Despite flattering figures taken individually, the cohabitation between Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappé on the front of the Madrid attack is anything but harmonious. Statistics speak for themselves, specifies AS : On more than 3,400 minutes spent on the field this season, only 15 % of Vinicius passes were sent to Mbappé, and barely 13 % in the other direction. This crying deficit of connections between two players supposed to embody the most formidable offensive duo in Europe reflects an annoying sporting reality: they are not looking for themselves, are not, and above all, are not understood. One is a smuggler, the other a finisher, but the alchemy does not work. On the contrary, cohabitation seems to slow down their respective expression, until they harm their individual statistics.
While Vinicius died after the Ballon d'Or, registering only one goal in his last eleven games, Mbappé ended the season in a rush with a sprint of ten goals in six games. As one collapsed, the other exploded. A paradoxical dynamic that illustrates their inability to shine together. The observation is even more speaking when we observe that, since March, they have never marked in the same match again. Worse still, the rare attempts at tactical adjustment – like Xabi Alonso's attempt to shift Vini on the right – ended in failures and growing frustration. If talent is no doubt, complementarity remains a mystery to be resolved. A major challenge for the new coach, who will have to find the key to transforming these two soloists into a real duo.
