How Real Madrid are responsible for Vinicius Junior's struggles
With 4 goals and 9 assists in 27 appearances, Vinicius Junior's debut campaign in Europe is going quite well. He has become the top assist provider at Real Madrid this season. It's true that nobody expected him to adapt to Spanish football so quickly. With his talent, quick feet and devil may care attitude he has become a key player for his club.
Here are a couple of reasons why Madrid are to blame for slowimg down his development:
#1 Overhyping by his manager
His teammates love him. The fans love him. But, it seems the club does not. Their treatment towards their star kid shows they are ignoring an important thing: their overprotection for his failures. It may seem contradictory to what I have mentioned above but here are the facts.
Atleast 2 of his 4 goals have come from deflections. Also, 6 of his 9 assists have come in the Copa del Rey where Madrid was up against much weaker opposition.
In the recent El Clasicos, he was utterly wasteful. Neither could he finish nor did he set up his teammates. But, football is unforgiving. If you miss you lose. Even if one is inexperienced, playing for Real Madrid requires character. His club is not allowing him to build that.
#2 An excuse for every shortcoming
For all his shortcomings, Real have an excuse. Whenever he misses an open goal or overplays a simple pass, they call this his youth. When he tries to dribble unnecessarily and loses possession in dangerous areas, they call him immature. When he wastes chances after chances and scores only 4 goals from 75 shots, they remind everybody that he is only 18 and their legend Raul was just like him at the same age.
Real Madrid must not forget that Kylian Mbappe was a Ligue 1 winner and a world class player at 18. Jadon Sancho, also 18, is flying high in the Bundesliga. So these excuses are not going to work.
What should Real Madrid do?
Real Madrid should stop protecting him. He should be allowed to fail and learn from his mistakes. He should be asked to work on his shooting ability. He must be dropped from the squad if he continues to make poor decisions on the pitch. These things might later prove to be invaluable in his later career.
The best approach
In August 2003, Sir Alex Ferguson brought an 18 -year-old Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United. He was quick, had dazzling dribbling skills but lacked in finishing. Sir Alex wasn't impressed by his wastefulness and dropped him many times. Ronaldo learned from his mistakes. By 2008, he had become the best player in the world. Later he would go on to become a legend of Real Madrid.
As Vinicius Junior was bought to replace 'Cristiano Ronaldo', he must be forged in the same way as Ronaldo was.