After the mindless three-week international break, Real Madrid welcomed back club football the only way they know how: a chaotic match filled with numerous talking points. Los Blancos narrowly walked away with a 1-0 victory at home against Villarreal, putting in their usual flat performance, as we've seen on a number of occasions this season.
A number of lackluster individual performances culminated in a flat performance from the team overall, with Real lucky to walk away with all three points. It was your typical Real Madrid performance from the 26/27 season, with a number of questions on the minds of many fans. Here are three burning questions from Real Madrid's narrow 1-0 victory over Villarreal.
3 burning questions from Real Madrid's rollercoaster win vs Villarreal
1. What on earth was Vinicius Junior thinking?
Oh Vinicius, when will you learn? The start to the season was already one the Brazilian was hoping to forget, but now, he won't be forgetting it anytime soon. Having struggled to find the back of the net through the first eight games, Vinicius had finally thought he had found the launching point to get his confidence back, finding the back of the net to put Real Madrid 2-0 up, only for his goal to be canceled and the Brazilian receive a red card for pulling Villarreal defender Nathan Saliba's hair in the build-up, leading many to question: what was he thinking?
In the technological era of football we live in, with cameras everywhere, did he really think he would get away with a hair pull? Normally, players will pull on a defender's shoulder to gain an advantage in a race, but his hair? Just silly from Vinicius. It was a straight red card, with the length of his suspension now lying in the hands of the Spanish Football Federation, and with El Clasico coming up at the end of the month, Vinicius may well have just won himself a spot on his couch for the game. Speaking so much about the Brazilian that segway's into our next question:
2. Did benching Vinicius Junior for Yan Diomande work?
After his poor start to the season many have been calling for Jose Mourinho to try something different in attack, and that's exactly what he did against Villarreal, benching Vinicius in favor of Yan Diomande on the left wing. The Ivorian grabbed his first goal for Real Madrid, which ended up being the match winner, and noticeably contributed more defensively, which begs the question: did Mourinho's switch work? Based on the events of the match, it's hard to argue it didn't, and with Vinicius now suspended for who knows how many games, the manager will surely call on Diomande again on the left, meaning we will get a better test of whether the change actually worked as time goes on.
3. What does Jose Mourinho have against Trent Alexander-Arnold?
Off the back of a strong international break with England, Trent Alexander-Arnold earned himself a start against Villarreal; however, it was a short-lived one. Mourinho subbed the Englishman in the 51st minute to bring on Vinicius Junior, which didn't end well, even though Alexander-Arnold was one of who few players that performed well in the first half and has performed well when given an opportunity, so what does Mourinho have against him? The team has been lacking in creativity, and that's where Alexander-Arnold thrives, but it seems he still hasn't won over the manager despite playing well. Why? It seems like this is a question only Jose Mourinho can answer because from an outside perspective, if Real Madrid wants to keep winning games, putting trust in Trent is the way to go.
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