Mbappe adds more firepower to impressive Real arsenal
Real Madrid wrestled the Spanish title back from Barcelona at a canter this season and, after claiming a record 15th Champions League, their signing of world football’s biggest star Kylian Mbappe rubs yet more salt in their rivals’ wounds.
Los Blancos’ addition of Mbappe to an already star-studded squad is a striking statement of intent and could tilt the domestic balance of power even further in Madrid’s favour. Barcelona, grappling with self-inflicted debilitating financial challenges, cannot keep up in the arms race with Madrid.
Mbappe arrives for free at the end of his Paris Saint-Germain contract, but Barcelona would not be able to afford the 25-year-old’s lavish salary or signing-on fee.
Over the past decade Barca squandered hundreds of millions of euros on failed signings, including Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann, as well as satisfying a sky-high wage bill.
Madrid’s financial muscle is showcased by the fact they already boast Vinicius Junior, who likes to play in the same area on the left side of the attack, so Mbappe could even be considered a luxury arrival.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti will have to reconfigure his attacking set-up, with Rodrygo Goes potentially dropping out of the side to accommodate Mbappe. However, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez sees Mbappe as the final piece of the puzzle to
MAURICIO Pochettino said Chelsea had shown a “big improvement” during his single season as manager in his first public comments since his Stamford Bridge exit.
The Argentine left the club by mutual consent last month despite a strong end to a turbulent season in which they spent much of the campaign languishing in mid-table in the Premier League.
The Blues won their final five games to finish sixth and earn a place in the Uefa Conference League, also reaching the final of the League Cup and the semi-finals of the FA Cup. On Monday, Chelsea appointed Leicester boss Enzo Maresca as Pochettino’s successor on a five-year deal. go with their completed Santiago Bernabeu stadium refurbishment.
By contrast, Barcelona have contented themselves of late with loan arrivals and out-of-contract stars reaching the tail end of their careers and looking for one last challenge. They were unable to adequately replace veteran defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets last summer and their defence crumbled.
France captain Mbappe’s marquee arrival and numerous other already-acquired young stars, including England international Jude Bellingham, can help Madrid dominate La Liga for years to come.
In response Barcelona may look to hit back by targeting Nico Williams from Athletic Bilbao for the left flank of their attack.
The Spain international’s €50 million (about R1.02 billion) buyout clause makes him a more financially feasible option for the cash-strapped Catalans than other players of similar quality. However, any significant arrivals would require Barcelona to first offload players to balance the books, potentially sacrificing some squad depth and balance.
The Catalans are reduced to hoping Mbappe’s arrival could upset the harmony in Madrid’s dressing room, given his superstar status. Ancelotti may also take time to find the best system to fit the forward in.
Having committed to giving part of
Addressing the club’s ownership and supporters via social media, Pochettino, 52, he said he had worked hard to “give you a Chelsea you can be proud of”.
The former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain boss said the team had progressed after finishing a lowly 12th their television revenue away for the next quarter of a century in exchange for heavy investment two summers ago, Barcelona will need to rely heavily on their La Masia youth academy.
Various brilliant young players including Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi have emerged recently, giving hope they can continue to battle Madrid’s millions with home-grown talent.
Barcelona have been on the receiving end of Mbappe’s explosive talent already, with the forward netting twice in April to knock them out of the Champions League in the last eight.
Mbappe has six goals in four games against Barcelona, including a hat-trick in 2021. Other Spanish sides will be dreading Mbappe’s impact, too.
With Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s goalscoring exploits in the past, it has been eight years since any player has scored 40 league goals, but Mbappe has the capacity.
Opponents will likely sit deeper and deeper against Madrid to stop Mbappe and Vinicius vaporising them on the counter-attack, as they so often did against Barcelona in their heyday under Pep Guardiola.
Now the Catalans are bracing themselves for what Madrid and Perez hope will be a similar era of glittering success rather than another failed Galactico experiment. | AFP in the Premier League in the 2022/23 season.
“I am so pleased with the level the team reached and the way the players and staff have all worked so hard to increase their standards, they deserve great credit and I hope you felt that too in how they performed on the pitch,” Pochettino said in an Instagram post yesterday.
“We know there have been ups and downs but we always believed in this team and that we would arrive at a consistent level.
“I believe the experiences of this season and big improvement we saw, I hope will only make the players stronger for the future. It has been a pleasure to work with them all and we appreciate the strong bonds we created in this last year together.”
Pochettino said he would return to Stamford Bridge on Sunday for the annual Soccer Aid celebrity charity match to raise funds for Unicef, where he will manage a World XI against an England team. I AFP