What Carlo Ancelotti said about Kylian Mbappe speaks volumes for Arsenal after Real Madrid ban

Kylian Mbappe is always a threat, even when he is not totally on form. The danger he can pose is enough to scare anyone into a mistake, but Arsenal dealt with the Real Madrid man well for the most part last week.

At the Emirates Stadium he was unable to add to his 32 goal tally for the season. Seven of those have come in Europe, and both Madrid and

The good news for Arsenal is that Mbappe is on a four-game goalless run. It is his longest since joining on a free transfer over the summer.

The problems - which are slightly offset and reduced by the fact he had five in three league games prior to this - His red card left Carlo Ancelotti's side down to 10-men for over 50 minutes.

Eduardo Camavinga's goal scored not long before the red card was enough to secure a crucial three points in the context of the La Liga title race, but it was a close match and yet more evidence of Madrid beginning to limp ahead of the sprint finish on all fronts. They will have to produce a comeback to beat all comebacks

Noise around Ancelotti's own future with the Brazilian national team job once more crying out for him, has contributed to a chaotic few months. Now there is extra attention on Mbappe after his tackle and upcoming domestic ban. It is not yet clear if he will serve a one or three-match suspension.

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. He will be a key node for Arteta to shut down again after William Saliba and the defensive unit kept him quiet in the first leg.

This was not the first time that Mbappe's performances have raised questions despite his impressive goalscoring record. When asked if Mbappe deserved criticism following the 2-1 Champions League last-16 first leg match against Atletico, Ancelotti was quick to defend his man.

"So bad? No," he said. "What we see is that he didn't do against Atletico what he did against [Manchester] City. Against City he scored three, and against Atletico he didn't. Generally he's doing very well. We're very happy with him.

"He can't always be at his best. Against Atletico he wasn't, but in such a demanding season, that's normal, above all in players of quality. Quality players have more ups and downs. It's something genetic. For players with great quality, it's harder to be consistent. But he's doing well. If we're in the last 16 of the Champions League, it's a lot down to him."

Real went on to edge past their rivals on penalties after a loss in the second leg. More was asked of Mbappe after he drew another blank. The forward had put four past City over two legs in the play-off knockout round before that.

Ancelotti having to shield Mbappe and his form being in the spotlight are, therefore, nothing new. but they are well equipped to deal with it regardless and that says a lot in a game as big as this.