Real Madrid News
Real Madrid veteran comes out in defence of Vinicius Jr after Mallorca defeat
Real Madrid’s title hopes diminished when the reigning Spanish champions stumbled to a 1-0 defeat to RCD Mallorca, essentially giving Barcelona the opportunity to extend their lead to eight points when they meet Sevilla later this evening.
During the game, Vinicius Jr was once again in the thick of things – this time only for the wrong reasons. The Brazilian did not have a good game, but more importantly, he was the subject of rough treatment by the Mallorca defenders while the fans booed him whenever he touched the ball.
Moreover, Vinicius was involved in a bust-up with Mallorca captain Antonio Raillo, who asked the Brazilian to kiss the Mallorca shirt. It was a response aimed at the attacker after he was spotted kissing the Real Madrid logo in front of the Mallorca fans, just after half-time.
In the aftermath of all this, Real Madrid defender Nacho Fernandez spoke to the media, where he has come out in defence of the Brazilian, urging the media to leave him out of the spotlight.
“An environment is being created around him that doesn’t benefit anyone. Neither the player, nor the team. The fans mess with the kid and we have to put the controversies and nonsense aside because they don’t benefit anyone,” said Nacho (h/t Mundo Deportivo).
This is not the first time Vinicius has been a victim of rough treatment by fans and opposition defenders. The Real Madrid forward, after all, is the most fouled player in La Liga, who has also been a victim of racist slurs in the past this season.
Following the Mallorca game, it appears there is no end in sight for Vinicius and his altercations with the opposition players and fans.
The youngster, though, will be hoping to put all this behind him when Real Madrid travel to Morocco in midweek for the FIFA Club World Cup.
However, it must be noted that Vinicius has been ruled out of Real Madrid’s next game in La Liga against Elche, having picked up his fifth yellow card of this season during the clash against Mallorca.
Meanwhile, Nacho, who scored an own goal to hand Mallorca the win, also discussed what went wrong for Real Madrid in the game, saying:
“It was a complicated game, they defended and worked very well and we weren’t good enough to create chances. Their goal was just bad luck, just football, I touched it with my head and it went into the top corner.”
“It’s a shame because we’ve lost three points, we knew it would be a tight and complicated game because of the timing, because we didn’t have much time to rest… it’s a shame,” he added.
After three successive wins to start the season, a 1-0 loss to Real Betis came as a reality check for Real Madrid, who are still some way off matching the quality and consistency of Barcelona.
In light of the defeat, the Real Madrid coaching staff is analysing the best way to get the most out of the current setup.
More expected from Valverde
According to Defensa Central, one of the key conclusions drawn from the Betis defeat is that Real Madrid need greater involvement from Federico Valverde with the ball.
The Uruguayan has been deployed as the pivot, largely due to the absence of the injured Aurelien Tchouameni, but he is yet to make the step up in quality the team requires from that role.
While his effort and commitment are never in doubt, Mourinho and his staff, led by Sami Khedira, feel Valverde spends too much time positioned behind the opposition’s midfield line.
As a result, he fails to offer passing lanes to his teammates when they are under pressure, forcing them into hurried, aimless clearances rather than playing out cleanly from the back.
That concern has already been communicated to Valverde, who is still adapting to a position he has never truly played, making the challenge all the more difficult for him.
A collective issue to fix
However, the problem is not Valverde’s alone, with the coaching staff identifying a wider issue in the team’s structure.
Khedira has reportedly noted a certain passivity from the attackers in the videos of the match, particularly Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe, when it comes to offering themselves as the ball transitions from midfield into attacking areas.
That lack of movement compounds the difficulties for the deeper midfielders.
Mourinho, for his part, remains unfazed by the departure of Rodri to Barcelona, insisting his squad has the tools to cope.
“I’m not missing Rodri. We have solutions, we have quality,” the Portuguese said, before adding that he backs his ability to improve players.
With a Champions League opener against Inter Milan on the horizon, Mourinho and his staff will be keen to iron out these issues quickly.
