Vinicius Jr will be fine, but the press may not be – Managing Madrid

These observations — where I look at Real Madrid’s history, its players on loan, Castilla, tactical tidbits, and other relevant thoughts — are now a regular thing. All previous editions can be found here. Two items from the RB Leipzig game that are really just extensions of larger talking points: Many fans have begun to tear their hair out at Vinicius Jr’s season so far over an apparent regression. While I think it’s fair to point out certain criticisms of his game this season, I think the idea of his drop-off is largely exaggerated. Vinicius missed a big chance (that he himself was the main creator of) in Leipzig on Tuesday night that could’ve levelled the game. Some of his passages of play could be met with better decision-making and a simplification in his execution. But what fans often have a hard time grappling with is that growth is not linear, and expecting perfection from young (or old, for that matter) players is unreasonable. Vinicius met and raised the bar last season by being the best winger in the Champions League and arguably the best winger in Europe, full stop. This season, despite going through a ‘slump’, he is still…
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