Vinicius Junior was the biggest disappointment
When you looked at the starting forward trio before the Alcoyano match began, you had a feeling Vinicius Junior would need to step up. Mariano Diaz and Lucas Vazquez were the other two forwards, so Vinicius would be the player expected to take on a starring role and command possession.
Instead, Vazquez was the only forward who actually showed up for Los Blancos. Mariano was invisible, while Vinicius was downright horrible. He had a nice nutmeg pass, but he had so many comically poor plays in the final third. Vinicius nearly got Marcelo injured after he stood in the box for a good five seconds before laying off one of the most weakly-hit, nothing passes you’ll see. He had another play where he ran straight into an Alcoyano defender.
Of course, Vini’s worst play was a defensive one, as he surrendered the game-tying goal in regulation by essentially failing to mark the Alcoyano player who scored the equalizer. It was a frustrating mistake that nobody who deserves to start for Real Madrid should make.
Vinicius has a bright future ahead of him and is a quality footballer. I know it. I will not waver from that belief. But I cannot in good conscience tell you that he deserves to start for this club when he keeps making these costly mistakes. It is profoundly disappointing to watch him somehow get worse and worse with time. Maybe these struggles will lead Los Merengues to loan Vinicius out, regardless of the depth questions that may result.