, but he has looked tentative and out of sync. He has scored 10 goals in all competitions, seven from open play, but his all-around game has been terrible, and he again had no role on Wednesday against Bilbao. He missed a weak penalty that goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala easily palmed away, almost identical to the one he missed the week before in Real’s Champions League loss at Liverpool. After the game, Ancelotti conceded Mbappe was not at his best and the captain pledged to recover.
The result was bad. Bad call in a match where every detail matters. I accept full responsibility. It’s hard, but now is the greatest time to change and show myself “Mbappe said on Instagram. Girona have improved after a slow start. Their 22 points and four-game unbeaten streak put them ninth in LaLiga.
Their excitement was dashed on Wednesday when 10-man fourth-division side Logrones knocked them out in the second round of the Copa del Rey 4-3 on penalties. In the home side’s shocking win, 19-year-old left back Pol Arnau played as stand-in goalkeeper and stopped Girona attacker Abel Ruiz’s spot-kick. League leaders Barcelona are relieved to play Real Betis in Seville on Saturday after beating Mallorca 5-1 on Tuesday to win LaLiga for the first time in a month. Third-placed Atletico Madrid awaits struggling Sevilla on Sunday after a seven-game winning streak in all competitions.
