After the derby shock: Mourinho moves to rescue Vinicius and crack the code of Real Madrid's midfield
Will the lost sparkle return?
Jose Mourinho and his Real Madrid staff are using the international break to rethink their tactical approach, and they've set two clear priorities for the weeks ahead. The first is to build the platform that gets Brazilian Vinicius Junior back to his dazzling best. The second is to tweak things in midfield, giving the side greater control at key moments and more solidity and cohesion at the back.
According to Spanish newspaper "AS", Mourinho's post-derby complaints about the refereeing were entirely legitimate given the clarity of the images, yet the coach never used them to excuse the defeat to Atletico Madrid or the obvious failings in performance. Self-criticism now runs through the dressing room, and the staff have taken the roughly three-week break to reflect and weigh up the changes they need to make.
Far from questioning his place in the starting XI, the staff see Vinicius as essential, an indispensable cog in the system. They're studying possible tweaks to the style of play to put the shine back on a Brazilian going through his toughest start since the pandemic, with one goal and three assists from his first eight matches.
Mourinho, for his part, shows total faith in the player. Vinicius has clocked up 652 minutes as the fourth most-used player, behind Valverde (654 minutes) and the duo of Courtois and Mbappe, who have played every minute (720 minutes). His worst display came at the Metropolitano, where he had fewer touches than anyone else in the side with 22, fewer even than substitutes Camavinga (24) and Bernardo (26). He attempted only one successful dribble and completed just eight passes.
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The coach keeps defending Vinicius with his familiar line: "Whoever gives everything they have on the pitch is not obliged to give more," and he's happy with the player's full commitment to the defensive instructions. The changes to the style of play haven't shown up on the pitch yet, but they may come in the form of sparing the Brazilian from constantly dropping back to the full-back slot to cover the left flank, with one of the midfielders taking on that job instead.
At the same time, the staff want to nail down the shape of the double pivot and give the midfield more cohesion. It's the one line that hasn't settled. Mourinho is sticking with a 4-2-3-1 that frees Jude Bellingham in the playmaker role, and the England talent has responded superbly: three goals in three matches against Rayo Vallecano, Malaga and Espanyol, plus two assists against Real Sociedad, all without the burden of covering the left flank, which Vinicius is currently closing off.
The data point back to Bellingham's first season at Real Madrid, when the Englishman was the pivot of a tactical shift under Ancelotti that ended with the La Liga and Champions League double. With Mbappe absent back then, the Italian pushed Bellingham in as a playmaker behind Vinicius and Rodrygo, and the side would drop into a 4-4-2 out of possession, with the England star covering the left side.
Results suggest Valverde in the double pivot is non-negotiable, which is why four different midfield pairings have been tried across eight matches. Valverde and Bernardo Silva won every game they started together, against Espanyol, Real Sociedad and Rayo Vallecano. Valverde and Camavinga eased past Malaga but lost to Real Betis. Valverde and Trent were a forced option against Inter Milan, while the pairing earmarked for the future, Tchouameni and Valverde, scraped a win against Elche before falling well short against Atletico Madrid.
