Karim Benzema Urges Kylian Mbappe To Embrace Central Striker Role At Real Madrid

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Kylian Mbappe is facing challenges at Real Madrid, needing to adapt to a central striker role. Karim Benzema, the club's second-highest scorer, believes Mbappe cannot replace Vinicius Junior on the left wing. Since joining from Paris Saint-Germain, Mbappe has netted eight goals in 14 matches but hasn't scored in his last five games. Under Carlo Ancelotti, he plays centrally, unlike his previous wide position in Paris.

Benzema shared his thoughts on Spanish TV show El Chiringuito, stating, "The problem, in my opinion, is that [Mbappe] is not a central striker, even with the national team, every time he plays as a number nine he doesn't feel right, because that's not his position." He added that Vinicius excels on the left and can't be moved to other positions without affecting his performance.

Mbappe's performance statistics reveal some struggles. In LaLiga this season, he has underperformed his expected goals (xG) by 1.75 and has a shot conversion rate of only 18.18% from 33 attempts. He has missed seven significant chances, with only Abde Ezzalzouli and Vitor Roque of Real Betis and Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski missing more.

In a recent match against Barcelona, which ended in a 4-0 defeat for Madrid, Mbappe had just 27 touches of the ball. Only Aurelien Tchouameni had fewer touches among the starting players with 24. This highlights the difficulty Mbappe faces in adapting to his new role within the team.

Benzema himself had a challenging start at Real Madrid after moving from Lyon. In his first season, he scored just nine goals in 33 appearances across all competitions. However, he eventually became one of Madrid's greatest players with 354 goals in 648 matches, second only to Cristiano Ronaldo's record of 450 goals.

Benzema advised Mbappe not to give up and acknowledged Vinicius as currently the best player globally. "Don't give up because I don't think he's going to push Vinicius to move," Benzema said. He suggested that Mbappe should focus on being a number nine for now and set aside thoughts of playing on the left wing.

Upcoming Challenges

Mbappe will have another opportunity to prove himself when Real Madrid faces Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday. His adaptation to a central role remains crucial for both his personal success and that of the team as they navigate through competitive fixtures ahead.