It has been proven in the last couple of months that Kylian Mbappé is well and truly back. Real Madrid's superstar has found another upgrade on his form, and he now looks miles better than he did last season, as he chases individual and team glory once again.
He has scored in almost every single game he has played in this season (apart from one, a win over Real Mallorca), and has looked much more involved with and without the ball than he did last season, which is saying a lot.
However, no one is safe at Real Madrid, and even Mbappé, in this form, has seen criticism come his way. There are many fans online who talk about how Mbappé is too involved in the build-up, and how him dropping deep is a detriment to Real Madrid.
Arda Güler defended Mbappé's nature to drop deep, and he was right
The Frenchman's partner in crime this season, Arda Güler, has since come to his support about the matter. He was asked about it in an interview with L'Equipe.
He said: "I think we have to let him play where he wants. He must benefit from the freedom his talent gives him the right for.
"If he drops into the middle, if he drops back a little, it’s not for nothing. He has the knowledge to do it, and he understands what the game demands. When he does that, it’s up to me to go and occupy his place.”
That is a fair take.
When Mbappé drops deep, it is not just for him to pass the ball around and feel more involved. He does things that often go unnoticed. The part where he drops deep to make space for other attackers and midfielders is not wrong at all. He does do that.
At the end of the day, Mbappé is an incredible player. He is regularly in the shouts to be the best player in the world. That attracts a lot of bodies his way. So many players are gravitated by him because of what he can achieve on the pitch.
These are things the team would have to collectively work on. If Mbappé's not in the box, someone else will have to be. The Frenchman is still adjusting to being a full-time striker, and obviously, there are situations where he drops deep one too many times, but it is a learning curve.
He needs to be able to do both sides of things well, and right now, there are not that many genuine complaints that can be thrown in Mbappé's way.