Ancelotti’s Tactics Fail with Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe’s arrival at Real Madrid was expected to bolster their Champions League dominance, but the French forward was silenced by Arsenal as Los Blancos crashed out in the quarter-finals. Coach Carlo Ancelotti now faces pressure after a 5-1 aggregate defeat.

The Gunners advanced to the semi-finals with a 2-1 win and will face Mbappe’s former club, Paris Saint-Germain. Mbappe limped off with an ankle injury in the final stages against Arsenal, leaving Madrid’s ‘remontada’ hopes in tatters and his coach under scrutiny.

Ancelotti’s team has been deeply flawed this season, a far cry from the side that won the Champions League and La Liga double last season. This defeat marks only the third time in 12 seasons that Madrid has failed to reach the Champions League semi-finals.

Mbappe’s arrival, despite his strong form, has been a factor in Madrid’s downturn, with Ancelotti struggling to accommodate him and Vinicius Junior together without destabilizing the team. It’s clear Ancelotti hasn’t found the right strategy to use them, Jude Bellingham, and Rodrygo Goes together in crucial matches.

“We have to make more collective moves rather than individual ones,” noted goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois after the elimination. Madrid has relied on star power rather than consistently outplaying opponents.

Ancelotti has deployed Mbappe in a centre-forward role, but he often drifts, and in the past, has preferred to play off the left flank — Vinicius’ preferred spot. Last season, Bellingham and Joselu Mato both operated through the middle at times.

Against Arsenal, Madrid resorted to crossing into the box, searching for a target man like Joselu, who left last summer. “We put in a lot of crosses but this year we don’t have a Joselu, a born centre-forward up there,” observed Courtois.

Ancelotti has been frustrated with his team’s lack of “collective commitment” to defending. The 65-year-old threatened Vinicius with substitution during the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg against Real Sociedad because the Brazilian wasn’t running enough.

“That warning brought out the best in Vinicius — from then on, he increased the pace and quality,” said Ancelotti.

The Italian coach has been open about his future, knowing he might not be kept on for the last year of his contract. Speculation has mounted that Madrid will look for a new coach in the summer, with Jurgen Klopp and Xabi Alonso the favorites.

“It could be that the club decide to change (coach), it could be this year — or the next when my contract expires, there’s no problem,” Ancelotti said.

Madrid’s defeat was their 12th of the season, compared to just two in the 2023-24 campaign. Toni Kroos’ departure last summer is another factor, with Madrid’s midfield not convincing this year.

The team still has trophies on the line, including La Liga, where they trail Barcelona by four points, and the Copa del Rey final against their arch-rivals on April 26. They will also participate in the Club World Cup this summer.