The football world raised an eyebrow recently when Real Madrid, featuring their marquee summer signing Kylian Mbappé, suffered a significant 4-0 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup semifinals. For Mbappé, facing his former club for the first time since his free transfer to the Spanish capital in 2024, the match was notably quiet. He touched the ball infrequently, managed only a handful of shots, and ultimately, like his teammates, looked largely ineffective.
Commentary following the match quickly pointed to Mbappé`s subdued performance as a potential concern. However, a deeper tactical analysis suggests the issue wasn`t a failure of the player, but rather a forced compromise in Real Madrid`s system, dictated by unforeseen circumstances.
Tactical Straitjacket: The Cost of Absences
Under coach Xabi Alonso, Real Madrid has largely found success operating with adaptable shapes, often shifting between a hybrid 4-4-2 diamond and a 3-5-2. These systems leverage attacking wingbacks, allowing players like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Francisco Garcia to push high and contribute significantly to chance creation. Defensive balance is often provided by a diligent midfielder like Aurelien Tchouameni, adept at covering space when defenders advance.
However, against PSG, injuries and suspensions – specifically the absence of Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen – necessitated a departure from this successful formula. Alonso deployed a more traditional 4-4-2, positioning Mbappé alongside Gonzalo Garcia. This setup, while perhaps stable defensively in theory, proved overly rigid against PSG`s quality opposition. It became simple for PSG to control possession and, critically, to deny service to Real Madrid`s most dangerous forwards.
Mbappé`s mere 27 touches and Vinícius Jr.`s 21 touches during the entire match illustrate the problem starkly. The ball simply wasn`t reaching them in dangerous areas. This mirrored some struggles Real Madrid faced last season in similar rigid formations against top-tier opponents, despite often succeeding against lesser sides.
The Path to 50 Goals: Unleashing the System
The good news for Real Madrid and Mbappé is that the PSG match appears to be an anomaly rather than a trend. The return of key defenders like Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao, who made their first appearances of the tournament against PSG after recovering from injuries, provides Alonso with more options to revert to his preferred tactical structures. With a solid defensive base, the team can confidently return to a system that encourages attacking play from wide areas.
This is where Mbappé`s immense potential re-enters the picture. In the hybrid/3-5-2 setups, the dynamic wingbacks and midfielders are tasked with progressing the ball and creating opportunities. Trent Alexander-Arnold, in particular, is renowned globally for his exceptional range of passing, capable of delivering precise, line-splitting balls that can bypass defenses and find forwards in stride. The prospect of Alexander-Arnold consistently feeding Mbappé in dangerous positions is, to put it mildly, mouthwatering.
Consider Mbappé`s output last season, where he still managed to score 43 goals and provide 5 assists, even within tactical frameworks that didn`t always optimally utilize his specific strengths or provide consistent high-quality service against the toughest opponents. Now, envision him operating in a system designed to get him the ball more frequently and in better areas, with one of the world`s premier passers looking for him constantly.
While the 4-0 loss was a harsh reality check and exposed vulnerabilities in a specific tactical setup, it doesn`t negate Kylian Mbappé`s scoring prowess or the potential of this Real Madrid squad. The key to unlocking a truly prolific season for the French forward – potentially exceeding the 50-goal mark – lies not in a single match performance dictated by circumstance, but in consistently implementing the tactical system that plays to the strengths of its formidable attacking talents, ensuring the ball finds its way to the man who knows exactly what to do with it.
