Ancelotti says Mbappé is ‘aware’ he must play better after missing penalties in Madrid defeats
Associated PressBARCELONA, Spain — Carlo Ancelotti is convinced Kylián Mbappé will find a way out of the rut that has included two big penalty misses since his highly-anticipated move to Real Madrid, the Italian coach said Friday. His post after the Athletic game is one of a player who knows how he is playing and that he can play better,” Ancelotti said a day before Madrid visits Girona in La Liga. “There are players who are unaware they are not playing up to their potential, but he is aware that he can do more, and he is going to do all he can to improve as soon as possible.” Mbappé’s arrival as a free agent this summer created huge expectations that arguably the world’s top talent would quickly reach new heights, with an experienced side coming off a double of the Champions League and Spanish league titles. Given Madrid’s troubles with handling pressure in its own half, Ancelotti said that he is working on encouraging his team to play long balls and avoid taking risks, like the error by Federico Valverde that led to Athletic’s winning goal. “We have played Champions League finals like that, playing long balls from the very start,” Ancelotti said after admitting Liverpool and Athletic hurried his defenders into errors.