For Real Madrid, the start of the season has been far off the level many were expecting when looking at both the team as a whole as well as individual players and their performances. A number of players have gotten off to slow starts to the season, which has been having a big effect on the team as a whole, and this is especially the case when it comes to Vinicius Junior.
The Brazilian has gotten off to frankly a dreadful start to the season, looking very reminiscent of his early days at the club during the 18/19 season, so far only being able to manage one goal through the first eight games, and has looked like a shell of the player we had gotten used to seeing since the start of the 21/22 season. He looks out of shape, slow, scared to run at defenders, and overall just uninterested in playing football, to the detriment of the team as a whole.
For Real Madrid, if they hope to get back to winning silverware this season, they need Vinicius at his best, and at the moment, that just isn't the case, but that could all change over the international break. These three weeks will give Vinicius the chance to play under his favorite manager, Carlo Ancelotti, the man who helped unlock the Brazilian's best form. But is Vinicius already too far gone for even Ancelotti to save him?
Will this international break help Vinicius Junior find himself again?
Before Ancelotti arrived at Real Madrid in the 21/22 season, we saw a similar Vinicius to the one we're seeing so far this season, not so much when it comes to being out of shape or uninterested, but more so with his shortcomings in front of goal.
The Italian manager was somehow able to unlock something in Vinicius, taking him to Ballon d'Or levels during his time at the club before falling off, as we have seen since Ancelotti's departure, so theoretically, Ancelotti could unlock his top levels again over the international break, sending Vinicius back to Real Madrid looking like a completely different player. However, odds are that won't be the case.
Something seems different about Vinicius this time around. We saw a number of standout performances from the Brazilian at the World Cup under Ancelotti, and instead of carrying that form over to Real Madrid, he's looked worse than he's ever been and seems unwilling to listen to anyone, even a manager like Jose Mourinho, who the club brought in because of his similar man-management style to Ancelotti that Vinicius loved so much.
And his unwillingness to listen or track back and defend, and his worsening ego and attitude issues, could prove to be even too much for Ancelotti to sort out. Ancelotti was able to sort it out before, however this new demeanor of Vinicius almost seems as if he doesn't want any of these issues to be sorted out, so he may not even be willing to listen to Ancelotti, and if he won't even listen to his favorite manager, then who can fix Vinicius Junior?
Brazil will play three friendlies over the international break, two against Australia and one against India, and this will give Vinicius the chance to be the star man he loves to be and not have to worry about Mbappe or anyone else, like he does at Real Madrid, which could help him find his form again. However, if the World Cup is a marker to go off of, any good form he finds for Brazil won't carry back over to the Bernabeu.
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