Vinicius Jr. has not had a very good season at Real Madrid. There are conflicting views on why.
Some believe it is due to a lack of his ability, which he appears to have lost this season for whatever reason, while others blame Carlo Ancelotti's system, which prevents him from adapting alongside Kylian Mbappe.
I believe in the former. Let me be clear: Vinicius has not been objectively horrible. He has shown some flair here and there, but the point is that he is not the type of player who can only deliver occasional displays.
He is a player that can score spectacular goals and performs consistently in every game. And we've seen it several times during the seasons. Only this time, an oddity appeared.
However, all is not lost, and there is still time to save. Real Madrid will face Barcelona for the fourth time this season and Vinicius will have another opportunity to improve his image.
La Liga El Clasico will be the game changer for Vinicius if he decides to make it one
Vinicius has failed to score in any of the three El Clasicos so far. And that tells us something. The Brazilian has somehow lost his ability to be a big game player, and as harsh as that sounds, it is the reality this season.
He needs to do a lot more this time to restore that image. The inability to produce against Barcelona is, in my opinion, the primary cause for the harsh criticism he has gotten during the season.
The league will be on line on Sunday. I mean, superficially. If Madrid win, Barcelona will still be one point ahead, but perhaps an El Clasico loss will cause the Catalans to drop a point?
Anyway, the focus is on the Clasico. Vinicius must do good. This is his last chance this season. He has one more opportunity to make or break it.
And he is certainly not alone in this battle. Kylian Mbappe, who has been decent in the last two El Clasicos, will be there to help him. To choreograph the turnaround, the two players must deliver their best performances yet. It is now in their hands.