Vinicius has had a rough start to the season as Real Madrid have to adjust to life with Bellingham and without Benzema.

Vinicius is struggling in Carlo Ancelotti’s new scheme. Photo: AFP

Carlo Ancelotti is finding a new system to deal with the loss of Karim Benzema and make the best use of the abundant resources in midfield. And that was not in the favor of Vinicius at all.

Basically, Real Madrid is operating two strikers, Vinicius and Rodrygo. Behind is the support of rookie Jude Bellingham, who is impressing with 3 goals after 2 matches in La Liga.

The hard truth is that Vinicius looks less effective and is uncomfortable playing in the center of attack. This problem has been present since the pre-season friendlies of Los Blancos.

When Vinicius plays wide, he usually receives the ball and moves into space more. With his speed and dexterity, the Brazilian is a constant threat to opposing defenders.

However, at present, when he plays at the top of the line with Rodrygo, Vinicius is often accompanied by two central defenders. He must receive the ball in a tight space with his back to the goal. In other words, the 23-year-old didn’t get the chance to take advantage of the pace.

Vinicius is no longer tutored by Benzema. Photo: AFP

In contrast, Bellingham is impressing with his ability to move into the spaces that pose a threat to the opponent’s goal. Bellingham’s 3 goals have clearly emphasized Ancelotti’s intentions.

And the fact that Ancelotti’s new system is reducing the impact, threat and involvement of Vinicius. It may only be a short-term problem, but a solution must be found.

Another element of Ancelotti’s new system is the way defender Fran Garcia is allowed to overlap and move forward frequently.

Vinicius was theoretically the center forward in a 4-4-2 or 4-3-1-2 system and couldn’t play with the mentality of a winger when Garcia was already on the move.

If both are in the same position at the same time and lose the ball, the consequences can be unpredictable, especially with good counter-attacking teams. The proof is Almeria’s opening goal against Real in the last 2 La Liga round.

In the same match, Ancelotti warned Vinicius to be more careful when Garcia was still inexperienced, and could lose the ball.

“Don’t always run solo, try to use the link play on the top of the field!”, the camera recorded Ancelotti displeased about Vinicius.

Ancelotti was not happy about Vinicius in the win over Almeria. Photo: ESPN

Vinicius’s rebuttal was not provocative but enough to cause disagreement. Remember, on the field, Ancelotti is a very disciplined person.

“I complained to him about not losing the ball dangerously. He tried to explain, but I insisted no, by all means don’t lose the ball,” said Ancelotti.

The point is not the petty back-and-forth between the coach and the player during a tense moment on the pitch. In fact, the more frustrated Vinicius was, the worse his ball handling became. At that time, Vinicius will be more inclined to take risks, trying to create inspired processing phases.

It will be an unfortunate step backwards for Vinicius as he has matured a lot in the past 2 years.

Although Rodrygo and Vinicius are close friends, in the narrow space of the penalty area, it is difficult for the two to find a common voice. Rodrygo is not a typical striker. Rodrygo is incredibly talented, versatile, and hard-working, but not the perfect partner for Vinicius.

Guti – a former legend at the Bernabeu commented: “The arrival of Bellingham and the departure of Benzema made it easier for Ancelotti to switch to a 4-4-2 formation. It is true that Vinicius will have difficulty approaching the round. banned, but I think he’ll get used to it.”

Bellingham and Vinicius needed to find common ground. Photo: AFP