Real Madrid’s recent slump has turned the spotlight on the collective - and on the form of certain players. Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Manchester City gave Rodrygo Goes a chance to break his drought, a moment of redemption in an uneasy atmosphere where Vinícius Júnior bore the brunt of some of the loudest whistles from the Bernabéu crowd.
Nearly 1,000 minutes without a Vini goal
The frustration with the Brazilian adds to his ongoing scoring drought. Including the City match, Vini has now gone 12 games without finding the net. And the team is feeling the absence of his goals…
It’s been more than two months since he last scored for Madrid. His most recent strike came against Villarreal on October 4, when he bagged a brace to pave the way against the Yellow Submarine. Since then, his goalmouth threat has been minimal: a shot off the post against Juventus, another at San Mamés, a missed penalty versus Valencia - and, to his credit, two assists in Kylian Mbappé’s four-goal demolition of Olympiacos.
The drought now stretches to 941 minutes without scoring, despite two near-breakthroughs. VAR chalked off a goal in Athens for an offside by Mbappé in the build-up, and another in Girona didn’t count due to Vini himself being offside.
Those exceptions aside, the numbers tell the story: 12 straight games without a goal. It’s a dry spell Vinícius hasn’t experienced since late in the 2020-21 season. And it’s a stark contrast to this point last year, when Mbappé was the one struggling for goals and Vini was carrying the team with nine goals in seven matches.
Reality vs xG
It’s more about finishing than effort. Against City, for instance, he led Madrid in shots with four attempts - including a gilt-edged chance in the 80th minute when he mishit an Arda Güler corner at the back post. He’s also topped the shot charts against Celta Vigo, Athletic Club, Girona, Olympiacos, Rayo Vallecano and Juventus. In fact, over these 12 games, only Mbappé has taken more shots: 48 for the Frenchman versus 41 for the Brazilian. Next on the list is Jude Bellingham. But Mbappé has been both sharper and more clinical, converting 11 goals.
Advanced metrics back this up: since the Villarreal game, Vinícius should have scored four or five times based on Opta’s expected goals model (4.67 xG). Reality, though, says otherwise - the goals just aren’t coming.
And that drought weighs heavily in the eyes of the Bernabéu. It’s been over six weeks since his fiery reaction to Xabi Alonso’s decision to substitute him in El Clásico, but the fans have barely had a chance to react. Madrid had only played at home once since then - a routine win over Valencia, where the mood was forgiving. Now, the crisis has stirred up the Bernabéu, and Vinícius has become a target of frustration, with expectations sky-high.
Scoring, after all, is a collective assignment - one that’s crucial to support Mbappé in his mission. Because despite his current struggles, Vinícius remains Madrid’s second-leading scorer this season with five goals, trailing only the Frenchman’s 25. That’s why the team misses those goals so much - the ones that just won’t come for Vini right now…
Shmonny
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Ever since Messi’s visit, everything has been going well for us.