The debate over whether real Madrid it’s better without Mbappe It is absurd with the data in hand. When the Frenchman’s goals were falling, Madrid signed its best streak of consecutive victories this season (7). The project of Xabi Alonsowhich began to roll after him Club World Cupit started like a steamroller… and on 10 it was unleashed with 9 goals of the 16 that the white team had scored at the start.
Then came the Metropolitano match, a match that shook the team’s foundations. Even so, Madrid responded forcefully: six wins in a row and another 8 goals from Mbappé in that stretch. And from there a roller coaster of play and results… that have not allowed Madrid to improve their two best winning streaks.
I can’t worry about two players who have the numbers they have.
Arbeloa
In parallel, the Frenchman’s performance has entered into completely unknown terrain for him in Madrid. Of the 38 goals in his first 31 gamesan unprecedented streak, Mbappé has moved on to a much more discreet dynamicand the team notices it. In the last seven games, The French striker has only scored one goal. Against Bayern and in a crucial moment, but only one goal. However, the most worrying data is the effectiveness: has gone from needing around 4 shots to score, to needing up to 25 shots. The night against Bayern, despite signing 1-2, is a reflection of the moment the Frenchman is going through.
A worrying fact
In his ‘prime’ white, the Frenchman scored goals with an ease rarely seen. Figures at the level of very few forwards… that matched those signed years ago by Cristiano Ronaldo in the same scenario. And Mbappé only needed four chances to put the ball into the goal.: Of the 156 shots in 31 games, 38 goals were scored (one every 70 minutes). Now, that efficiency has plummeted to one goal every 497 minutes. As things stand, their success rate has fallen from 25% to 4%.
The sequence of a possible penalty against Mbappé that outraged Real Madrid fans
“I can’t worry about two players who have the numbers they have.. They are probably two of the four or five best players in the world. “I can’t be worried at all,” he explained. Arbeloa about the effectiveness of Vinicius and Mbappé facing goal. “We have to improve many things collectively, especially with teams that wait for us, leave us few spaces and rarely come looking for us. It is something that continues to cost us and I think it has more to do with collective performance than with individual talent. Let’s hope that on Wednesday, like all streaks, they can end and we will have more aim in front of goal”, he stated.
That is why Mbappé finds himself in an unusual scenario for him right now. And that’s a strange thing. There are 83 goals in 96 games for Madrid, but his lack of forcefulness has come at the most inopportune moment. Although perhaps the worst thing is the feeling that when Mbappé is there, Vinicius reduces his benefits to 50%who was the one who was solving the games until before the break. Mbappé’s knee created a more compact and hard-working eleven…and the results came easily. Like when Mbappé drilled goals with excessive ease. Now, more blurred, The 10 once again fuels the criticism.
