Kylian Mbappe sent transfer message: Vinicius Junior is not enough!
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 3 Aug 2023 11:56 BST
- 4 min read
Real Madrid’s 3-1 defeat at the hands of Juventus sent a clear signal to head coach Carlo Ancelotti – he needs to add Kylian Mbappe to his attack in order to have a competitive team this season.
In the words of AS: Vinicius Junior is not enough.
Real Madrid finished an alarming 10 points behind Barcelona in LaLiga last season, and on the basis of the preseason fixtures they do not appear to have bridged that gap.
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Sure, Los Blancos were five goals better off than their rivals over the course of last term, but having lost Karim Benzema and only replaced him with Joselu, it’s conceivable that this gap could quickly evaporate.
Astonishingly, Madrid had 34 shots against Juventus and scored just once. A matter of days earlier against Barcelona, they offered 29 efforts on goal and were shutout.
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This remarkable lack of efficiency – one goal from 63 efforts – could be seen as a sign of promise due to the sheer volume of opportunities being created, but it will start to hurt Ancelotti’s side when they visit Athletic Club in LaLiga on 12 August.
If Mbappe was watching, it will be clear to him that he is needed.
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Real Madrid’s Mbappe patience
It is clear that Madrid need additional firepower and it is obvious where they can get it. The question is how do they get PSG to release Mbappe?
For Real Madrid, it could simply be a question of patience, waiting to the end of the transfer window before bidding for a player they know PSG are desperate to offload. There is, however, the risk of a Premier League club making a loan move for the forward before then, but that might just prompt them into action a little sooner than expected.
Can Ancelotti’s side afford to wait on Mbappe? It might not seem like it now, but they probably can.
The coach admitted so after the Juventus loss, explaining: “It can happen in pre-season, when the team is tired and has travelled a lot. I don’t think that’s a problem. I’ve seen a lot of good things in attack.”
Aside from a tricky opening match in the Basque country, they have been handed a very manageable start in LaLiga against Celta at home and an Almeria side that had the worst defensive record in the league last season outside the bottom two.
Getafe, 15th last season, then visit the Bernabeu two days after the transfer deadline before the international break.
Only then does the truly serious stuff start, and by that time it may not be Vinicius Junior against the world – he could well Mbappe to partner him.
