Real Madrid sacked Xabi Alonso when the going got too tough in January last season, but when things were going well under the manager, it was great to watch.
Real Madrid, in some games, played some great football. They also had a lot of control over games, which is an issue they are still struggling with. Had Real Madrid signed the players Alonso wanted, it would have been even better in terms of control, but that is a topic for another day.
There were also a lot of things that seemed to be polarising for fans, and one of them was Alonso's treatment of Vinicius Junior.
Vinicius Junior, in many games, did not start for Real Madrid straight off the bat. There were games where he came off the bench, there were others where he started but was brought off.
It became a huge topic of discussion, and it reached a boiling point in the Clasico when Vinicius Junior had a meltdown after being asked to come off. That's when the season derailed, the winning form was ruined, and a couple of months later, Alonso's time at the club was up.
After that, Vinicius Junior started most games, and was playing well in many of them, but fast forward to this season, he is now once again in the same rut.
Vinicius Junior has been in atrocious form this season
Vinicius Junior has just one goal and three assists in eight games this season, which are really bad numbers. Even if you take those numbers aside, Vinicius Junior has not looked nearly as good as he used to in these games, and everyone is worried about the form becoming a new reality for the Brazilian.
That is exactly why Alonso had a point. Vinicius Junior was not playing well back then, which is why it made sense for him to sit on the bench in some games, and come off in others. There was another reason why he was subbed off many times - it was to preserve his energy for when it mattered most, something that Vinicius Junior apparently did not understand.
Jose Mourinho is now in a similar position. He knows Vinicius Junior is performing poorly, even more so than in his worst performances under Alonso, which is exactly why it is clear now that the former Real Madrid manager had a point.
It was to show the team that if you do not play well, you can still be benched. That was the right thing to do. Now, knowing what happened between the player and Alonso, it is difficult to see whether Mourinho would do the same as Alonso.
Vinicius Junior is already proving that Alonso was in fact right to sub him off and bench him in games when it was evident that the player was not at the desired level. He is already proving that things like this can happen to superstars like him.
It makes no sense for him to continue in the lineup, regardless of how he feels about it, because this time, Vinicius Junior will have no leverage. A brilliant project with Alonso got tormented, and now, Real Madrid are reaping what they sowed.
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