Real Madrid: 3 objectives for Vinicius Junior for the rest of 2020-21

Aim to start in the big games and perform well

Eden Hazard is the first-choice left winger for Real Madrid, but his frequent injuries have forced him to miss most of the big games. He hasn’t even played a single Clasico, the biggest game for Real Madrid, since his arrival. One man’s loss is another man’s gain, and Vinicius was the one who benefitted the most, as he got to play instead of Hazard being the Belgian’s natural backup.

Last season, he got to play important games against Manchester City, Barcelona, and Real Sociedad. He performed pretty well in those games with one goal, one assist, and one penalty won to his name. This season he would look forward to similar opportunities, with three consecutive big games against Liverpool (Home), Barcelona, and Liverpool (away) looming.

He would look to start in at least two of those games, being Hazard’s natural replacement. But everything isn’t guaranteed as he might have to face competition from Asensio and Rodrygo, both players who can play from the left. Given his current form, Vinicius is the obvious choice, but Asensio has scored two goals in his last two appearances and it wouldn’t be surprising if Zidane decides to use him ahead of Vinicius.

To book a spot in the first big match against Liverpool, Vinicius should and must do well in the Eibar game on Apr. 3 If Zidane doesn’t start him against Eibar, then it might be a clear indication that Vinicius might be rested for the game so that he can be fresh for the upcoming stretch of games. If not, then it might be one final test from Zidane to see if Vini is the final pick for the left-winger spot or not.

Vinicius is usually effective against tired legs in LaLiga, but against big teams, he gets spaces to exploit. And he is the kind of a forward who can excel when offered some space on the left flank, as he mainly relies on his pace and thrives in transitions against such teams. It might be favourable to him, but he should look to make the best use of the chance and establish himself as the ‘Big game player’, at Real Madrid.