Kylian Mbappe must learn to play as a central striker at Real Madrid because he will not be able to displace Vinicius Junior on the left, the club’s former forward Karim Benzema says.
France star Mbappe, who joined Real after his Paris St-Germain contract ended in July, has eight goals in 14 appearances for his new club but has scored just once in his past five games.
The 25-year-old’s favoured position is on the left wing but manager Carlo Ancelotti has kept Brazil international Vinicius in that position, forcing Mbappe to play centrally.
“The problem, in my opinion, is that [Mbappe] is not a central striker, even with the national team, every time he plays as a number nine he doesn’t feel right, because that’s not his position,” former France striker Benzema said on Spanish television show El Chiringuito., external
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“On the left, he’s got a guy who’s at the same level as him, Vinicius, so there is a problem, you can’t play Vinicius as a number nine or on the right, because when he plays on the left he makes the difference in every game.
“Mbappe isn’t a real number nine. People ask a lot of him and he’s under a lot of pressure, this isn’t Paris St-Germain.”
Benzema is Real’s second-highest scorer of all time, behind Cristiano Ronaldo, and the Frenchman won the Ballon d’Or when at the club in 2022 before signing for Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad last year.
The 36-year-old, winner of five Champions Leagues and four La Liga titles during 14 seasons at the Bernabeu, warned Mbappe that “if you go two or three games without a goal, you’re going to have a lot of problems”.
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In addition to scoring just once in the past five games, Mbappe failed to make an impact as Real’s 42-game unbeaten run in La Liga was ended by a painful 4-0 home defeat by rivals Barcelona.
On his advice to Real’s present number nine, Benzema said: “Don’t give up, because I don’t think he’s going to push Vinicius to move. He’s the best player in the world at the moment.
“Mbappe needs to get it into his head that today he’s a number nine, and forget about the left flank for a while.”
Speaking in a Monday media availability, Gordon said: “One thing that we do all year long … this is something that you build on year after year as an organization with your teammates and your OEM in Chevy, it’s having these conversations: How do we work together, how do we not work against against one another, how do we share information, and what do we do about being aware of one another on the race track — no matter what race it is all year long but especially when you get into the playoffs.
#24: William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro, #3: Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing, Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro
Photo by: John K Harrelson / NKP / Motorsport Images
“That’s your job as a driver and as a team and a crew chief — it’s to be aware of what’s on the line. Who is in the championship hunt, who (has) got a shot to transfer through if they win, who is tight on points and so I think that’s what you saw really play out yesterday.”
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Radio communication indicated that there might have been some sort of organization from manufacturer allies, or at the very least an intense focus on what was happening with the No. 24. Byron could not afford to lose a single spot, and the No. 3 of Austin Dillon rode behind him for the final leg of the race. When the No. 1 Chevrolet of Ross Chastain arrived, chatter on the Dillon radio wanted to make sure that Chastain’s team knew what was on the line. Neither driver ever passed Byron, forming a rolling blockade of sorts that stopped anyone else from getting close to the HMS driver.
Ultimately, Gordon saw nothing wrong with how things transpired from within the Chevrolet camp in the closing laps. He only saw drivers “racing as hard as they could, but also racing to advance and racing to make sure you’re aware of what others are doing and what they had on the line. That means you don’t go wreck somebody or turn somebody. You just give them a little bit more room and leniency and I feel like that’s what I saw from a Chevy side of things”
Gordon thought a Bell penalty was coming
After the race, NASCAR deliberated for 27 minutes. Gordon was right there with William Byron on pit road during the agonizing wait for NASCAR to hand down their ruling. His initial gut reaction after the race was that NASCAR would act on Bell’s wall-ride, which would put them in a good position to get Byron into the Championship 4.
“Immediately my focus went to watching the 20 [Bell] car ride the wall,” said Gordon. “It looked like he was accelerating and even though it wasn’t the same with what happened with the #1 car and Ross Chastain … it looked very, very similar to me.
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“When you saw what happened with the 20 get loose and get up into the wall — we were watching that intently. And then when he rode the wall, I did feel like … NASCAR may have a ruling there.”
Ultimately, he was correct. NASCAR ruled it as a safety violation and Bell was moved to the end of the lap, ending his 2024 title bid. Had NASCAR left it alone, three of the four drivers eliminated on Sunday would have been Hendrick drivers and none would have remained to fight for the championship.
NASCAR stated on Sunday that the radio communications were not part of their immediate decision post-race but that they would review it this week. While the Championship 4 likely will not change, it’s possible NASCAR could choose to penalize the No. 1 and No. 3 teams, and perhaps even the No. 23 Toyota of Bubba Wallace, who slowed with an alleged issue on the final lap.
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England captain Ben Stokes will not take part in next year’s Indian Premier League after opting out of the upcoming auction.
Under tighter rules regarding player availability introduced this year, it means the 33-year-old will also be unavailable for the 2026 competition.
Fast bowler Jofra Archer is among the 52 Englishmen who have signed up for the auction, which will be held on 24 and 25 November.
Archer’s decision is interesting, given hopes he could return to Test cricket next summer.
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Named the IPL’s most valuable player in 2020, the 29-year-old has made his comeback from a series of back and elbow injuries this year in white-ball cricket, but it is still hoped he could feature against India next summer and in the 2025-26 Ashes in Australia.
The 2025 IPL will also clash with the early rounds of the County Championship, potentially preventing Archer from proving his fitness in the longer format.
The IPL brought in a new rule this year that means overseas players signed by franchises who later pull out will be banned from the competition for two years.
The dates for the 2025 IPL have not been confirmed. This year it ran from 22 March to 26 May.
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After the Champions Trophy concludes in early March, England do not play again until a four-day Test against Zimbabwe on 22 May.
Steve Aoki fans in Mexico got a big surprise during his Guadalajara tour stop.
The famous DJ, who is also an avid MMA fan, invited Diego Lopes as a special guest Monday night. Apart from his sets, Aoki has made a tradition of throwing giant cakes at the crowd during his shows and, well, this time he had help from the UFC featherweight contender.
Watch here (via Instagram):
Although he wasn’t needed, Lopes (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) recently served as the official backup for the UFC 308 title fight between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway last month in Abu Dhabi. He’s currently ranked No. 3 in the official UFC rankings and has yet to be booked.
Lopes is on a five-fight wining streak, with the most recent victory a dominant unanimous decision over former title challenger Brian Ortega at UFC 306 in September.
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During an appearance on BBC Radio Suffolk, chairman Mark Ashton was asked about the Cobbold Stand by Town fans.
He said of the stand, which houses 750 season ticket holders as well as the away end: “It’s on the to-do list – it’s not the top of the to-do list, I must be honest with you.
“Why? Because I’m certainly not going to take a stand down in the midst of a Premier League season, that’s just not the right thing to do.”
A bantamweight showdown between Ketlen Vieira and Macy Chiasson is back on for a yet-to-be-announced UFC card on Feb. 22, multiple people with knowledge of the situation told MMA Fighting. Ag. Fight first reported the matchup.
The UFC has yet to confirm the location for the show and its headlining attraction.
Vieira vs. Chiasson was originally booked UFC Vegas 84 on Jan. 13 of this year, but Vieira was forced off the card due to a knee injury.
In the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, Chiasson currently holds the No. 4 position at 135 pounds, with Vieira one spot behind at No. 5.
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Vieira (14-4) attempts to rebound from losing a decision to Kayla Harrison at October’s UFC 307 event in Salt Lake City. The Brazilian holds octagon wins over former UFC champions Holly Holm and Miesha Tate, plus one-time title challengers Cat Zingano and Sara McMann.
In two 2024 appearances, Chiasson (10-3) stopped Pannie Kianzad and Mayra Bueno Silva to improve to 7-3 since winning the 28th season of The Ultimate Fighter in 2018. Chiasson knocked out future PFL star Larissa Pacheco on the reality show, and has also beaten surging contender Norma Dumont at featherweight.
It’s election day on The Facility. Emmanuel Acho, LeSean McCoy, Chase Daniel and James Jones cast their vote for MVP, Rookie of the Year, most disappointing team and more.
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