Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti says he wants striker Kylian Mbappe to focus on scoring goals over pressing to help the team.
The Spanish and European champions have not been at their best so far this season and are still searching for the best way to incorporate the former Paris Saint-Germain star following his summer arrival.
Madrid lost on the road at Lille in their last Champions League outing and play host to Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday in a repeat of last season's final, which they won 2-0 to earn a record-extending 15th European title.
“I prefer that [Mbappe] scores goals rather than he presses,” Ancelotti said on Monday. “The central striker position in our team has not changed, I ask him the same I asked of Karim [Benzema, who left in 2023].
“To be well positioned and to be ready every time we get the ball back to make a rapid transition.”
Mbappe has scored eight goals for Madrid in 12 games across all competitions this season, a record that compares poorly to Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski's 14 in 12 appearances.
The forward drew criticism in his homeland for not playing in France's recent Nations League games after recovering from a thigh injury.
One of the knock-on effects of Mbappe's arrival at Madrid is a more defensive role for Jude Bellingham, who was Los Blancos' key attacker last season.
The former Dortmund midfielder is yet to score for the club this season in nine games, after netting 10 in his first 10 appearances last year.
“We're satisfied with his work … because he works a lot on the pitch, he's always there, he competes, fights, sacrifices himself,” said Ancelotti of the England international.
“The truth is he hasn't scored the goals he did last year, but the surprise isn't this year, it's last year, he scored a heap of goals that no one expected.
“We've always scored goals and we'll always score goals, we have players with great attacking talent up front, so for us at this moment, the work he is doing is much more important for us.”
Ancelotti said Madrid's array of attacking stars – also including Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo – means the team enjoy end-to-end matches.
“I want [open games] because I have players with these characteristics,” continued the Italian manager. “We find it harder to play a game based on possession and control because we don't have players with characteristics to play in reduced spaces.
“A back and forth game suits us well, but we're focused on defending better as we did very well last year.”
Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta has urged Arsenal to use the “pain” of their first defeat in six months as motivation in Tuesday's Champions League clash against Shakhtar Donetsk.
The Gunners suffered a shock 2-0 loss at the hands of Bournemouth on Saturday after defender William Saliba was sent off in the first half.
It meant they lost ground at the top of the Premier League and finished the weekend four points behind leaders Liverpool.
“You have a defeat, that's part of the game, it happens in very specific conditions as well,” said Arteta. “Let's move on, take that pain we still have in the tummy and use it for tomorrow night.”
Liverpool, who travel to RB Leipzig on Wednesday night, have received a boost with Virgil van Dijk admitting he is in “discussions with the right people” as the club captain moves into the final months of his contract.
The Dutchman is one of a number of high-profile players at Anfield whose deals expire at the end of the season, with uncertainty also surrounding the futures of Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
As it stands, the trio will be able to discuss pre-contract terms with overseas clubs from January, but Van Dijk said he is in talks over extending his stay at Anfield.
“What the future brings I have no idea at the moment … discussions are ongoing with the right people and when it's time to make a decision or whatever, I think you guys [the media] will know it as well,” he said.
“But now full commitment and focus is on Liverpool and to be successful this season. So we will see.”
Van Dijk, who joined Liverpool in 2018, turned 33 in July but remains an integral part of a defence that has kept five clean sheets in eight Premier League games so far this season.
'C'mon C'mon'
Director:Mike Mills
Stars:Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffmann, Woody Norman
Rating: 4/5
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Asuka won the SmackDown Women's title in a TLC triple threat with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair
Dean Ambrose won the Intercontinental title against Seth Rollins
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Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 575bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh554,000
On sale: now
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'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
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BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
What is 'Soft Power'?
Soft power was first mentioned in 1990 by former US Defence Secretary Joseph Nye.
He believed that there were alternative ways of cultivating support from other countries, instead of achieving goals using military strength.
Soft power is, at its root, the ability to convince other states to do what you want without force.
This is traditionally achieved by proving that you share morals and values.
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Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
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Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
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UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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