Disappointing against Atlético, the two Merengues stars continue to be singled out. The reason? A lack of understanding on the pitch.
On paper, Real Madrid are joint leaders of the La Liga standings with FC Barcelona (with a game in hand) and have just qualified for the quarter-finals of the Champions League. But on the pitch and behind the scenes, things aren’t exactly joyful. Especially between Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé. From the moment the Frenchman arrived at Real Madrid, the two men were closely scrutinized. The Casa Blanca was rubbing its hands at having two of the best strikers in the world in its hands, but observers wondered how Carlo Ancelotti would make them work together.
Vinicius Jr. plays on the left wing, Mbappé’s preferred position. Ultimately, the Bondy player was repositioned in the middle. Statistically, Mbappé has scored 28 goals, while Vinicius has scored 18 and provided 11 assists. However, rumors have recently emerged in Spain about a “false understanding” between the Frenchman and the Brazilian. In short, Mbappé and Vinicius are allegedly trying to sell a connection that doesn’t exist. Relevo has not confirmed this rumor, but the media outlet does indicate that their entourage reports that there are no problems, albeit not a friendship.
Mbappé and Vinicius Jr. are not friends.
Relevo emphasizes above all that the two Merengues stars struggle to coexist together on the pitch. “The internal analysis is that either one or the other shines, but both generally don’t shine at the same time,” writes the media outlet, adding that this problem has become a source of concern for Real Madrid. The performance of the two men in the Champions League round of 16 second leg against Atlético is proof of this. Vinicius Jr. was muzzled by Llorente on his left wing and even missed a penalty won by Mbappé. For his part, the former Parisian certainly earned this foul, but his record of 0 shots in 120 minutes is catastrophic for a match at this level.
Relevo adds that the two have played 35 matches together (starting together 32 times). And of those 35 matches, only 8 of them have seen both Madrid strikers score. The media outlet then specifies that Mbappé has the worst statistics in terms of kilometers covered and pressing. For his part, “Vini” runs more, but in a disorganized manner. A terrible result for the Madrid management, who hoped that their two stars would no longer have this kind of adaptation problem at this stage of the season, when the trophies are being decided. Will Real Madrid still manage to have a successful end to the season? For the moment, the ship is rocking, but it’s not sinking.
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