Xabi Alonso is achieving what many expected to happen in the long term, but not in such a short space of time: playing good soccer. Against Borussia Dortmund, apart from the chaos in injury time, Real Madrid played a great game, dominating their opponents from start to finish and giving them no chances in the 90 minutes. However, there are things that are not quite right, and one of them is Vinicius. It is true that the player is taking advantage of the team’s fast play and recovery in the opponent’s half, but this should allow him to shine, and he is not doing so.
Vinicius still struggling to take off
Xabi Alonso‘s Real Madrid is leaving a very good impression game after game, but there are still some pieces that are not fitting together as they should. This is the case with Vinicius: the Brazilian player should be one of the main beneficiaries of the new system, as the Basque coach’s formation allows him to move freely in attacking positions, and the fast play and ball recovery in the opposition’s half help him to receive the ball with space, so that he can take on players, dribble and get away with his speed. However, he is not achieving this, and as the team takes off, Vinicius continues to wait in the terminal.
The shadow of Gonzalo
Will Gonzalo end up being a starter? It is one of the big questions being asked by Madrid fans right now, and surely Vinicius is asking it too. The youth player is already tied for the Club World Cup Golden Boot, has broken into the first team and enjoys the full confidence of Xabi Alonso, who has backed him from the start. The player from La Fábrica has been able to start in recent games as the Tolosa-born coach believes that Mbappé is not yet ready due to the after-effects of his gastroenteritis, but everyone knows that the Frenchman is the team’s first-choice player.
The Brazilian, who has spent another year more focused on his contract renewal than on soccer, and who is asking for very high figures to continue at Real Madrid, knows better than anyone what the situation is, and for the first time since he became a regular in the starting eleven, he sees his place in the team in jeopardy. Xabi‘s idea is to play with a number 9, he is very strict in his idea of the game and does not understand soccer without this key player. What many doubt is whether Xabi will have the personality to relegate him to the bench. This Wednesday, against PSG, he has one of the most difficult decisions since his arrival at the Real Madrid bench, and it would be a big surprise to see either of the two men up front on the bench.
The future of Vinicius
Meanwhile, the Vinicius soap opera over his contract renewal will continue to play out. A day after playing his best game in the Club World Cup, against Salzburg, his entourage and the player himself stirred the pot again, jumping back on a bandwagon that Real Madrid does not like, questioning his future and asking for more money. But it is the Brazilian who seems unaware that it is Real Madrid who has made him great, as it has done with so many players who believed themselves to be above the badge and who pushed things too far.
In principle, everything suggests that Vinicius will end up renewing his contract, but it will be Florentino Pérez who sets the figures and the timing, and the Brazilian will have to accept it if he really wants to stay at the club.
But things are won on the pitch and, for the moment, he is not earning his keep.