The era of immunity is over: Vinicius under threat of losing his place at Real Madrid
Real Madrid's four goals against Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabeu were not merely three more points on the road to top spot, they were the announcement of the birth of a new star who could tip all the scales at the White House ahead of the eagerly awaited Clasico.
Goals from Guler, Mbappe and Diomande sealed a crushing 4-1 win for the Royal club. All eyes turned to Ivorian winger Yan Diomande, though, who delivered a complete display with a goal and an assist. He is no longer just a substitute.
Antonio Romero, speaking on the programme "Carrusel Canalla", delivered a decisive verdict on what he had seen: "That was Diomande's first truly outstanding match in a Real Madrid shirt."
The praise came with a clear warning for Vinicius Junior, absent through suspension. "With the emergence of the Ivorian player, Vinicius has to raise his level immediately," Romero said. "For the first time in a very long while, he faces real and fierce competition for his place."
On the team's future, Romero added: "If Real Madrid want to have possession of the ball, they will manage it in 95% of matches. It is true that taking it from Barcelona is difficult, but they are capable of it. Today we saw a very good version of Real Madrid against a good team, a version that comes very close to the one capable of competing with Barcelona in the Clasico."
He also named the line-up he considers most suitable for the trip to the Camp Nou, while picking holes in some of the options on the table: "Endrick is an excellent player, but he is not a winger. I think he would be too much for the Clasico. Valverde is among the best full-backs in the world, but his best position is in front of the full-back. To play in midfield, you need great precision in dealing with the ball, and that is what Valverde lacks."
Analyst and former player Rafa Alkorta agreed, reckoning coach Jose Mourinho took a clever step by changing the starting line-up compared with the match against Roma.
"With Guler playing close to Tchouameni, the share of possession and control of the match increases, and the chances of creating more opportunities increase," Alkorta said. "Diomande and Endrick contributed a great deal defensively, and that is clear and very important."
His analysis ended with a message of support for Vinicius, though one conditioned by the new competition: "This is important for Vini, because he now has an extremely strong partner. We hope this competition proves useful to him, because he is still among the best in the world."
He concluded: "There are no secrets. The team has become more balanced and more organised, especially when the wide players help the full-backs. Against Sevilla, Cucurella suffered far less. Truly strong teams, when they lose the ball, press hard and win it back, and today we saw that with Diomande."
