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Carlo Ancelotti has backed Kylian Mbappé to end his poor run of form, starting with Real Madrid‘s return to LaLiga action at Leganés on Sunday.
Mbappé has scored just one goal in his last seven Madrid appearances, drawing a blank in four consecutive matches against Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona, AC Milan and Osasuna.
The France captain spent the international break training with club teammates in Madrid after being left out by national team coach Didier Deschamps.
“[Mbappé] has had the chance to train, and he’s trained well,” Ancelotti said in a news conference on Saturday. “His condition has improved, and let’s hope tomorrow he can show all his qualities, which are a lot.”
Ancelotti denied that Mbappé has required extra training on his movements with and without the ball as he adjusts to life at Madrid.
“We’ve been focused more on the defence, with Raul [Asencio] and [Ferland] Mendy, trying some right-backs,” Ancelotti said. “Does Mbappé need offensive work? I don’t think so. I’m not going to show him! He can show me how a forward should work.”
Madrid’s away game at Leganés comes three days before a crunch, must-win Champions League tie away to Liverpool, with Madrid struggling in 18th place in the UCL table.
Mbappé was scoring freely earlier this season — with six goals in five games September — but has since found finding the net more difficult, with some critics suggesting he should play on the left, rather than through the middle.
“Kylian has never asked me to play in a certain position on the pitch,” Ancelotti said. “He and Vinícius [Junior] don’t have fixed positions on the pitch, they can switch position depending on the circumstances in the game.
“Every great forward has had a bad run, there are moments when they aren’t scoring. [Mbappé] looks motivated, and happy in training with his teammates, I only see that. The run will end sooner or later, I’m convinced he’ll have a good game tomorrow, it’s just a matter of time.”
A defensive injury crisis has left Madrid without right-back options Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vázquez, and Ancelotti won’t speculate on whether he’ll opt to use Federico Valverde in the position.
“It’s an option,” Ancelotti said. “We’ve tried different options during the break, and tomorrow I’ll try to choose the best option possible for the team.”