The condition for Vinicius's return to the new Real Madrid: Benito reveals the golden rule
Following the Clásico and Racing
Real Madrid, at long last, look like an unbeatable side again. The win over Barcelona at the Camp Nou lit the spark, but it was the collective display at El Sardinero against Racing Santander that stirred the real optimism. Former club legend and pundit Alvaro Benito summed it up in a single sentence: "I haven't felt this way for a long time. The path has become clear."
Speaking alongside his old teammate Rafael Alkorta on the famous "El Larguero" programme on "Cadena SER" radio, Benito wasn't talking about two fleeting victories. He was talking about a deep tactical and mental transformation led by Xabi Alonso, one that now places star man Vinicius Junior before a genuine test of his destiny.
The new Real Madrid: a collective spirit we hadn't known
For Benito, what has changed at Real Madrid is not the names but the idea. The team plays as a single unit now, pressing with high intensity, breaking at terrifying speed from defence to attack, and holding the ball under pressure. That trio of qualities had been missing since the start of the season.
Most striking of all, in the Madrid analyst's eyes, is that this cohesion has arrived even without Fede Valverde, one of the most important keys to the team's play. The secret, Benito says, lies in the emergence of players who have given the side a balance it previously lacked, chief among them Bernabe.
As Benito put it: "There is a sense of collective work that we had not seen before. The players most capable of passing and solving complex problems are now being involved, even without Valverde, who from the full-back position gives you short and long passing solutions and the ability to break the press. Bernabe has emerged to provide what the midfield lacked: the ability to stop, to turn, and to use clever dribbling to shake off his marker. Most important of all is that the team now works hard."
The European test and the Vinicius trap
Past the hurdles of the Clasico and Racing, attention turns to the next challenge in the Champions League against Greece's AEK Athens. Benito insists the style is now firmly established and clearly defined, and that all the team has to do is stick with it.
That established style raises the biggest question of all. Where will Vinicius Junior fit in?
On this, Benito was decisive and direct. The Brazilian's talent is beyond debate, but his integration into the new system won't be automatic, nor guaranteed by his name alone. This team demands full defensive commitment from everyone, and there's no place in it for a star who doesn't defend.
He added: "Real Madrid have proven they are capable of winning the ball back and launching lethal counter-attacks. When they play with speed, recover the ball and maintain their cohesion, they become a team capable of doing anything. Now we will see what happens when Vinicius returns, and whether he will accept these new rules."
Fair competition is the solution
Benito didn't hesitate to sketch out the scenario for the months ahead, one in which the competition for places must be completely equal, whatever the names involved.
His proposed solution is a tactical one Alonso might turn to: deploy Arda Guler in the double pivot alongside Tchouameni in La Liga, push Bernabe onto the right flank and the impressively in-form Diomande onto the left, and let the pitch decide.
He signed off with words that carried equal measures of optimism and caution: "There are matches that can accommodate everyone, but the rule must be one: as long as everyone fulfils their defensive duties, we will then see who performs best going forward and creates the chances. The competition must be fair. It has been a very long time since I felt that things were finally heading in the right direction."
