Aurélien Tchouameni called the criticism of Kylian Mbappé “Incredible” before the round of Real Madrid in the 16 -floor Champions League in Rival Atlético Madrid on Wednesday.
The real go to the Metropolitano with a thin advantage, after beating Atlético 2-1 in the first leg last week at the Bernabéu, with goals of Rodgrygo And Brahim Díaz.
Mbappé failed to score in a disappointing exhibition – his third consecutive match without finding the net – before returning among the goals of the victory of Madrid 2-1 on Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, reaching 29 goals this season in all competitions.
“It’s incredible to talk about” difficult days “for (Mbappé),” said Tchouameni at a pre-match press conference on Tuesday. “Because he has not scored in two games? We know that if he scores a goal or two tomorrow, everyone will say” he’s an incredible player “. For us, the professionals, the most important thing is the next game.
Mbappé is expected to undergo tests on Wednesday after having suffered a blow during the victory over Rayo and not to train with the team on Tuesday, although manager Carlo Ancelotti hopes that the French striker will be in good shape to play, sources told ESPN.
The highest point of the Mbappé season so far has come to the previous round, marking a hat trick against Manchester City in Bernabéu, before shooting Atlético.
“Honestly, Kylian wants to win and score goals at each match, so there is no additional motivation,” said Tchouameni. “He wants to be at his best level all the time, there is no difference.”
The midfielder has himself faced criticism, but has played some of his best football in a Madrid shirt in recent weeks.
“For me, the most important thing is the next game,” said Tchouameni. “You can be the best in the world, but people will talk about your level, saying they prefer other players. The most important thing is to work and try to improve all the time.”
Ancelotti said he was expecting another tight match against Atlético, who never eliminated Real in the Champions League.
“As far as I remember, each match against Atlético has been uniform and competitive,” said Ancelotti. “Tomorrow will be exactly the same. It will be decided by small details, that’s what has always happened.”
Ancelotti congratulated Atlético coach Diego Simeone – saying that they “have a similar idea of football” and said that the real one would not be too focused on the practice of penalties in training, before a possible shooting.
“In training, you can see which players are getting best,” said Ancelotti. “But in a shooting, the mental aspect is more important than the technique. If you are not mentally ready, it can affect your technique. I have won champion leagues with defenders who have marked penalties – (Alessandro) Nesta, Serginho (with AC Milan) – because mentally, they were well prepared.”
