Why Kylian Mbappe Remained An Unused Substitute Against Real Madrid

As Real Madrid suffered a 1-2 home defeat against Manchester City in the home Champions League clash on Wednesday, Kylian Mbappe remained an unused substitute. The Spanish giants struggled to score goals as Pep Guardiola's men proved their supremacy in the contest. Though Man City emerged as deserved winners in the contest, Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso's decision to not bring Mbappe from the bench baffled many. Since the conclusion of the game, questions have been raised over Alonso's tactical decisions in the game, especially over the decision to not use Mbappe for a single minute.

It has been reported that Mbappe wasn't fit to feature in the starting XI for the Champions League match against Man City because of muscular pain. Though Real Madrid maintained that the injury was not a serious one, there remained a risk that it could worsen in a match as demanding as a Champions League clash against Manchester City.

According to BeIN Sports, Mbappe was unable to complete the assessments at the expected level before the start of the match, leading to a decision aimed at preventing a more serious injury that could have sidelined him for several weeks, hurting Real Madrid's entire campaign.

The final call over the decision to bench Mbappe was reportedly made only minutes before kickoff and was based strictly on medical assessments and risk management.

With Real Madrid trailing a high-intensity Manchester City side the entire second half, Alonso decided against risking Mbappe by bringing him in from the bench, even as it meant that his side lost the game.

Xabi Alonso On Kylian Mbappe's Absence

Alonso said it was too early to know whether the player will be able to play Sunday at Alaves in the Spanish league.

"We'll go day-by-day," he said after the match. "Today he wasn't fit to play, otherwise he would've played. We miss him, but we had enough scoring opportunities without him."

Madrid has won only just two of its last eight games in all competitions and fell to a 2-0 home loss to Celta Vigo in the Spanish league on Sunday.

Mbappe has been in outstanding form this season and had scored seven goals in his previous three games before ending that streak against Celta. He is the leading scorer in both the Champions League and the Spanish league.

With AP Inputs

Topics mentioned in this article

Real Madrid Manchester City Kylian Mbappe UEFA Champions League Football