Vinícius out of the XI: Mourinho puts the team first

Vinícius Júnior is available again in LaLiga after serving the suspension he picked up for his red card against Villarreal, when he pulled Saliba's hair. According to Mundo Deportivo, however, the Brazilian has not played in the last four league matches, and his return to the starting XI is far from guaranteed.

His Champions League outings, against Roma, Leipzig and AEK, have raised doubts about his form, and many fans did not understand why he was on the pitch. Meanwhile, Real Madrid under Mourinho have stitched together eight straight wins without him, with Arda Güler and Bernardo Silva now in the lineup.

The Mourinho dilemma

For the match on the 21st, against Celta, the coach has to decide whether to start him or keep him on the bench. Mourinho has already made his position clear: the team comes first, and he will not harm the side to benefit one player. The club and the coach are backing him fully to recover his best level.

The coach stressed that a very good player can go through bad spells and that the key is working on tactical and personal management, giving weight to his relationship with teammates. Vinícius knows he is in a bad moment and is no longer a fixed starter, so the priority is getting him back as soon as possible.