MU Shorts
Three ways Real Madrid can line up if Mourinho decides to bench Vinicius
Vinicius Jr.’s difficult start to the season has created a selection problem that Jose Mourinho may soon have to address at Real Madrid.
The Brazilian has managed just one goal in eight appearances, and his performances have increasingly come under the microscope.
Questions have been raised about his physical sharpness, his technical consistency and, perhaps most importantly, the chemistry he has developed with Kylian Mbappe.
The pressure surrounding Vinicius has also followed him onto the international stage.
Brazil’s 1-1 draw against Australia brought further attention to the forward, with several moments from his performance generating discussion despite the result itself being relatively secondary.
There is now growing speculation that Mourinho could decide to take Vinicius out of the firing line for upcoming matches.
Whether that would be a permanent change is another question, but Real Madrid have enough attacking options to give their star forward a spell away from the starting XI.
And there are at least three intriguing ways Mourinho could construct his front three.
Mbappe – Endrick – Diomande
The most obvious alternative would involve moving Mbappe back towards the left, the position where he spent much of his career before becoming a central figure through the middle.
A front three of Mbappe, Endrick and Yan Diomande would give Mourinho a completely different dynamic.
Mbappe’s acceleration and ability to attack space from the left could immediately make Real Madrid more dangerous in transition.
The Frenchman is currently dealing with a knee issue, but the expectation is that he should have enough time to recover during the international break and be considered for the next fixture.
That would potentially open the door for Endrick.
The Brazilian teenager has barely been involved this season, playing only four minutes so far.
His lack of opportunities has made it difficult to build momentum, and regular minutes could be particularly important for a young forward still adapting to life at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Endrick was signed because Real Madrid saw enormous potential in him, and a temporary change in the attacking hierarchy could give him the opportunity to demonstrate why the club invested in his future.
Furthermore, Diomande would complete the front three from the right, although the Ivorian has yet to score in eight appearances.
His recent international performance against Ghana, however, offered evidence that his confidence is growing.
Mbappe – Espi – Diomande
Mourinho could also choose to give Carlos Espi a chance alongside Mbappe and Diomande.
On paper, Espi has barely featured for Real Madrid this season, having played just 26 of the team’s 720 available minutes.
Yet his contribution has been far more significant than those numbers suggest.
Espi has scored twice in La Liga, and both goals have directly translated into four points for Madrid.
Removing those decisive contributions would leave the club with only 11 league points instead of 15, which would have changed the complexion of their start to the campaign.
Rather than sitting six points behind Barcelona, Real Madrid would be down in sixth place and 10 points off the leaders.
Giving Espi a more prominent role would therefore not be about rewarding a fringe player.
Rather, Mourinho would be turning to someone who has already demonstrated that he can influence the outcome of matches despite limited opportunities.
A front three of Mbappe, Espi and Diomande could offer a mixture of pace, direct running and finishing, while allowing the manager to keep his most dangerous attacking players on the pitch.
Diomande – Mbappe – Guler
There is also a third possibility that may be particularly interesting from a tactical perspective: Diomande, Mbappe and Arda Guler.
If Mourinho decides that Mbappe remains his preferred centre-forward, Diomande could occupy the left side, and Guler could continue from the right.
The Ivorian’s development is worth watching closely, as he is gradually becoming a more serious competitor for Vinicius, particularly because of his ability to beat defenders and carry the ball over long distances.
During Real Madrid’s 1-2 defeat against Atletico Madrid, Diomande completed as many dribbles as Vinicius and Mbappe managed combined.
He achieved that despite Madrid playing with 10 men for part of the match, making the performance even more notable.
Guler, meanwhile, has put together some outstanding underlying numbers.
After eight matches in all competitions, the Turkish international leads Real Madrid for several attacking metrics despite ranking only tenth in minutes played.
He has created 28 chances, produced eight big chances and completed 14 crosses, all team-leading figures. Those numbers are particularly striking given that Guler has played only 349 minutes.
Vinicius still has time to respond
None of these options necessarily means Vinicius is on the verge of losing his place permanently.
The Brazilian remains one of the most important players in the Real Madrid squad, and his history at the club means a difficult eight-game stretch should not erase everything he has achieved.
But football at Real Madrid is ultimately driven by performance, and Mourinho has plenty of alternatives if he believes a change is necessary.
Mbappe can shift positions, Endrick needs minutes, Espi has already shown he can decide games, Diomande is improving and Guler’s numbers make his continued involvement difficult to ignore.
That gives Mourinho something every manager wants: genuine competition for attacking places.
Real Madrid returned to winning ways with a narrow 1-0 victory over Villarreal, but the performance once again left a lot to be desired.
The result did little to hide the problems that continue to affect Jose Mourinho’s team, and the refereeing controversies became a talking point once more.
Yan Diomande’s second-half goal helped Los Blancos secure three valuable points. That said, Madrid struggled to establish sustained attacking control over the game.
There were some encouraging individual performances, but the same questions about the midfield, Arda Guler’s positioning and the team’s attacking structure cropped up.
Here are four things we learned from Real Madrid’s narrow 1-0 victory over Villarreal.
Yan Diomande is ready to start more regularly
Diomande was easily Madrid’s most dangerous attacking player against Villarreal, and his decisive goal was a consequence of an impressive performance.
What makes the youngster particularly valuable is his willingness to attack defenders directly. Madrid have often looked hesitant in possession this season.
They have kept the ball and circulated it without necessarily focusing on one-v-one situations, which could be directly related to Vinicius Junior’s poor form.
Diomande offered something different in this regard. His directness forced full-backs into making decisions and opened up space for his team-mates.
With Vinicius now facing a potential suspension, Mourinho has an obvious opportunity to give Diomande greater responsibility.
Valverde-Tchouameni double pivot does not work
Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni are excellent footballers. That said, they do not seem to work well together for Madrid.
Both offer physicality, defensive awareness and the ability to cover large areas. Those qualities are important, particularly for a team that can be vulnerable when opponents counter-attack.
However, Madrid’s biggest problem against Villarreal was not a lack of defensive protection. It was their difficulty progressing the ball into dangerous areas.
Too often, both midfielders moved the ball sideways without offering a penetrating option that broke the Villarreal defence.
Valverde’s greatest strengths include his powerful running and ability to influence different phases of play.
He looked much better operating as a flank player than as a midfielder, and it is high time Mourinho started using Bernardo Silva more regularly.
Arda Guler is far more useful operating centrally
Guler’s positioning remains another important tactical question. The Turkey international possesses the vision, technical quality and passing range to influence the game and turn it in Madrid’s favour.
Against Villarreal, Madrid looked more fluid whenever Guler moved inside and helped connect the midfield with the forwards.
From central positions, he can receive between opposition lines, combine with Jude Bellingham and identify forward runs before defenders have time to react.
Even if Guler starts on the wing, his primary role has to be drifting inside and almost acting as a second No. 10 in build-up alongside Bellingham.
Having excellent attack-minded overlapping right-backs like Denzel Dumfries and Trent Alexander-Arnold allows Guler to do just that.
Madrid must start using Guler more centrally in the coming weeks and make use of his excellent vision to improve their attacking structure.
A group of talented individuals
Perhaps the biggest concern is that Madrid continue to look more dangerous through individual moments of brilliance rather than collective play.
There is no shortage of quality. Mbappe, Vinicius, Bellingham, Guler and Diomande all possess the ability to decide matches.
However, Mourinho is yet to identify a system that gives the team structure and allows these stars to thrive in unison.
When one player receives possession, team-mates should already be moving into positions that create multiple options.
Too often, Madrid’s attackers appear disconnected, leaving the player on the ball to solve the situation alone.
With a trip to the Spotify Camp Nou approaching, Madrid need to address this situation sooner rather than later.
Mourinho has the talent available. Now he needs to make those players function as a team if he harbours any hope of success in La Liga this season.
