Real Madrid News
Real Madrid defender’s return from injury does not have a fixed date – report
Real Madrid star David Alaba has endured a disappointing start to 2023. The Austrian defender has missed a chunk of matches since the turn of the year due to a muscle problem.
The player had returned to training about a fortnight ago, but he suffered an injury relapse just before Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey derby against Atletico Madrid. He has since been missing in action.
A recent report from MARCA has offered an update on Alaba’s fitness. It appears the former Bayern Munich superstar has worked in the gym. He has worked alone on the gross as well, but a specific return date is not yet known.
Regarded as one of Real Madrid’s defensive lynchpins, Alaba has missed the last three league matches for Los Blancos. He has also missed all the Copa del Rey matches so far, including the most recent encounter against Atletico Madrid.
Alaba’s continued absence has hit Real Madrid hard. Especially with left-back Ferland Mendy also out injured, coach Carlo Ancelotti has been forced to deploy Eduardo Camavinga in the full-back position.
The central defensive area has also been an issue, with the club overly relying on the services of Eder Militao.
Alaba’s absence could hurt Real Madrid more in the coming weeks, as the Whites brace themselves for a tough run of fixtures in February. The club are indeed set for tight encounters against Valencia, Mallorca, Elche and the UEFA Champions League encounter against Liverpool.
Alaba has been confirmed to be out in the upcoming game against Valencia. But it will be interesting to see how the Austrian international recovers in the coming days and when he is ready to return.
Real Madrid News
Kylian Mbappe fires back at critics over his Real Madrid role: ‘A player who scores goals will never be the problem’
Kylian Mbappe has started the new season for Real Madrid in great form, scoring five goals in five games so far.
The Frenchman has continued from where he left off last season, with seemingly no drop in his scoring rate, and he could have had one more had he not missed his penalty against Real Betis.
The 27-year-old superstar has pushed back against criticism of his contribution to Real Madrid, insisting that his goalscoring should not be treated as a problem.
Mbappe’s logic is that the fundamental objective of football is to outscore the opposition and that, therefore, goalscoring should never be seen as an issue.
As quoted by Mundo Deportivo, Mbappe addressed the issue in an interview with L’Equipe, where he spoke openly about criticism of his defensive work and the constant scrutiny associated with him.
Mbappe responds to criticism
The Madrid forward believes people have become so accustomed to his attacking production that attention naturally shifts towards what he does not provide.
“Is it normal that people forget my goals and focus on the defensive work? No, but that is the life of someone who has been close to excellence for 10 years. I am not new to this. Everyone knows what I can do,” Mbappe said.
“It is human to look at what someone does not do. When someone has been doing something for 10 years, we stop looking at it because we know he can do it, so we look at what he is not doing. I do not take it personally.”
Mbappe’s standards are so high that scoring regularly can almost be taken for granted. However, one has to remember how remarkable that consistency is.
‘A player who scores goals will never be a problem’
Mbappe was even firmer when discussing suggestions that his goals may not necessarily translate into collective success.
“It makes no sense. If I do not score goals, they are going to ask me why I am not scoring,” he said.
“As a footballer, I have learned that there are millions of coaches in every match you play, and not all of those coaches are happy. Everyone has an opinion, but in football the objective is to score more goals than the opponent.”
Then came his clearest message.
“A player who scores goals will never be the problem of a team, because no team has ever won titles without scoring goals.”
Madrid need balance, not less of Mbappe
Mbappe’s argument is difficult to dismiss.
Even if they say “attack wins you games, defence wins you tournaments”, you cannot win games unless you score goals, and you cannot win tournaments unless you win games.
Madrid can demand more collective work from every player, especially under Jose Mourinho, without pretending elite goalscoring is somehow secondary.
The real challenge is finding the right balance.
Madrid need Mbappe to remain devastating in front of goal while fitting into the team’s pressing and defensive structure. Those demands are not one or the other.
If anything, Mourinho’s task is to build a system that protects Mbappe’s greatest strength while still making Madrid harder to play against.
Mbappe’s goals are not, and never will be, the problem. The onus is on the manager to bring those strengths out in a system that also preserves the defensive structure.
