MU Shorts
Average position map exposes major Real Madrid problem with Vinicius and Kylian Mbappe
Sometimes, a tactical problem can be explained better by one image than by detailed analysis from performance analysts at a club.
Real Madrid’s average position map from the 2-1 derby defeat to Atletico Madrid is one of those occasions.
Los Blancos travelled to the Metropolitano, which has not been a happy hunting ground for them for the past eight years.
In a derby marred by refereeing controversy, Madrid were reduced to 10 men after Dean Huijsen was sent off early in the second half.
Jose Mourinho made no attempt to hide his thoughts about the refereeing, but there were some concerning patterns emerging from the performance.
One of them is a cause for concern: Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe’s average positions were effectively identical. In fact, the Brazilian’s marker is hidden underneath the Frenchman’s on the graphic.
🚨 The average position of each Real Madrid player on the pitch vs Atletico Madrid. @lequipe
— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) September 20, 2026
Kylian Mbappé and Vini Jr had the EXACT same average position, to the point where Vini cannot even be seen on the graphic 🤯 pic.twitter.com/WLOUj2BAFM
There could not be a clearer visual representation of an issue Mourinho needs to solve.
Vinicius and Mbappe are occupying the same territory
The problem is not simply that both players prefer the left. Great attackers can rotate positions and combine in the same channel.
The issue comes when their movements repeatedly take them towards the same spaces without someone consistently providing width or threatening elsewhere.
Mbappe naturally gravitates left even when starting as the centre-forward. Vinicius, meanwhile, has built his game around receiving on that same side and attacking defenders from there.
Against Atletico, that overlap became particularly noticeable. One first-half counter-attack even saw Arda Guler moving into space on the right while Vinicius instead turned back towards Mbappe on his left.
Madrid therefore risk becoming predictable. If Vinicius stays wide, Mbappe can attack the inside-left channel.
If Mbappe drifts outside, Vinicius needs the freedom and understanding to attack central spaces.
When both arrive in essentially the same areas, one can end up reducing the other’s room, rendering them ineffective.
Mourinho needs complementary movement
This is particularly important because Vinicius is already enduring a difficult start to the season individually.
He has scored only once from 24 shots across Madrid’s opening eight matches, while his take-on numbers and efficiency have also fallen sharply.
The solution is not necessarily choosing between them. Madrid would be giving up an enormous attacking ceiling by reaching that conclusion too early.
Instead, Mourinho has to build a structure that separates their starting positions while still allowing combinations.
That could mean demanding greater discipline from Vinicius on the touchline, using Mbappe more centrally, or ensuring the duo rotate during games.
The onus is also on the likes of Jude Bellingham and Arda Guler to occupy complementary roles on the right to support Vinicius and Mbappe.
There were obviously other reasons Madrid struggled at the Metropolitano, including Dean Huijsen’s second-half dismissal.
Los Blancos also created very little even when the game was played 11 vs 11.
However, the average position map highlights an issue that has been prevalent at Madrid for a few seasons now.
Madrid possess two devastating left-sided attackers. The challenge is making sure that playing them together multiplies their threat rather than diminishing it.
Mourinho has a huge task on his hands to bring the best out of his attackers, and it remains to be seen whether Vinicius can rediscover his best level during the international break.
MU Shorts
Real Madrid injury curse examined: Several seasons of setbacks and a possible turning point
Real Madrid have endured a frustrating cycle of injuries over recent seasons, with repeated setbacks disrupting team selection, forcing tactical changes and leaving key players unavailable for important matches.
However, Jose Mourinho appears to have made an encouraging start in one area that has troubled the club for years, with the squad enjoying a notably healthier opening to the current campaign.
As La Liga resumes following an unusually long international break, Real Madrid have the majority of their players available.
For now, Eder Militao, Rodrygo and Ferland Mendy remain sidelined with injuries carried over from the previous season, while Raul Asencio recently underwent surgery for a problem he had been dealing with since January.
The remaining 22 players are available.
Although Thiago Pitarch and Aurelien Tchouameni missed early matches because of minor injuries sustained during pre-season, and Federico Valverde suffered an injury against Atletico Madrid, none of those situations has resulted in a missed match due to an injury sustained since the official start of the current season.
This is a notable contrast with Real Madrid’s recent history.
Looking at the opening fixtures of previous campaigns, using the league match before the October international break as a reference point, reveals the scale of the problem Mourinho is hoping to avoid.
2025/26 season: Injuries disrupt early progress
Real Madrid began the 2025/26 campaign without Ferland Mendy, Endrick and Jude Bellingham.
The English midfielder underwent shoulder surgery after the Club World Cup, addressing discomfort that had persisted since he dislocated his shoulder almost two years earlier.
Eduardo Camavinga then suffered a sprain that kept him out for a month, while Antonio Rudiger, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dani Carvajal also experienced muscle injuries.
Across the first ten official matches, excluding the three players already unavailable at the start, Real Madrid recorded a whopping 18 absences.
The problems continued after the international break, as Dean Huijsen and Dani Ceballos suffered minor muscular issues that forced them to miss two matches apiece.
In the final game before the break, against Villarreal, Xabi Alonso was unable to call upon Carvajal, Trent and Rudiger because of injuries sustained during the season.
Mendy was also unavailable with a problem carried over from the previous campaign.
2024/25 season: Real Madrid record several absentees
According to AS, the 2024/25 campaign began when Camavinga suffered an injury during the final training session before the UEFA Super Cup, ruling him out of the match.
Bellingham, Jesus Vallejo, Ceballos, Tchouameni, Brahim Diaz, Carvajal, Kylian Mbappe and Thibaut Courtois subsequently spent time on the sidelines.
Mendy, Militao and Rodrygo also experienced physical problems, although they did not miss any matches during that initial period.
The final fixture before the October international break brought another major blow.
Carlo Ancelotti had to manage without Courtois, David Alaba and Brahim, while Carvajal suffered a serious right-knee injury following an unfortunate challenge, which ruled him out for an extended period.
The incident became one of the most damaging injuries of Madrid’s campaign, further weakening the defensive options available to Ancelotti.
2023/24 season: Courtois and Militao suffer serious injuries
Real Madrid’s injury problems were particularly severe during the opening weeks of the 2023/24 season.
Dani Ceballos picked up a pre-season injury, while the then-new signing Arda Guler and Mendy returned early from the club’s tour of the United States. Both were subsequently sidelined for almost two months.
The situation deteriorated just before the league campaign began, as Courtois tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee two days before Real Madrid’s opening match, and Militao suffered the same injury shortly afterwards.
Vinicius Jr. then missed four matches with a right hamstring injury, while Carvajal was unavailable for two games because of discomfort in his right leg.
Guler suffered repeated setbacks, and Alaba also experienced a problem with his right abductor muscle.
Courtois, Militao, Alaba and Guler were all unavailable for the final match before the international break. Alaba returned afterwards, but Ceballos joined the injury list.
2022/23 season: Muscle problems and minor injuries add up
The 2022/23 campaign was less disruptive, but Real Madrid still recorded 21 injuries across their first nine official fixtures.
Carvajal’s pre-season preparation was interrupted by a minor ankle sprain, while Alvaro Odriozola missed the UEFA Super Cup because of calf discomfort.
Rodrygo also sat out the first two La Liga matches after suffering a strain in his right thigh.
Several other players experienced smaller setbacks. Carvajal, Militao, Vallejo, Nacho Fernandez, Toni Kroos, Lucas Vazquez and Karim Benzema all dealt with minor injuries or physical discomfort during the opening weeks.
The World Cup in Qatar also created an unusual break in the calendar.
When Madrid returned to action after the international interval, Courtois, Luka Modric and Lucas Vazquez were unavailable through injury for the match against Osasuna.
2021/22 season: Real Madrid suffer 60 injuries
The 2021/22 campaign provides the starkest example of Madrid’s previous injury difficulties.
Coronavirus affected the pre-season preparations of Benzema, Alaba and Odriozola, although none of them missed a match as a result.
More serious problems followed, as Kroos suffered a groin strain that kept him out for two months, while Ceballos sustained ligament damage that sidelined him for more than four months.
During the first month and a half, Andriy Lunin, Alaba, Modric and Luka Jovic also experienced spells on the sidelines.
By the final match before the October break, Ancelotti was without Marcelo, Mendy, Ceballos, Isco, Marco Asensio, Gareth Bale and Mariano Diaz.
Madrid accumulated 60 different injuries across their first ten fixtures, making it the most damaging opening period among the seasons compared here.
Judging by these figures, Mourinho’s current record offers a reason for optimism, but sustaining that improvement will be the real challenge.
With domestic and European commitments set to intensify, Real Madrid must continue managing workloads carefully if they want to avoid the recurring injury problems that have undermined previous campaigns.
