Kylian Mbappe endured another lackluster performance for Real Madrid on Wednesday, as he struggled to break down Liverpool's defense and missed a penalty in their 2-0 Champions League loss at Anfield.
The French striker's start at Real has been underwhelming since his summer move from Paris Saint-Germain, managing just one goal in five Champions League appearances.
With only one goal in his last six games across all competitions, the World Cup winner has yet to find his rhythm. However, manager Carlo Ancelotti offered his backing after the match, describing Mbappe as an "extraordinary" player who simply needs time and support to flourish in Spain.
“It’s a difficult moment for him. We’ve got to support him and give him our love. He’ll soon be fine,” Ancelotti said.
“It could be a lack of confidence, maybe. Sometimes you have moments when things aren’t quite working out for you. But you get through these moments. People miss penalties. It happens a lot. You can’t put too much grief on him for that.
“He works hard. He’s got to keep working hard and fighting. You get through these moments. Things just aren’t running for him at the moment. We’ve got to be patient. He’s an extraordinary player.”
Ancelotti said Liverpool deserved to win the game.
“I think, to be totally honest with you, it was a fair result,” he said. “They have a really good dynamic at the moment. They are switched on. They play with a high intensity.”
Even though Real are 24th in the 36-team league and in danger of missing out on the knockout phase, Ancelotti was confident their form would improve.
“I think this game today wasn’t a decisive game,” he said. “We’ll be there. We’ll be competing in the knockout phase, like in previous years.”
Real midfielder Jude Bellingham echoed his boss' remarks that Liverpool outplayed them.
“They were more up for it than us, which is very disappointing. It is a bad result against the best-performing team in Europe,” he said.
“We are disappointed at how we have performed, and it is important that we win the next three games and give ourselves a chance to go through.”
Bellingham was also supportive of Mbappe.
“He is a wonderful player, but the pressure on him because of how good he is is huge. The penalty is not why we lost the game. They performed better than us. I know that he will produce many more moments that will be huge for this club,” he said.
