Real Madrid: 3 ways to improve down the stretch of the title race

Real Madrid need to trust these two young players, too

Rodrygo Goes is the biggest upgrade over the player he is replacing in the lineup, but the versatile Real Madrid winger isn’t the only young player who can help lead the team to a coveted trophy in the 2020-2021 season.

We saw Fede Valverde and Vinicius Junior play starring roles against Real Sociedad. Like Rodrygo, Valverde came off the bench and made a big impact. His ingenious backheel to Lucas Vazquez led to the assist for Vini, who scored his fourth goal of the season to rescue a point.

Valverde is one of the best midfielders in the world despite only being 22 years old. Injuries have held him back a bit this season, but he’s been fantastic when on the pitch, including in front of goal. With three La Liga goals in 757 minutes, he has the third-best rate of goals per 90 minutes behind noted, experienced star forwards Eden Hazard and Karim Benzema.

While Vini isn’t well-known for his finishing, he also has three goals this season which is the most of any Real Madrid winger. But of course, he earns most of his praise on the strength of his hard work and ball-carrying. Vini never quits, as we saw in the draw with La Real on Monday night, and he can make a big impact off the bench. Recall what he did last year in the second half in a vital 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Vini and Valverde have that something special, particularly the latter. With players like Hazard and Luka Modric, Valverde and Vini won’t be able to start every match. But they need to be a part of the picture for Los Blancos.