The noise around Vinícius is making the Brazilian’s performance worse. Everyone is attacking him, he deserves respect, Ancelotti defends him

Vinícius Junior had the season of his life last year and, along with Karim Benzema, led Real Madrid to the Champions League and La Liga. He proved that he can be one of the best players in the world, but now he is going through a bit of a crisis, which he is somehow contributing to.

The Vinícius-Benzema duo were a perfect match last year. The Brazilian-French tandem destroyed defences together, the talented youngster netted 17 goals and added 10 assists in La Liga, adding a 4+6 record in the Champions League.

In the autumn, he also thrived, scoring 6 goals and adding 3 assists in La Liga and scoring four times in the Champions League. But after returning from the World Cup we are watching a different Vinícius. Sunday’s game at San Mamés proved it 100%, as Vinícius became the epicentre of the home fans’ hatred for the umpteenth time.

The epicentre of hatred

And all the surrounding influences are quite affecting the young Brazilian’s performance. Yet the fact that he is the enemy of the entire stadium is a recurring theme, it happened in Bilbao at the weekend, before that in Villarreal, in Valladolid or in Vallecas. And of course in Madrid, in the derby with Atlético, that’s where the problems started.

It was all started by the TV presenter El Chirinquito, who called Vinícius a “monkey” because of his celebratory dances after goals. The fuel to the fire was added by Colchoneros captain Koke, who warned the Brazilian that he should definitely not dance at the Civítas Metropolitano because he didn’t know what would happen in the stands.

Vinícius received a lot of support from a lot of big players, especially Brazilians who are famous for dancing. On social media, Neymar, Thiago Silva, Richarlison, Raphinha and pretty much the rest of the national team publicly stood up for the youngster.

At the time, it visibly didn’t hit Vinícius that much, as he scored five times and added 2 assists in the rest of the fall. But there was a change in the behavior of the opposing fans towards Vinícius and also, admittedly, his behavior.

The loss of concentration

the 22-year-old footballer seems to have lost concentration on football. He is constantly discussing with the referee, arguing with the opposing players, provoking the stands, sometimes adding simulation… All these negative influences discourage Vinícius from playing football and after the World Cup break he scored only one goal in six matches, which is not enough for a player of his quality.

In Vinícius’ defence, the young striker has been fouled 92 times this season, the most of any player in the Top 5 leagues, with an average of four fouls per game. And some of the tackles are almost “butchery” trying to take the Brazilian out of the game. Vinícius is still young and sometimes he can’t handle these attacks and his blood boils.

Add to that the insults and abuse from the stands on the opponents’ pitches. Vinícius is not in the right mental state to give the performances we were used to in the autumn or last season.

Get your head on straight

The growing problem has also been noticed by coach Carlo Ancelotti. “Everybody is pressuring him:: the fans, the opponents, the referees… I really don’t know why this is happening, he is dedicated to the game. It affects him, but he’s young and I’m sure he’ll improve in that respect. He’s a very sensitive kid and I talk to him about not losing focus. We want him to be more respectful,” Ancelotti said at the press conference after the Athletic game.

While that is not happening in the Champions League, in virtually every stadium in La Liga, fans have been waiting for Vinícius and trying to disrupt and boo him with abuse. Something similar happened with Cristiano Ronaldo, but of course the Portuguese was motivated by hate, Vinícius hasn’t taken it so well so far.

So Real Madrid must find a way to get rid of the growing problem. Los Blancos need Vinícius focused, mentally well and fully fit. Ancelotti must focus on the one thing he can change – Vinícius’ head. The Brazilian needs to concentrate on the game and completely leave out the arguments with the opposition and referees.

On Thursday, Vinícius will face Atlético Madrid in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey, but luckily for him at home at the Santiago Bernabéu, where the fans love and admire him. After that, Real play twice at home in the league, but then comes a trip to the Balearic Islands to face Mallorca.

There, last season, he got into an argument with Riello, who tried to injure him with a devastating tackle. He can expect not to be greeted with love again at San Moix. This will be a big test to see if Vinicius has moved on.

Source:: La Liga, Real Madrid