Mbappé benched as Arbeloa opts for caution against Real Sociedad
Real Madrid's French star Kylian Mbappé starts on the bench against Real Sociedad as Arbeloa prioritises Champions League clash with Benfica.
Kylian Mbappé will start on the bench for Real Madrid’s clash with Real Sociedad, despite Arbeloa’s earlier suggestion that the French star was ready for action. The interim boss has clearly decided that wrapping the lad in cotton wool is the sensible play here.
Knee concerns take precedence
After missing training sessions on both Wednesday and Thursday due to ongoing knee problems, La Liga’s current Pichichi (top scorer) has been named in the squad but won’t be thrown into the starting eleven. The decision makes perfect sense given Madrid’s high-voltage Champions League play-in first leg against Benfica in Lisbon looming on Tuesday.
Tactical reshuffle
Arbeloa’s response to Mbappé’s absence hasn’t been to simply slot in Brahim or Mastantuono as a like-for-like replacement. Instead, he’s gone for a proper shake-up:
- The traditional three-pronged attack has been abandoned
- Gonzalo and Vinicius remain in the starting lineup
- A four-man midfield has been deployed with Camavinga reinforcing Valverde, Güler and Tchouaméni
Significant firepower missing
Without Mbappé in the starting eleven, Madrid will kick off missing a player responsible for 38 of their 77 goals this season - nearly half their scoring threat taking a pew on the bench. This marks only the third time this campaign that Kylian hasn’t made the starting lineup:
- Against Manchester City (defeat) when his knee problems first emerged - didn’t play at all
- In the Supercopa final against Barcelona - came on for the final half-hour
The decision suggests Arbeloa isn’t taking any chances with his star man’s fitness ahead of what could be a season-defining week in Europe.