With his match at Sánchez Pizjuán against Sevilla, Vinicius said “here I am”. The Brazilian returned to the starting eleven after seven matches on the bench, participating in all, but always as a trigger. Precisely his last match as a starter had been the visit to Borussia Mönchengladbach in Germany (2-2), that game in which the cameras caught Benzema and Mendy splitting from the Brazilian: “Don't give it to him, play against us …”. Although there is no direct relationship between said conversation and their substitutions, but they were motivated by the Hazard return, who finally reappeared in that game and was able to start playing regularly. For Vinicius, the big problem is the Belgian, as Zidane himself recognized last year.
Thus, after the visit to Germany came seven games without Vini in the eleven in which Madrid was capable of the best (win two games against Inter) and the worst (defeats against Valencia, Alavés and Shakhtar). In Seville, with Zidane pressed like never before on the Real Madrid bench, the Marseillais pulled the Brazilian on the far left and Vinicius replied: 90 minutes with a lot of security with the ball (23 good passes out of 25), a lot defensive work (five recoveries), without wrinkling (he entered 20 duels, the one that most of Madrid, of which he won eight), taking forward four dribbles of seven and generating three clear scoring chances, one of which ended in both the Madrid victory.
Zidane, in extreme situation
Of the connection between Benzema and Mendy (precisely, those who criticized him in Germany) the pass came out for the Brazilian to touch the ball, enough to deflect it and have Bono put it in his own goal. It will not count as a goal, but as an assist, but without a doubt that action pointed to Vinicius As the party man and makes him a creditor of a place in the white eleven this Wednesday, in Valdebebas against Borussia, in the game in which Madrid plays the pass to the second round of the Champions League and, incidentally, Zidane risks his continuity at the head of the team . An elimination from the European Cup at this point would be a disaster for which there is no precedent.
Without Hazard (he is still in the gym, with muscular problems), Zidane will bet on Vinicius on the left and Benzema on top, with the doubt on the right flank, with three suitors: Asensio, Lucas Vázquez and Rodrygo. All three have arguments for and against. Vinicius, for his part, is having an irregular season, but one in which he is leaving his mark: he has scored three goals and given two assists in 759 minutes, and he supported Madrid in the first days, when Benzema walked with the wet gunpowder.