Carlo Ancelotti highlights Real Madrid 'problem' as Mbappe kept quiet on La Liga debut

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has spoken out after his side were held to a 1-1 draw by Mallorca on Sunday evening.

Los Blancos were keen to get the 2024/25 La Liga campaign underway in style but their performance left plenty to be desired, despite taking the lead after 13 minutes through Rodrygo.

Vedat Muriqi equalised for Mallorca in the 53rd minute, diverting his header past Thibaut Courtois following a corner.

The match ended sourly in the final minute of added time for Los Blancos when Ferland Mendy was given his marching orders for a terrible tackle on Muriqi.

It was a difficult evening for debutant Kylian Mbappe as well, with the ex-Paris Saint-Germain star failing to influence the match. And the France international may be slightly concerned by post-match comments made by his manager.

Ancelotti blasted his side for lacking ‘balance’ throughout the match, in a telling admission which could see the Italian make tactical tweaks to his team for their clash with Real Valladolid at the weekend.

He said: “We lacked balance. I am not happy with the draw because we could have done better. We need more attitude. We can learn a lot from this game because it seems clear where we could have a problem.”

Following the arrival of Mbappe as a free agent, questions were raised about how the 25-year-old could impact the squad due to how there is already a plethora of attacking talent at the Bernabeu.

Last season, Jude Bellingham was deployed in a false nine role in which he was tasked with being the focal point of the attack.

However, the arrival of Mbappe has seen the England international pushed back into midfield – a position he is likely to be more familiar with, though an adjustment period may be required.

Similarly, Vincius Jr and Rodrygo were given licence to roam across the frontline in the 2023/24 campaign, but the two appeared to have been stripped of that creative freedom at the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix.

Ancelotti therefore has a team selection headache on his hands, as the arrival of Mbappe could come at the expense of another attacking player to solve the imbalance.