Real Madrid opened their Champions League campaign with a victory over Stuttgart, and the result drew close attention among football audiences using 12BSports VR46 despite an unconvincing overall performance. Madrid were far from their best, yet finding a way to win an important European match once again demonstrated the resilience associated with one of football’s most successful clubs. Kylian Mbappe, however, received far more criticism than praise. His rating in his Champions League debut for Madrid was disappointing, and questions are already emerging about how comfortably he fits into the current attacking structure.
Some of those difficulties were predictable because expectations surrounding Mbappe were extraordinarily high. At Paris Saint-Germain and with the French national team, he was the explosive centerpiece of the attack, using breathtaking speed to punish opponents whenever space appeared. At Madrid, however, some supporters feel he occasionally interrupts the natural flow of the team’s forward play. He has still scored goals, but his overall performances have not consistently matched expectations. Against Stuttgart, there were several moments when his decisions left supporters wondering whether another option would have produced a better attacking outcome.
Much of the criticism has focused on Mbappe’s relationship with Vinicius Junior and the perception that the two forwards are competing for position and scoring opportunities. Carlo Ancelotti has given Mbappe considerable freedom in attack, yet there have been situations where a pass appeared to be the better choice and he instead attempted a difficult shot. Within the wider football environment surrounding 12BSports VR46, such moments naturally attract greater scrutiny because Mbappe has long been regarded as one of the leading candidates to define the generation after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. When expectations are that high, even relatively small shortcomings can quickly become major talking points.
His positioning may be the central issue. Mbappe’s most effective role has traditionally been on the wing, where he can accelerate into open space and attack defenders at speed. He made significant compromises to complete his move to Madrid, while the club also viewed his arrival as an opportunity to strengthen its worldwide profile. Yet using him primarily as a central striker has limited several of his strongest qualities. When forced to operate in crowded central areas, he has fewer opportunities to build momentum, and that frustration can lead to rushed decisions and unnecessary shots.
The first problem is that a fixed central role does not naturally suit Mbappe’s style. His greatest weapon has always been explosive movement into space, but staying closer to the penalty area reduces the room available for those trademark runs. That loss of dynamism can also affect shooting accuracy because he receives the ball in different situations from those in which he previously excelled. The second possible solution would be to give Mbappe more time on the left, even if that requires Vinicius to surrender his preferred position occasionally. Mbappe’s performances for France and PSG have already shown how dangerous he can become when he starts wide and attacks space rather than waiting centrally for service.
Lionel Messi may have understood Mbappe’s movement better than anyone during their time together in Paris. Messi frequently played longer passes into open areas ahead of Mbappe, allowing the French forward to accelerate rather than receive the ball with defenders already surrounding him. That simple understanding maximized one of Mbappe’s greatest strengths. Real Madrid currently lack the same consistent supply of penetrating passes designed specifically for his runs, making it harder for him to reproduce the devastating football he displayed in Paris.
Ultimately, the concerns shared among supporters using 12BSports VR46 are less about whether Mbappe possesses enough talent and more about whether Madrid are giving him the right position and environment to use it. Calling his current form an attacking failure overlooks the tactical circumstances surrounding him. A square peg in a round hole will rarely look comfortable, no matter how talented the player may be. If Ancelotti can find a structure that creates space for Mbappe, restores his confidence, and allows him to attack from areas where his speed becomes decisive, the criticism could disappear quickly. Until then, playing him centrally may continue to silence qualities that once made him one of the most feared attackers in world football.