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After being crowned European and Spanish champions last season, Real Madrid have endured a rather tepid start to the new season.
The Spanish giants have secured only two wins in their first four matches and are trailing league leaders Barcelona by four points so far.
While a growing injury list has not helped their cause, Real Madrid have also failed to get the best out of the new offensive trio of Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe and Vinicius, in particular, have received a lot of flak for their lack of consistent performances, coupled with the fact that they are simply yet to click.
Takefusa Kubo assesses Vinicius, Mbappe partnership
In a recent interview, former Real Madrid prodigy Takefusa Kubo offered his take on the Mbappe – Vinicius partnership, suggesting that the two might not be playing at their top level.
“It is what we are all seeing, in the end I think that the three up front play in the same position and that means that maybe they are not giving their best version but as it is not our team we try to worry about our own,” he said (h/t MARCA).
He also analysed the position of Mbappe, saying: “We suffer a lot more with him on the wing than at centre-forward, at the moment in La Liga I think the same thing is happening and hopefully things don’t work out for him tomorrow against us.”
“The best thing for us is that he doesn’t play on the wing because there I see him as almost unstoppable.”
Kubo’s statement comes just before Real Madrid’s Saturday evening clash against Real Sociedad, where Los Blancos will be desperate for a victory.
Kubo, to that end, could be a major threat to the depleted Real Madrid defence, with Eder Militao becoming the latest player to pick up an injury.
Known for his dynamism in the final third, Kubo’s ability to create space and take on defenders could cause problems for Los Blancos on the night.
As far as his statement is concerned, though, many Real Madrid fans may agree with the forward’s assessment of Vinicius and Mbappe, neither of whom have managed to get going so far.
It will be interesting to see whether or not they can return to flow in the upcoming game against Sociedad – a team known for their sturdy and organised defence.
