Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti admitted after his team's 2-1 defeat at San Mamés against Athletic Club that Kylian Mbappé is "surely not at his best level," but he emphasized that the Frenchman has already scored ten goals and needs "time to adapt."

"He can do better"

"He can do better, and he's working on it," the Italian manager stated, adding that both Mbappé, who missed his second consecutive penalty, and Fede Valverde, whose critical error allowed Gorka Guruzeta to score Athletic's winning goal, were "sad and disappointed" in the locker room after the match.

"There's no need to criticize Fede. He's a great player, and mistakes happen in football," Ancelotti insisted, defending the Uruguayan midfielder.

Match Reflections

Commenting on the game, Ancelotti felt it "was a match for a draw," though he acknowledged Athletic’s deserved win.

"Small details, like the missed penalty, cost us," he remarked. "But I can’t judge a player solely on a penalty. Sometimes they go in, sometimes they don’t," he added, referring to the penalty that Athletic goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala saved from Mbappé. The coach clarified that Mbappé, Bellingham, and Vinícius Jr. are the designated penalty takers for the team.

Defensive and Offensive Observations

"In the first half, defensively, we did very well, although we could have been better with the ball. We didn’t create many chances," Ancelotti reflected. "In recent games, we’ve improved in some areas, but we’re still not as solid as we were last season. We need to keep working; that’s the key."

Looking Ahead

Ancelotti highlighted that the two recent losses—at Anfield and San Mamés—came in challenging stadiums. "Little by little, we’ll recover players and return to our level," he concluded optimistically.