Are the warning lights flashing for Vinicius Junior?
Beyond his recent display of anger at Real Madrid, is there reason to fear, expressed by prominent Brazilian journalist Marcelo Barreto, that the star is stuck in a downward spiral of “turning Neymar into Neymar?”
Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti is not discouraged. “His personal life belongs to him,” the former Real Madrid coach said when he was called up for the upcoming friendly matches against Senegal and Tunisia.
“I’m not his father. I’m not his brother. I just want to be his coach.”
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The fact that Ancelotti occupies this role with the national team does not appeal to everyone. Last week, the Brazilian Football Confederation, the governing body for the Brazilian national team, organized an event for local coaches, which Ancelotti attended. His presence did not help calm the tone of discontent among the old guard. Former Brazil goalkeeper and coach Emerson Leao explained this.
He said: “I always said that I do not like foreign coaches in my country.” “And I haven’t changed my mind.”
But Ancelotti remained unfazed. In fact, the public comments have only served to increase his popularity in Brazil, which has been boosted by the attempts he makes to speak Portuguese and the careful respect he has for the local club game.
He is also well aware that, especially with the Brazilian national team, he is in a results-driven business. Success is winning the World Cup next year, failure is anything else; Hence the importance of continuing the relationship with Vinicius. Regarding the issue of the recent accident that occurred to Real Madrid, Ancelotti revealed that he spoke with the player.
He said: “Vinicius told me what he thought, which is that he made a mistake, and it seems that he apologized.” “So I think the matter has been resolved.”
This particular incident that occurred at Real Madrid, on the face of it, does not seem entirely relevant to the Brazilian context. Because it’s definitely about Kylian Mbappé.
After Real Madrid lost Karim Benzema, Ancelotti responded by working hard with Vinicius to attack the space in the penalty area. The player said that it was the best season of his career, in which he improved a lot. For the second time, he helped Real Madrid win the Champions League title.
And then comes Mbappé. Despite Ancelotti’s experience, finding balance outside the team has been more difficult. With the new man also wanting to withdraw towards the left side, accommodating Mbappé, alongside Vinicius, was not easy. With the advent of Xabi Alonso’s system that places Mbappé above Vinicius in the club hierarchy, the seeds of discontent have been sown.
Mbappé, of course, will not play for Brazil. The same ego battle will not be repeated in Ancelotti’s current dressing room. However, the wily old Brazil coach saw a potential problem.
Ahead of the FIFA dates last month, Ancelotti made a remarkable statement. He said: “We all have to think about a clear goal, which is to win the World Cup, not to be chosen as the best player in the world.”
There seems little doubt that this was aimed at Vinicius. The winger did not respond well to being behind Rodri in last year’s Ballon d’Or voting, and the repercussions hurt the Brazilian national team, which was coached by Dorival Junior.
It cost the team two points in the match away to Venezuela. Brazil won a penalty kick, and Rafinha scored two goals from a penalty kick in the previous match and was the natural scorer. But Dorival launched a campaign that saw Vinicius as a victim of injustice. A goal would help strengthen the case, so Vinicius stepped up and missed the penalty. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Ancelotti will not fall into this trap. He wants a group that chases collective glory, not individual glory, and that imposes a certain burden of sacrifice on his attacking players. The Italian will build his team in a bid to get the best out of Vinicius.
Before taking charge, Vinicius was usually positioned on the left side. It was very predictable. When he received the ball, the opposing defense was waiting for him. Just as in their glory season at Real Madrid, Ancelotti wants Vinicius to roam, finding small pockets of space closer to the opposition goal. This has sometimes necessitated the use of a front four, with Gabriel Martinelli or Rodrigo often used outside Vinicius on the left flank.
The obvious problem here is that the midfield can be left out of coverage, short of players with only Bruno Guimarães and veteran Casemiro holding down the centre-backs. There is a real danger of falling into the trap of Dorival Junior’s last game, a disastrous 4-1 defeat to Argentina, in which four players in attack left the team unbalanced.
For the system to work, these forward players must be willing to drop back and help the midfield. This hasn’t always been the best part of Vinicius’ game. At the last World Cup, he was withdrawn early in the fateful quarter-final against Croatia precisely because his pressing and off-the-ball work were poor against an opponent adept at manipulating possession.
Ancelotti’s sweet jab clearly worked. Immediately after the coach made it clear he had no time for individual glory-hunters, Vinicius and company produced an excellent display, ending South Korea’s long unbeaten run with a crushing 5-0 win.
“It was a complete team match,” Ancelotti said afterwards. “We played well with and without the ball, and the commitment was very good.”
Vinicius worked well, enjoyed the attack, and was rewarded with the final goal of the match.
However, questions lingered, especially a few days later when Brazil squandered a two-goal lead and lost to Japan 3-2. It is true that Ancelotti fielded a reserve defense, but in theory, the team should have been more solid, with Matheus Cunha remaining on the bench, and Lucas Paqueta replacing the third player in midfield.
Will Brazil really be able to continue playing with four players up front in the sweltering heat of next year’s World Cup? It’s a fair question.
In last year’s Copa America, there was a clear trend towards fielding three players in central midfield. Are there too many demands on Casemiro? Calling up the Manchester United midfielder was Ancelotti’s first act as Brazil coach. It gave structure to the team and freed Guimarães to show something closer to his best.
But Casemiro will turn 34 in February and tends to pick up cards. He missed the 2018 World Cup quarter-final against Belgium through suspension, and next year, those games will be eight years older.
Brazil was eliminated from FIFA last month without a clear replacement for Casemiro on the horizon. They have since found one, recalling former Liverpool midfielder Fabinho, who has been residing in Saudi Arabia for two and a half years. Inspiration or despair? The next few days will certainly provide some clues, because if he doesn’t feature on Saturday against Senegal, Fabinho will almost certainly see some action against Tunisia the following Tuesday.
Ancelotti, Vinicius, Casemiro, Eder Militao and Rodrigo – it might also seem like a Real Madrid meeting in the Brazilian dressing room. Can he achieve the same success he had when Don Carlo was the chewing gum master at the Bernabéu?
