Real Madrid: Vinicius Junior is consistent at what he does

When it comes to starting attacks, carrying the ball, and making things happen, Vinicius Junior is always a threat for Real Madrid.

Without Vinicius Junior, Real Madrid would not have beaten Real Valladolid 1-0 on Wednesday at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano.

Yet again, Vinicius’ inclusion into the match off the bench proved to be the difference for Los Blancos. The 20-year-old Brazilian scored the winning goal, ensuring Madrid would pick up all three points for the second time this season.

Although Vinicius is young and doesn’t start every game, he cannot be called inconsistent. Are there aspects of his game that need improving? Yes, but they will improve with time and confidence, specifically, his goal-scoring.

But Vinicius is consistent. When it comes to progressing the ball, taking on defenders, and creating attacks for Real Madrid, Vini makes an impact every single time he hits the pitch.

Let’s look at his performances to start the 2020-2021 season first. Vinicius Junior touched the ball 21 times and carried the ball 94 yards, per FBRef.com, in his 33 minutes off the bench vs. Valladolid. If we extrapolated those numbers to a 90-minute match, Vini would’ve had about 60 touches and over 250 progressive distance dribbled.

Vinicius Junior is already a commanding presence for Real Madrid

In the 0-0 draw against Real Sociedad, Vinicius was a quiet bright spot despite not being at his absolute best without a full preseason. (He wasn’t the only one.) Vinicius Junior had 54 touches, completed an amazing 39 of his 42 passes, passed the ball for 120 progressive yards, carried the ball for 174 progressive yards, and had four successful dribbles.

Those are incredible numbers for a young wide forward, and they show that when Vinicius plays, he commands the ball. He becomes the center of the attack. Vinicius is a hub of activity in and around the penalty box, but he’s also a winger who works hard to run and up and down the flanks with and without the ball to put in the hard work for his team.

That is consistency and consistency breathes success. In fact, there are only two things that you can say Vini isn’t doing every game. The first is the one everyone points out, and those are the goals. But you can say that about more players on Real Madrid than him and more young wingers than him.

The second is actually getting the minutes he’s earned. Vini has played a full 90 minutes in just one of his last seven La Liga appearances. He has started three of those four games. And there are many other matches where Real Madrid make the mistake of not playing him, such as in the woeful loss to Manchester City in August.

But when Vinicius Junior plays, he is always putting in the work for Real Madrid. The statistics show how much effort Vini puts in offensively and defensively (he had 24 pressures and two tackles against Leganes last season, for example) for the team. He is consistent, and those efforts will be rewarded before long. As the saying goes, with Vinicius, watch this space.