Today, Real Madrid comes up against Atlético Madrid in the first Madrid derby of the Xabi Alonso era. So far in his spell, there have been many storylines: What is he feeding Kylian Mbappé? How didn't we know about Álvaro Carreras sooner? How can Vinícius Júnior flip the narrative?
Of all the surprises to hit Real Madrid this season, the most surprising of them all would have been Vinícius Júnior's reduced minutes. One of the most important players under Carlo Ancelotti, he should have won the Ballon d'Or last year. Now, he has to fight for minutes.
However, it's not a punishment by Xabi Alonso. There is not a clash of egos there, despite what it might look like at face value. Alonso has benched Vinícius in some matches this season because he wants him to improve, not because he wants him to wither away.
Real Madrid fans must hear what Xabi Alonso just said about Vinícius Jr
Vinícius played excellently against Levante. Within the first half, he scored one of the most satisfying goals you'll see all season, before confidently assisting Franco Mastantuono for his first Real Madrid goal. This gave Xabi Alonso some food for thought, but he refuses to eat the words he never said.
Xabi Alonso has never ostracised Vinícius Júnior or even said a bad word about him. Sure, he's hinted that no player is on a pedestal, but this isn't a direct shot at Vinícius Júnior.
Speaking ahead of the Madrid derby, and reflecting on the impeccable Levante performance, Xabi Alonso reaffirmed how happy he is for Vinícius Júnior. The Spanish coach said that he loves to see the Brazilian smile, and offered him some words of encouragement.
In his own words, Alonso said: “Vini is fundamental for us. I liked what he did the other day, I like to see him smile. And for us, the preparation will be the same.”
Just a few weeks ago, you would have been forgiven for thinking that Vini's Real Madrid days were numbered. It was a rather sudden change, to see him involved so heavily to then be rotational at best.
However, as is often the case with us fans, we have been exposed as being reactionary. We can't help it, it's within our nature as fans of any team.
For Xabi Alonso, he wants Vini to flip the narrative. He wants to see more smiles on Vini's face and, more importantly, despite this being unsaid, he wants Vini to perform against the team that Real Madrid despises the most. Everybody involved with Real wants that.