Real Madrid is going through a tough period. Contrary to earlier expectations of an immediate impact following the appointment of Xabi Alonso, the team is clearly in transition and still not ready to compete with the best clubs in the world. Their outing at Anfield further highlighted this.
In fact, Alonso’s time at Real Madrid as manager has been a mixed bag so far. On one hand, the team has made strides in several areas, and individuals like Arda Güler and Kylian Mbappé are on top form. On the other hand, Los Blancos have often looked wayward and out of ideas against top clubs, which is a cause for concern.
In the matchup against Liverpool, Real Madrid were outplayed by the Reds in almost every department. Mbappé had another poor game at Anfield and Vinícius Jr. was a no-show as well.
Although it was a disappointing performance overall from Los Blancos, there was a familiar pattern that might explain Real’s struggles in big matches over the past two seasons and Alonso might have been reminded of it firsthand against Liverpool.
Xabi Alonso learned a bitter lesson about Kylian Mbappé and Vini Jr
Simply put, Mbappé and Vinícius do not work well together, and Alonso will have to bench one for Real Madrid to succeed. Both players prefer to operate down the left flank, which creates an overload on that side while leaving no one in the number 9 role to pass to during attacks.
This has rendered Real Madrid’s play far too predictable and easy to defend. And after more than a season of playing together, it is fair to say that the duo have not developed any real chemistry or understanding between them, and maybe they never will.
So Alonso will have to take a tough call. In terms of who that player might be to be left of the playing XI in important matches, there is not much debate and fans already know the answer, which is Vinícius. The main reason behind this is the newly developed partnership between Mbappé and Guler.
Additionally, the Brazilian winger has more often than not failed to perform in big matches like he used to before the arrival of Mbappé. Meanwhile, fans shouldn’t be surprised if the Brazilian eventually ends up leaving next year. Although Vini is under contract until 2027, extension talks have reportedly hit a roadblock, so that’s another thing to keep in mind.
Anyway, for now, Alonso has to figure out a way to make things work. If that requires benching one of the star players, then so be it. Real Madrid as a club is always bigger than any individual, and this is the time for the Spanish tactician to follow that principle.