Kylian Mbappé acknowledged Real Madrid played “very badly” in the build-up to the international break as he brushed off a question about the squad’s relationship with manager Xabi Alonso.
Late October brought a 2–1 victory over Barcelona which Madrid barely had the chance to celebrate. Winger Vinicius Junior’s public display of frustration towards being substituted by Alonso quickly soured the festivities as the new manager was forced to face questions about his relationship with the Brazil international.
Vinicius did not mention Alonso in his public response and speculation soon grew following reports that the winger was not the only player growing tired of Alonso’s methods. With all that going on, a 1–0 defeat to Liverpool and 0–0 draw with Rayo Vallecano did little to raise enthusiasm before the international break.
Mbappé was on top form for France as a match-winning performance saw off Ukraine and booked a spot at next summer’s World Cup for Les Bleus, after which quizzed the striker on the reports of tension behind the scenes at Madrid.
“What do you want me to say? I have nothing to say,” he stressed.
“When you don’t win games at Real Madrid, people talk a lot, and we haven’t won the last two. We’ve played very badly, but we’ll come back after the break ready to beat Elche.”
