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.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Where to submit a sample
Volunteers of all ages can submit DNA samples at centres across Abu Dhabi, including: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), Biogenix Labs in Masdar City, NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City, NMC Royal Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, NMC Royal Women's Hospital, Bareen International Hospital, Al Towayya in Al Ain, NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
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THE BIO
Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain
Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude
Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE
Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally
Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science
Points to remember
- Debate the issue, don't attack the person
- Build the relationship and dialogue by seeking to find common ground
- Express passion for the issue but be aware of when you're losing control or when there's anger. If there is, pause and take some time out.
- Listen actively without interrupting
- Avoid assumptions, seek understanding, ask questions
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Opening Premier League fixtures, August 14
- Brentford v Arsenal
- Burnley v Brighton
- Chelsea v Crystal Palace
- Everton v Southampton
- Leicester City v Wolves
- Manchester United v Leeds United
- Newcastle United v West Ham United
- Norwich City v Liverpool
- Tottenham v Manchester City
- Watford v Aston Villa
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000
On sale: now
Cricket World Cup League 2 Fixtures
Saturday March 5, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy (all matches start at 9.30am)
Sunday March 6, Oman v Namibia, ICC Academy
Tuesday March 8, UAE v Namibia, ICC Academy
Wednesday March 9, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy
Friday March 11, Oman v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Saturday March 12, UAE v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri, Muhammad Waseem, CP Rizwan, Vriitya Aravind, Asif Khan, Basil Hameed, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Karthik Meiyappan, Akif Raja, Rahul Bhatia
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
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
The%20specs
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MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Third-place play-off: New Zealand v Wales, Friday, 1pm
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
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Results
Women finals: 48kg - Urantsetseg Munkhbat (MGL) bt Distria Krasniqi (KOS); 52kg - Odette Guiffrida (ITA) bt Majlinda Kelmendi (KOS); 57kg - Nora Gjakova (KOS) bt Anastasiia Konkina (Rus)
Men’s finals: 60kg - Amiran Papinashvili (GEO) bt Francisco Garrigos (ESP); 66kg - Vazha Margvelashvili (Geo) bt Yerlan Serikzhanov (KAZ)
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202-litre%204-cylinder%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E268hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E380Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh208%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
