Real Madrid: Alvaro Arbeloa comes to Mbappé’s aid.

Two matches without scoring, and the debate is already heating up around Kylian Mbappé. Silent against Benfica in the UEFA Champions League first leg playoff (0-1), then during the defeat at Osasuna in La Liga (2-1), the Real Madrid forward is going through an unusual spell.

On Saturday, some Madrid observers pointed to his central positioning. Lined up as a striker, the French international was judged too mobile, frequently dropping far from the box, to the detriment of a constant presence in the danger zone. A recurring debate whenever Mbappé occupies the number 9 role.

Present at the press conference on the eve of the return leg against the Lisbon side, Álvaro Arbeloa wanted to put out the emerging fire. For the former Merengue defender, the question is not posed in these terms. ” Should he be considered more as a pure number nine? I don’t think his problem is scoring goals. Neither the fact of scoring, nor the way he does it “, he explained to the media.

“He makes decisions on the pitch, and if there is one quality to highlight in him, it is his intelligence. He knows exactly where to position himself. Sometimes he has to create inside the box, sometimes outside. He knows perfectly well what he has to do, and his statistics speak for themselves.” In Madrid, confidence therefore remains intact. If immediate effectiveness is lacking, the credit given to Mbappé remains immense. And given his pedigree, few doubt that the drought is only temporary.