Kylian Mbappé’s impact beyond just the goals:
Everyone knows what Kylian Mbappé’s signing for Real Madrid will bring: goals, goals and more goals. An absolute machine who scored 255 goals in 305 games for PSG, Mbappé is widely expected to be the club’s top scorer next season. His attacking prowess is known to all, and what he will bring directly is more than obvious. Yet, his signing has spillover effects that aren’t being touted as much as they should be. Arguably the best player in the world, what Mbappé will bring to the club is not only his goals, but his presence, his gravity, and while these might seem like vague terms that have no footballing value, his impact beyond his goals and assists will cause waves throughout the team, and as a result, throughout the sport.
Over the past few seasons, Real Madrid’s primary source of danger has been Vinícius Jr. While he has had other elite attacking talent around him, such as Karim Benzema, Rodrygo Goes and Jude Bellingham, he has been the most dynamic player in attack, and has been world class for 3 seasons now. The best dribbler in the world, and an elite creator who has fantastic output both goals and assists wise, Viní would’ve had 3 seasons of 20 goals 20 assists had he not gotten injured last season. Regardless, Vinícius’ overall play and impact over the last 3 seasons has been truly unbelievable.
However, despite all his successes, Vinícius has also had certain issues, issues that are largely systemic issues that affect him, rather than his own shortcomings. One common criticism levied at him has been his propensity to lose the ball. Over the last 3 seasons, Vinícius has completed around 3.5-4 take-ons per game, at a success rate of around 45%, which for a player of his quality is actually quite underwhelming. For comparison, other elite dribblers such as Hazard and Neymar often had success rates around 60%. A gap this big is not normal, and by simply watching Vinícius dribble, one can come to the conclusion that this low success rate is not down to any weaknesses on his part. Yes, he does sometimes take poor touches, but these are few and far between. The real culprit for this low success rate is how the team is set-up, and how much attention is given to Viní by opposition players.
A sight that is far too common in any Real Madrid game is the one of Vinícius Jr. isolated on the left flank, having to take on 2/3 players at once. The way Real Madrid are set-up, and have been for the last 3 or 4 years, has lead to this occurrence being extremely frequent. Playing without a natural 9 last season, and even when Benzema was here, he played as a false-9 and did not occupy the center-backs like a natural one would. Furthermore, Ferland Mendy, as good as he is at defending, is not a prominent offensive presence. He does overlap consistnently, but his crossing and overall play in the final third leave a lot to be desired. As a result, opposition center-backs and even defensive midfielders have had the freedom to leave their area to double up on Viní, as they don’t have a box presence to mark, and can afford to leave Ferland Mendy fairly free. With the talent and speed that Viní has, he has often beaten 2 or 3 markers at once, but to expect him to do it consistently is just unrealistic. With him being placed in such situations consistently, he is bound to lose the ball, and as a result his success rate becomes unreflective of his real abilities.
Here is where Mbappé’s underrated impact will come into play. A truly devastating force in attack, teams cannot leave Mbappé unmarked anywhere on the pitch, let alone in the final third. Mbappé is an even bigger scoring threat than Vinícius, and is a more natural scorer who constantly occupies the box, makes frequent runs into the box from deep or by linking-up with players around him, and with his pace, he is also a threat from even around the halfway mark. Through his scoring threat, Mbappé will bring a sort of gravity that has been missed since Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure. Mbappé is also a player who naturally gravitates towards the left wing, and often takes up spaces in and around the left half-space. This drags defenders away from Viní, and presents a consistent, elite option for Viní to link-up with as well. Think back to the 3peat team, with Marcelo, Ronaldo, Benzema and Isco often operating in the same zones on the left, linking up with each other to create crossing space for Marcelo, while creating space in the box for Ronaldo and Benzema to attack. A similar sight can be expected this upcoming season as well, with Viní, Mbappé, Jude/Rodrygo and Mendy being the players playing in close proximity.
These additional benefits that Mbappé brings go both ways. Vinícius is also a player who defenses cannot leave unmarked anywhere on the pitch. We have seen how much damage these two can cause on their own, and playing together now, the amount of space they will create for each other will take them to never before seen heights. Two lightning fast attackers who can score, create and dribble at elite levels, playing alongside other unbelievable attacking talent such as Jude and Rodrygo, Real Madrid’s attack will be unstoppable next season.
