"The worst since his arrival at the Bernabeu": Vinicius frustrates Ancelotti in Mourinho's style

The decline continues

A press report on Monday laid into Vinicius Junior's poor showing with the Brazil national team during the current international break.

The Real Madrid man hasn't hit his level this season, drawing heavy criticism, and the problem has followed him onto international duty.

Newspaper "Marca" said Vinicius Junior's run with Brazil ended in poor fashion.

Ancelotti effectively ended his break in that third match, hauling him off at half-time with the score at 0-2 against India.

Even then, the Brazilian offered nothing of what Carletto, a man who has seen the very best of Real Madrid's number 7, and Mourinho himself were hoping for.

Vinicius closed out the long international break with just one goal in three matches.

He drew a blank in the first match against Australia, a thrilling 1-1 draw. In the second, Brazil cruised to a comfortable win and the Brazilian grabbed his only goal of the break.

Then came the third match. He had three shots on target but turned in a lacklustre display, mirroring his form at Real Madrid in the opening third of the season. To his credit, he kept trying, and most of the game ran down his flank, yet once again he lacked that final touch and decisiveness late on.

The truth is Ancelotti simply confirmed what Mourinho had already spotted. The Italian coach put it plainly in a press conference across the three games: "He is not at his best."

Nobody knows the Brazilian better than Real Madrid's former coach, and his faith in him holds firm. He started all three matches.

In the first he played 65 minutes, in the second 85, and in the third just one half.

That means three more matches to his season tally and one more goal with Real Madrid.

It's his worst start since arriving at the Royal club. Ironically, his best spells last season coincided with Mbappe's injury, which sparked wide controversy and pushed him to seek a second medical opinion.

Mourinho's job is to drag the very best out of a player whose contract renewal has not been matched by his form. One goal and two assists in eight matches, a goal every 600 minutes.

His only strike came against Real Sociedad at home on the second round of La Liga.

Against India, Vinicius again looked sluggish, just as he had in the previous two games and across his first spell under Mourinho.

It was a flat performance, with Vinicius almost invisible. In the first match he completed no successful dribbles, lost the ball three times and managed only two shots on target.

Just one shot on target in more than 80 minutes followed in the second game, with a dribble success rate of only 30%. On Saturday, he had three shots on target.

At Real Madrid the confidence in Vinicius runs deep, but the derby showed Mourinho won't keep him in the starting line-up unconditionally.

Diomande is pushing for a starting place, though he isn't obliged to play instead of the Brazilian and other players may be sacrificed. Still, the coach pulled Vinicius off in the 54th minute, while Mbappe stayed as the last substitute.

Real Madrid plainly need Vinicius at his best to avoid falling further behind in La Liga this early.

The Camp Nou pitch has long been a stage for this winger's brilliance, and the moment demands it more than ever. The team trails leaders Barcelona by six points, so the match of 25 October against Barca is decisive.

Real Madrid aren't the only ones chasing that gap. The player himself is just as determined.

The day after the Clasico, London will announce the new Ballon d'Or winner. Two years ago, the Brazilian stunningly missed out, with the award going to Rodri.

Now he isn't even among the leading candidates. Vinicius also needs to rediscover his level at the Santiago Bernabeu, where the fans have already sent him plenty of messages urging a return to his former glories.