Forward will head into Spanish Super Cup final still looking to end a dry spell in front of goal
Xabi Alonso is backing Vinicius to get back to his best soon, with the Real Madrid forward currently suffering a 19-game goal drought.
Vinicius was once more unable to find the net against Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup semi final on Thursday, making it 19 matches, 15 in La Liga, since the Brazilian last scored. He has faced much criticism but his teammates and especially Alonso have defended him, pointing out that in that period he has produced six assists and 30 chances created.
Ahead of Madrid’s final against Barcelona in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, Alonso was asked how he is managing the forward.
“Every player is different,” Alonso said. “You have to be intelligent. Vini is emotional. You have to know how to be there for him.
“His teammates and the coaching staff make sure he understands. It’s a matter of timing. He’ll be back to his best, and he will be decisive.”
One player who has been scoring is Kylian Mbappe, with the Frenchman currently boasting a sensational tally of 29 goals in 24 appearances for the club. He has missed the last two games due to injury but is in contention for a start against Madrid’s eternal rivals for the trophy they missed out on last year.
“He’s much better,” Alonso said of Mbappe. “The idea was that it was going to be very tight to play against Atletico [in the last game], so we decided not to rush him, but if we got to the final, depending on how he felt, he would come.
“When he trains today [Saturday], we’ll have all the information we need to assess it, and see if he’s ready to start, or play a bit less.
“We have to assess the risk. We know what’s at stake, and take responsibility for our decisions.”
