Is Real Madrid better WITHOUT Vinicius Junior? 😳 Reaction to his post-match comments | ESPN FC

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Is Real Madrid better without Vinicius Junior? ESPN FC reacts to his post-match comments

The video discusses Vinicius Junior's post-match comments, his poor display against Roma and his four-game ban. The panel largely argues that his absence may be a blessing for Mourinho and Real Madrid, while also warning that the comeback over Roma masks tactical and defensive problems.

Shaka Hislop, Steve Nicol, Frank Leboeuf and Alex Kirkland join Dan Thomas on ESPN FC to discuss Real Madrid’s 4-3 win over Roma in the UEFA Champions League and Vinicius Junior’s comments after the match. ✔️ Subscribe to ESPN Unlimited: https://plus.espn.com/ ESPN ESPNFC

Transcript

That's where Martinez tick. Venicious Jr. now has been talking as well. This was his postmatch comment after that come from behind victory against Roma. Remember Real Madrid were losing. Venicious Jr. was taken off. Didn't seem very happy to be substituted and then Real Madrid come back to win 43. This is what he had to say. I'm in a bad moment now, but Vinnie always comes back. Third person time. My reaction to being subbed off. It's normal. I want to play all minutes and help the team, but it's not possible. End came on and changed the match. He was the best player in the second half. We hope he continues to develop like Espie who gets few minutes. I'll be back. I am sure. I'm not worried. But I'm angry at myself for not giving my best version. The whistles from the fans don't help me. I'd rather they supported me. But I understand they pay tickets. I'd rather they boo me than the youngsters. Uh Axe Kirkland joins us as we talk about another chapter in Venicious Jr. quite eventful. uh season so far. Uh leading up to it, of course, Alex, the big news that he'll be suspended for four games after the hairpool and the reaction to the red card as well. Um where do you want to start with all of this, Vinnie, 24 hours on? >> Well, I think look, you read what he said after the game there. I think he said a lot of the right things, but that doesn't disguise the fact his performance again was dreadful. Dreadful. You had fewest touch I think of any player on the pitch. Barely involved. when he was involved, he got it wrong. You know, gave the ball away for Roma's second goal, which Mourinho was visibly angry about on the touch line. It doesn't help Vinnie, he mentioned Enrich there. End comes on and he's brilliant. He's the MVP. He's the man of the match. You know, he changes the game for Real Madrid, doing everything that Venicious Junior is right now unable to do in terms of being dynamic and making things happen and keep going again and again and again. The kind of things that Vinnie used to do when he was in his top form. So, look, it's it was a bad night for Venicious. Of course, he's only got, as you mentioned, the Champions League now to impress because he's banned in La Liga. He's only got these Champions League games until basically late November to say to Mourinho, look, I deserve a place in the in the team in a way. I mean, it sounds harsh to say it, but that ban right now maybe helps out Mourinho because it means that Vinnie is out. He doesn't have to sort of, you know, waste time trying to play Vinnie back into form. He can focus on the players who are in form. you know, play Argula there or play Yan Diamande there or you can fit both into the team if you want to do that without Vinnie. So, I don't think his absence right now is is bad news for for Real Madrid. Quite the opposite. I think in a way it makes Marino's life easier. >> Blessing in disguise, Steven, >> I think. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, he's he's been a distraction when he's not on the field and he's been a distraction on the field as well. and and yeah, the the other players um the two that he mentioned, particularly Enri coming on. >> Yeah. >> If if you're Enric, you're going, "Hold on a second. He's what else can I do?" So, what happens if Henry actually has a sustained bout of form? Then, does Vinnie get back in? I mean, Vinnie Vinnie absolutely has to look at himself and figure out that he's in the position he's in because of him. He has himself. He's the He's the one that has put himself in his position. And if I'm Mourinho, you know what? I'm quite I'm quite glad. It's it's a headache. I don't need I've got plenty of headaches right now with with everybody. So, I don't need somebody just making it twice as bad for everybody. So, yeah, he's not my favorite big time. >> To that point, blessing in in disguise for both Mourinho and and Real Madrid. Let's hope it's a blessing in disguise for Venicious Jr. because this time out maybe he can just press the reset button, try to figure out what's going wrong, correct it, whether it's psychological, whether it's physical, whatever it is, he now has a moment away from the game where often times when players aren't informed, whether they're injured or suspended or not, a little time on the sidelines just looking on um does them the world of good. Judging from this statement, he recognizes that it's all down to him and he's the only one that can put it right. Let's hope he uses these moments to do exactly that. >> It really was. Just talking about the game, incredible comeback when you look at how poor Real Madrid were. Roma and we've talked a lot about Italian football and their struggles in the Champions League. We thought, well, how low have Real Madrid gone now in the fact they've been completely played off the park. Mourinho speaking afterwards defended his selection saying look if I'd started with this team we would have lost 5-nil. It was what the way it worked out the way they tired them out. Uh but still it's strange. You come back you have this extraordinary win. SP once again getting the goal but it leaves almost more questions than answers about Mourinho's tactics going forward. >> Yeah, look Mourinho tried to kind of frame this Oh, sorry Frank. I was going to say B tried to frame this as sort of a tactical >> no no >> masterclass or his plan his plan was to basically tire out Roma let Roma sort of use up all their energy with their sort of ferocious pressing and then um were going to pounce but I just don't really buy it. I thought M was so poor. I mean I was there I was writing about the game for the site. It was a classic thing where almost everything I wrote got deleted on the 85th minute because none of it applied because we did. But in a way it does apply because look those first you know the first half the first hour the first 78 minutes that's still there that still happened you know yes they came back yes they scored those three goals in seven minutes it was three corners you know are the gula with deliveries into the box Roma couldn't cope and Roma were were exhausted but the first part of that game most of that game that still happened and in that you know most of that game Real Madrid were really really poor and I keep coming back to the idea if Mourinho wants to play you if the idea is we don't want the ball we don't want possession we're going to you know play on the counterattack, use our pace, and beat teams that way. Fine. But to do that, you've got to be defensively solid, and you've got to take your chances. And Real Madrid aren't doing either of those things right now, especially at the back. The defense against Roma, I just thought, was was just full of holes. Uh we talked about the possible suspension. It was, as we said, four games. Two for the hairp to the reaction to the red card. Alex, when you were on earlier this week, I think you said two would have been about right. You must have been surprised it was four. >> Well, yeah, it was it was two plus two, wasn't it? They gave him basically two games for the hairpool and two games for the reaction. And I guess that's a question of interpretation of how serious you deem his well it was two two games for the hairpool because they said it was the ball wasn't in play. And when the ball isn't in play, it it's always more more serious the punishment and then the reaction in terms of shouting and being held back by his by his teammates. So yeah, added up to four. We never quite know exactly how these things are going to go. It's a committee that decides them and they have a fair bit of flexibility and leeway to decide as as they see fit. The result is a is a four game ban. He's got those games as we saw on the graphic a moment ago. You know, plays against the Champions League if Marina wants to pick him. Plays against AEK in the Champions League as well. And then back in La Liga in in late November. >> Frank what everyone's been talking about. >> Uh well, you know what throughout the the discussion that you had, guys, I I really think that's a good thing for Venu Jun. a very good thing for Real Madrid because that's when he go outside of the field and but it's a very good thing and as Shaka say to for for Venice to reset and maybe uh to to come back to to where we really enjoy seeing watching him playing and which is quite a long time ago but it has to be like that. I mean I saw a graphic yesterday where uh we saw how Roma were so dominant uh during the game and as soon as Venu Jr. went out the game changed so he saves a lot. So you I always say you know it's a collective sport and if one guy doesn't want to run it's a problem and we had that with Paris with uh with Messi Neymar and and Mbappe and that was a real problem. the the team was cut in three in the side and the other seven or eight with a goalkeeper on the other side. And that's exactly the same that I feel with remedy and and for the last minutes of the game. I felt that there was something special that players were trying to get something together. And that's a very good point and that's maybe I'm sorry maybe put the end of Venicer and uh and and Mourinho is clever. If he doesn't work with V Jun at a certain point, he won't put him because if he has results with Hri and and Mbappe at front and somebody else, he's gonna carry on like that. >> Oh, I should have sounded more disappointed. Alex, we'll let you go. Thank you very much. >> It's all right, Frank. You stopped now. Thank you very much. Where you going this weekend, mate? Anywhere nice? >> Uh, this weekend I'll be at the Bernab for the Real Madrid Civia again. See how they get on with Vinnie? Uh, nice one. Thank you very much. That's of course a game you can see live on our ESPN and ABC. It's the late game on Sunday. You can join us for coverage at 2:30 Eastern. On Saturday, by the way, a cracker in Seville. Real Betettis against Barcelona. That's a 12.