Ancelotti Addresses Mbappé’s Confidence Issues After Penalty Miss Against Liverpool

In the 61st minute, Mbappé had the chance to equalize after Alexis Mac Allister put Liverpool ahead, but his penalty was saved by Caoimhín Kelleher.

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has suggested that Kylian Mbappé is experiencing “a lack of confidence” following the forward’s missed penalty in a 2-0 Champions League defeat to Liverpool. In the 61st minute, Mbappé had the chance to equalize after Alexis Mac Allister put Liverpool ahead, but his penalty was saved by Caoimhín Kelleher. Later, Mohamed Salah also missed a penalty, but Cody Gakpo doubled Liverpool’s lead with a header, securing their top spot in the Champions League table while leaving Madrid struggling in 24th.

Ancelotti’s Post-Match Assessment

“It happens a lot with forwards; there are times when it’s hard for them to score,” Ancelotti said in his post-match press conference. “There’s a cure, and it’s patience. It’s a difficult moment for him, above all today, with the missed penalty. Everyone has to support him.”

The coach further elaborated on Mbappé’s situation, adding, “It could be a lack of confidence. Sometimes, when you have a moment when things aren’t going well, the idea is to play simply, and you can complicate things a bit. He’s scored a lot of penalties. Sometimes you can miss one. He has to work, keep fighting, and the moment will pass.”

Teammates Show Support

Midfielder Luka Modric defended Mbappé’s form, stating, “He looks good to us, he’s training well, he’s confident. Sometimes things work and sometimes they don’t. Today it didn’t, above all with the penalty, but we believe in him. Kylian will do what’s expected of him, for sure.”

Substitute Dani Ceballos echoed this sentiment, saying, “[Mbappé] isn’t scoring the goals he’d like to. We have to wait for him. It isn’t easy coming to a club like Real Madrid. I think he’ll do a lot for this club, and this team.”

Current Form Woes

Mbappé has managed only two goals in his past nine appearances for Madrid across all competitions and has failed to score in the last four Champions League matches.

Liverpool’s Dominance and Madrid’s Struggles

Ancelotti acknowledged Liverpool’s deserved victory, saying, “To be honest, it’s the right result. Liverpool deserved to win, they’re in good form. We did well in the first half, our plan went well. … The team competed until the penalty.”

Madrid’s challenges were compounded when midfielder Eduardo Camavinga left the pitch in the 56th minute with a muscular injury. “It could be a strain, he felt something, and that’s two or three weeks at least,” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois explained.