Real Madrid: 3 takeaways from Los Blancos’ 2-1 El Clasico victory
Vinicius Jr loves the big stage more than anything else
There’s something about Vinicius Jr that just strikes out. There aren’t many players in the league that have this kind of ‘aura’, where they want nothing more than to show everyone that they’re made for the big stage. There’s almost no one that can stop him when he’s truly in his element, and that was the case against Barcelona. He wanted Barcelona’s defense to know what kind of terror they’re going to face for years to come, and a few things that he did on the pitch made everyone realise that he is a Madridista through and through.
Vinicius Jr, had six completed dribbles, was fouled six times, had four shot-creating actions, one goal-creating action, one key pass, one tackle, one interception, and ZERO shots. He made himself known to the Barcelona defense without even registering a single shot. That speaks volumes of the impact that Vinicius Jr can have even without being directly involved in goals. He has shown improved in his finishing and his decision making this season, but he doesn’t need to be the one doing the finishing to have a good impact on the game.
One more thing I’d like to point out is how much he has improved in general! If you remember the last two seasons, there were times when he dug a hole for himself while dribbling when he absolutely shouldn’t. There were also sequences where he lost the ball simply because he passed it to the wrong person, or he took a shot instead of playing it to someone with a better angle. All that has changed for the better this season, and it is so good to see.
Next. Real Madrid can thank Bayern Munich’s blatant disrespect for Toni Kroos. dark
Vinicius Jr from last season would’ve probably passed the ball to David Alaba instead of Rodrygo during the build-up to the first goal, and it probably wouldn’t have resulted in a goal. But, he knew that a pass to Rodrygo would be a better decision, and he did it. There were so many sequences that made me realise this, and it’s so fun to see it. He’s slowly blossoming into the player he has the talent of becoming, and he’s not quite there yet, but he will be soon. Soon, he’d be referred to as one of the best players in the world. We don’t have to wait for much longer.