In Madrid even more than elsewhere, the slightest adverse events are reasons to believe that the crisis is brewing, that the White House is ready to implode. And after the controversies of the international break, since Real Madrid also plays its role of paper pusher when the ball rolls towards the selections, the Merengue club once again made headlines all weekend in Spain, with a narrow victory against Villarreal (1-0) marked by the Vinicius imbroglio, excluded for a bad gesture after scoring a goal.
And it is in an increasingly explosive context that Kylian Mbappé and his partners will move away, at least geographically, from Spain, with a perilous trip to AS Rome, this Wednesday in the Champions League (9 p.m.). Two weeks before the “Clasico” in Barcelona, the end point of a sequence already (somewhat) decisive for the rest of its season, Real is approaching this marathon in a hot context.
The ghost of Vinicius and the craziest theories
Placed on the bench at the start of the match against Villarreal on Saturday (1-0), Vinicius Jr seemed to have found a smile again, scoring 20 minutes after coming on. A short-lived relief. Not only was the goal of number 7 canceled, but the person concerned found himself excluded in the process, for a hair pulling at the start of the action. Stunned by the situation, the Brazilian blackened a new chapter of an absolutely chaotic start to the season. Involved in no goals since the beginning of September, between lack of inspiration and competition with Kylian Mbappé, an old music in Madrid, the Brazilian has been a shadow of himself since the restart. So much so that his situation is worrying to the point of giving rise to the craziest conspiracy theories on Brazilian social networks, where it is claimed, with supporting evidence, that the person concerned was kidnapped (or even killed!) by the CIA and replaced by a bad double.
Between his physical transformation, particularly on the face, and his helplessness on the field, Vinicius Jr is causing great concern, especially since in Spain, the media and supporters alike have not forgotten that the person concerned preferred to stay at Real with a comfortable salary increase at stake, without this being reflected on the field. Marked by the elimination of Brazil in the round of 16 of the World Cup, Vini Jr seemed at a crossroads in his career this summer, but for the moment he is heading straight into the wall.
Mbappé at the center of criticism
Kylian Mbappé is a subject in himself. A tireless chestnut of the local press, the captain of the Blues, already criticized for his position during the Ceuta crisis, was then singled out for a Parisian nightclub trip at the end of September, a few days after leaving the France team gathering. Before that, it was his media campaign for the next Ballon d'Or, Real's usual hunting ground, which got people talking. On the field side, number 10 is regularly accused of individualism, poorly connected to his partners and lonely up front, and crystallizes criticism. His second outing in a row without a goal (silent against Atlético before the break then against Villarreal) increased the pressure around the top scorer in the history of the Blues, who hopes to restart the machine in the eternal city.
Orphaned by a real smuggler, the community is still looking for the right formula
If the defense recorded its second clean sheet of the season against Villarreal, against whom the very expensive recruit Yan Diomandé opened his account, two good news in the midst of the ambient slump, the reasons for satisfaction do not extend to other sectors of the game. While the attackers are still struggling to get along up front, the midfielder is hardly more inspired. And the criticism intensified after the return to business last Saturday, where the whole team, calming at times, cruelly lacked movement. With a persistent problem, since the departures of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, the Merengues deplore the absence of a midfielder capable of changing rhythm and directing the game. After trying Rodri (finally leaving for rival Barcelona), Real did not succeed in attracting a creative central midfielder, and the sluggish productions are suffering.
Returning from injury, Aurélien Tchouaméni has regained his place in the two-headed defensive midfielder with Federico Valverde. And the former Bordeaux player was bombarded with questions on this subject on Tuesday from Rome. “I have my opinion on that, the rest is your job, to judge what we need or not,” he replied, rather annoyed by the journalists’ reminders. We have players with our characteristics in our group, but all of them are elite players. Invited to “play more forward” by his coach José Mourinho, Tchouaméni knows the context of Real too well to give up: “We know that when playing for Real, there will be criticism. The most important thing is to keep a cool head and improve as a team, to work together in the same direction.
Mourinho on crusade against arbitration
Returning to Rome, where he left a good memory during his stay (2021-2024), notably winning the Europa Conference League (C4) during his first season, found a more flammable context than elsewhere at Real Madrid, where his management of the workforce is still struggling to be felt. In any case on the pitch, since he remains the first to defend his flock, as he did again for Kylian Mbappé recently.
