Real Madrid: Another key trait in which Vinicius Jr. has shown huge improvement

When a person compares the Vinicius Jr. of 2020/21 and the 2021/22 seasons, they might actually end up saying, “You got to be kidding me, both of them can’t be the same!”.  The reaction is kinda understandable because there has been a complete turnaround in the Brazilian’s gameplay. He has transformed himself from “a player who can’t finish”, to a “decisive player on the big nights”.

Vinicius has 11 goals and 7 assists in all competitions this season, with a goal contribution every 89.7 minutes. These numbers are excellent numbers for a 21-year-old attacker, and they look even more impressive when you compare them with the stats of his previous seasons. In fact, he has scored more goals in LaLIga this season, than the league goals he had scored in the last three seasons.

Carlo Ancelotti deserves a lot of appreciation for Vini’s improvement in finishing and creativity, and this development is a result of the Brazilian’s hard work both on and off the pitch as well.

But he hasn’t just improved in his finishing, as he has polished another aspect of his gameplay, which might have actually laid the foundation for the overall growth.

Vinicius Jr. has worked a lot on first-touch

Vinicius has always been an energetic player on the pitch. He can also be labeled as a chaotic player, with his electric runs causing chaos in the opponent’s left wing. His game has been built around his most evident physical trait, which is his pace. He has modeled his game with the pace being his main weapon. That made him stand out from the rest in his youth career, which drew the attention of a lot of top clubs including Real Madrid, who secured the signing of Flamengo’s breakout star.

He often takes the ball past the backline, aiming to run into the empty spaces and get into dangerous positions. He was great on the break and was perfectly suited for the counter-attacking setup. But the team was used to slow and controlled possession play, in which Vini didn’t get a lot of places. He couldn’t break through the tight spaces and was taken out of the game when marked by two defenders.

The word chaos is very appropriate to describe Vini’s game, because even he didn’t have control over his dribbles at times, due to his heavy touch. This made a lot of people think if Vini’s dribbling had regressed. His heavy touch during dribbling made it difficult for him to control the ball, and it looked as if he was running with the ball and not dribbling with control. And given the lack of control over the ball and his high running speed, it became difficult for him to slow down before the goal. At times he was confused about when to slow down and how to get into the shooting pose.

There is a difference between running with the ball and dribbling with the ball. And the best example to show the above difference is the comparison of the raw Vinicius of 2018-2021, to the polished Vinicius of 2021/22. The improvement has been gradual, but it has been evident this season.

Vinicius Jr. is getting even better in tight spaces

A better first touch has ensured that the Brazilian has greater control over the ball in tight spaces, which has given him a slight edge while playing against the low blocks of LaLiga. It has also given him the ability to get into a shooting position while darting towards the goal because the ball wouldn’t be running far away from him.

This improved control has also helped Vinicius improve his game from the right-wing, as he would cut inside the right-wing using his right foot with a smoother touch, something that can be understood from the video of this Benzema goal (watch from 1:17). And his solo goal against Shakhtar is another great example to demonstrate Vini’s ability to be composed in tight spaces, due to a smoother touch.

Even the numbers suggest the same, as he has 3.41 successful dribbles per 90 this season, compared to last season’s average of 2.74, as per FBRef. The number of touches in the penalty box has increased from 6.8 to 8.68 per 90, while there is almost a 33% increase in the progressive distance of his carries per 90. The better first touch has also helped him in his passing because now he has more time than he used to have to make a decision, which is also due to the better touch with the outside of his right boot, and of course, due to a calmer and more mature mind.

Everything mentioned above just shows how the overall improvement is built on the foundation of a better first touch. It is a single trait, but it takes a lot of effort for a player to get used to the new technique and achieve the target. Looking at the willingness of Vinicius to work hard and look forward to a better version of himself, we can expect further growth from the young Brazilian. And don’t forget one thing. He is still 21, and he is just getting started.