Spanish media criticize Mbappe's poor pressing: he walks a lot and does nothing

On March 23, the 29th round of La Liga Madrid Derby, Real Madrid star Mbappe came on as a substitute for the last 25 minutes, but was criticized by "AS", La Sexta and other Spanish media for not participating much in the high press.

Early this morning, a high-end battle was ushered in the La Liga 29th round, Real Madrid played against Atletico Madrid at home. In this game, Real Madrid once fell behind 0-1, then chased the score to 2-2, and finally won 3-2, which also narrowed the point difference with the leader Barcelona to 4 points.

Five days ago, Mbappe recovered from injury in the Champions League game against Manchester City. At 64th minute, Mbappe replaced the youngster Thiago Pitarch and played the last 25 minutes as a substitute, but his performance on the field was criticized by many Spanish media, and their core argument was that he did not participate in the frontcourt pressing throughout the game.

"He did nothing but wander around the Bernabeu"

Josep Pedrerol, the host of the Spanish TV station La Sexta program "El Chiringuito", bluntly said that he was disappointed with the French star's lack of team participation. He pointed out that in the 77th minute of the game, after Valverde was sent off, Real Madrid fell into a predicament of playing with one less player, and Mbappe was completely detached from the team's overall scramble.

"After Arbeloa took over, this Real Madrid team is completely different. The team is active in running, fiercely fighting, and the tactical execution is very clear. This is a team that is fully invested and highly cohesive. Unfortunately, the team ended up with only 9 players, not only missing Valverde... but also not getting Mbappe's contribution. Arbeloa almost lost the possibility of chasing La Liga title (championship battle) because of bringing on Mbappe."

"Comparing Bellingham and Mbappe, the problem is mainly with Mbappe. He has hardly fought for Real Madrid or played with all his strength. He is about to go to the French national team for training. This is already unacceptable and unconvincing. His physical energy seems to be reserved for playing other games."

This criticism was agreed by Roncero, the editor-in-chief of "AS", who severely criticized Mbappe's attitude in his post-match column: "Mbappe came on as a substitute for 25 minutes and made no contribution other than walking around the Bernabeu." Roncero bluntly said, "There is no doubt about Kylian's talent, but he lacks the most basic team empathy and does not understand what it takes for this club to build a real sense of belonging and win the hearts of Madrid fans."

"Vinicius may make mistakes, but he always tries his best; Kylian is too detached on the field, and the fans at the Bernabeu don't know how to approach him. He can indeed score a lot of goals, but in these 25 minutes, the team was at a disadvantage in terms of numbers, and he did not put any pressure on Atletico Madrid's backcourt attack, which made the fans extremely dissatisfied. Mbappe must reflect on his attitude in the game, and his teammate Vinicius has set an example for him."

Reporters from the well-known Spanish sports radio station Carrusel Deportivo also commented after the game: "Everyone can take a look at Mbappe's performance. His frontcourt pressing is as always, which is completely non-existent. And when he moves forward, it also feels like something is missing. The problem now is, once Mbappe returns to the starting lineup, how should coach Arbeloa adjust the team's overall tactical system?"

At the post-match press conference, Real Madrid coach Arbeloa publicly defended Mbappe: "I work hard every day to arrange the strongest 11-man starting lineup. When you have world-class players... normally he will gradually improve. Kylian played well in these few minutes, and I believe he will get more playing time in the upcoming national team games."