The situation of Vinicius Jr continues to cause a lot of talk at Real Madrid. Far from his best level for several weeks, the Brazilian winger is struggling to regain this ability to change matches, which had made him one of the best players in the world. And inevitably, his performances begin to raise questions, in particular about his status as an indisputable holder. Asked about meritocracy on the eve of the match against Villarreal, José Mourinho admitted that certain players may need special treatment to regain their level. “Meritocracy, yes, but we also have to be open, not based on the name of the player, but on the moment he is going through. You need to know the best way to help a player. When some people are not doing well, there are different strategies to help them improve. One of them is pure meritocracy: if you’re not good, you get out. But this carries risks. Some players need time to return to their usual level. You’re referring to Vinicius, I’m not going to hide.”explained the Portuguese technician.
And the Special One was especially keen to defend his striker against criticism, emphasizing his daily investment and his desire to return to his best football. “What hurts me, what makes me sad, is understanding how much he wants to do well, to go back to being the one who wins matches and makes the difference. What touches me is seeing his suffering, even though he is an extraordinary boy, to my great surprise, and who works enormously to come back. Will he play every match until he gets back to his level or will there come a time when we put a specific plan in place, leaving him on the bench or finding another solution? I don’t touch real Real Madrid fans, I respect them deeply. But it hurts my heart to see that a boy like him, who is not currently this Vinicius from another world, is not getting the help he deserves because of the influence of many of you. He deserves to be supported. He wants so much to become again this Vinicius who gave so much joy to the Madrid supporters”he continued. Strong support from Mourinho, who therefore refuses to condemn his player for his bad patch and prefers to give him time to regain his feelings.
