The Mbappé paradox

BarcelonaKylian Mbappé is not having the best season of his professional career. Despite being the standard-bearer for Real Madrid and their top scorer, with 39 goals in 38 matches, his individual performance is not translating into collective success. In fact, with the League almost impossible, continuing in the Champions League depends on a very difficult comeback this Wednesday at Bayern Munich's ground (9 PM, Movistar). A second blank season is the most likely option. Florentino Pérez tried to turn the situation around with the dismissal of Xabi Alonso in January and the appointment of Álvaro Arbeloa as the new coach, but everything points to the measure ending up being sterile. Once again, assembling star players on the pitch is no guarantee of titles.

Mbappé went to Madrid and, in this way, fulfilled his childhood dream. He also achieved another dream that had eluded PSG: winning the Champions League, a feat that the Parisians achieved without him. With the trophy again frankly far away (Los Blancos have to come back from a 1-2 deficit at the Allianz Arena), the Bernabéu fans are not at all happy with the team, and beyond blaming Arbeloa and the players, they have focused on Mbappé. The data suggests that when the French forward does not play or plays little, Madrid performs better. Of the last four matches played with him in the starting eleven, they have not won any: three losses and one draw. And in the only two encounters in which he did not start out of the last six, 21 minutes against Manchester City and 26 against Atlètic de Madrid, his team won them.

After the match against Girona, Arbeloa was asked if he was worried about the lack of accuracy in front of goal from Mbappé and also Vinícius. "I cannot worry about two players who accumulate the figures they have. They are two of the best in the world. We have to improve collectively in many aspects, especially in one that is causing us difficulties: teams that wait for us and rarely press us. It is a situation that still costs us to manage and has more to do with collective performance than individual talent. We trust that on Wednesday they can put an end to the bad dynamic and show more accuracy," stressed the white coach. The last match in which the Frenchman participated in a goal was precisely against Bayern, in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. He scored 1-2, and gave hope of a comeback against Germans who missed several chances. However, his effort was not enough to turn the score around, but it was enough to keep his team alive for the second leg.

Deschamps, in the orbit of Real Madrid

And precisely this duel is the most important for Madrid this season. It could define not only if this year they go empty-handed, but also Arbeloa's future on the white bench. Lifting the Champions League would mean directly earning a renewal, but falling in the quarterfinals would put an end to his time as Madrid coach. Given the doubts about his future, many rumors are emerging about who his replacement will be. The latest to emerge has done so with force: Didier Deschamps. According to specialized journalist Fabrice Hawkins, the still French coach is one of the favorites to make the leap to the Bernabéu. He will be free after the World Cup and would be well-placed to secure the position, thanks to his track record, his experience, and his profile as a mediating coach, traits he shares with Carlo Ancelotti or Zinedine Zidane. We also cannot overlook that he knows Mbappé well, whom he made world champion in 2018.