Soccer Football - LaLiga - Real Madrid v Sevilla - Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain - December 22, 2024 Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe in action REUTERS/Juan Medina
(Reuters) - Self-criticism has helped Real Madrid overcome a challenging period and fuelled forward Kylian Mbappe's integration into the team, manager Carlo Ancelotti said after their 4-2 home win over Sevilla on Sunday.
The 26-year-old Frenchman netted the opener and set up another goal as Real beat mid-table Sevilla to move up to second place in LaLiga, closing the gap on leaders Atletico Madrid to one point going into the winter break.
Federico Valverde, Rodrygo and Brahim Diaz were also on target for Real, but it was Mbappe, now with six goals in his last eight games, who led the charge as the victory lifted Madrid to 40 points, two clear of third-placed Barcelona.
Mbappe had struggled to adjust to the Spanish side after his close-season move, experiencing a dip in form and brief spell on the sidelines.
Reigning champions Madrid struggled to keep pace with their rivals early in the season and were thrashed 4-0 by Barcelona in October.
The Italian manager admitted that a lack of attitude and collective effort had been holding back his star-studded side, but introspection has aided the team in finding their rhythm again.
The disconnect has stung the most in the Champions League, where the defending champions are 20th after three wins and three losses but Ancelotti said a turnaround is on the horizon for Madrid who have ended their double-winning year on a good note.
"After the defeat against AC Milan, we sorted things out in the dressing room by talking very clearly," Ancelotti said.
"Self-criticism has made us clear up what we were lacking, which was a bit of a lack of attitude, of collective commitment, of running a bit more.
"We have gone back to doing things the way we should have done them... Mbappe has been self-critical and that's why he has gotten out of a situation that could have been complicated."
Ancelotti had insisted before the match that he had confidence in Mbappe's ability to meet the club's high expectations and said the talisman has proven him right.
"His adaptation period is over and today he has shown that I, from time to time, am right," Ancelotti said,
"In 2024 I give the team an A+. Last season was fantastic. We started (this season) with more difficulty, but we were able to fix the situation in time and there is hope for 2025, but it is difficult to repeat it. We will try."
(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
