Real Madrid News
Jose Mourinho ready to bench superstar forward against Villarreal with El Clasico looming – report
Jose Mourinho is preparing a short-term change for Vinicius Jr. as Real Madrid look to get the Brazilian back to his best before the first El Clasico of the season.
According to Defensa Central, Vinicius is expected to begin the October 10 meeting with Villarreal on the bench.
The outlet mentions that Mourinho does not view that decision as the start of a prolonged spell out of the team, with the manager instead planning to use the following matches to rebuild the winger’s rhythm and confidence.
Vinicius to start on bench vs Villarreal
The decision comes after a difficult opening stretch for the Brazilian. His influence has dipped, with his usual dribbling threat less consistent and his involvement in Madrid’s attacking play reduced.
Mourinho believes Vinicius needs a response, but the coaching staff also feel that keeping him out for several matches could create more uncertainty rather than solve the problem.
The plan, therefore, is understood to be limited to Villarreal. Unless training changes the picture, Vinicius should return to the starting XI for the Champions League trip to Roma, followed by meetings with Sevilla and RB Leipzig.
Those games will give the winger an opportunity to rebuild momentum before Madrid face Barcelona.
Mourinho still sees Vinicius as essential
The decision is being viewed as a sporting measure rather than a loss of faith in the Brazilian.
Real Madrid have enough attacking options to make changes without significantly weakening their threat, allowing Mourinho to give Vinicius a brief reset while maintaining competition within the squad.
At the same time, the coaching staff believes his best football is more likely to return through regular involvement.
Vinicius needs competitive minutes, repeated actions and opportunities to regain his decisiveness rather than spending an extended period watching from the sidelines.
Real Madrid have a clear El Clasico timeline
The fixture list gives Mourinho a window to assess Vinicius before the meeting with Barcelona on October 25.
Madrid host Villarreal on October 10 before travelling to Roma four days later.
Sevilla then visit the Bernabeu, followed by RB Leipzig, giving Vinicius three potential starts to sharpen his form before El Clásico.
Simply put, Mourinho’s approach is for the player to have a short rest rather than a permanent demotion, followed by sustained opportunities to prove his form is returning.
One of the biggest positives for Real Madrid from the last season was the breakthrough of young midfielder Thiago Pitarch.
The 19-year-old La Fabrica prospect had been in the first-team dynamics since pre-season under Xabi Alonso, but finally got his senior debut under Alvaro Arbeloa at the turn of the year.
From that moment on, Pitarch did not look back at all, gaining prominence in the team and even starting important matches ahead of established players like Eduardo Camavinga and Dani Ceballos.
However, things have not gone as per plans for the teenager this season as he has yet to play a single minute of first-team football.
January loan no longer ruled out
As such, Diario AS now reports that Pitarch would consider leaving Real Madrid on loan during the January transfer window if his situation does not improve.
The teenage midfielder suffered an injury in pre-season which kept him sidelined for a few weeks, denying him an opportunity to start the season under Jose Mourinho.
By the time he returned, the Portuguese tactician had already identified his preferred hierarchy in midfield, with the likes of Federico Valverde, Bernardo Silva, Aurelien Tchouameni and Camavinga firmly ahead in the pecking order.
A stark difference from his debut season
In his debut season, Pitarch ended with 16 first-team appearances for Real Madrid with two assists to his name.
In contrast, this term, the academy graduate has been called up to the matchday squad for five games by Mourinho this term, but has yet to play a single minute of football.
Given the situation, he used the international break to jump down to Castilla and play close to 250 minutes across three games, during which he also registered an assist.
The situation is far from ideal for a young talent who needs regular minutes to continue his development and build on his impressive breakthrough campaign.
As such, the possibility of a departure on loan in January could be considered, after Pitarch turned down offers in the summer to stay at Real Madrid.
A lot will depend on how things evolve in the next couple of months, but a temporary exit cannot be ruled out.
