Back in 2023, after City scored the opener, Vini was visibly frustrated and questioned Ancelotti’s approach. The entire fanbase praised him and agreed it was a wrong setup.Today, the reaction is different and we all know the reason for that. pic.twitter.com/we5GNccCSU— 🖤™ (@Ilvaite0) November 11, 2025 Now some smartass will come claim I’m quoting a random nobody on X. Look past it.
That’s a poetic take, but reality is bit duller. When you’re the only player consistently taking on three defenders, it looks like running into a wall because everyone else has already passed the ball sideways twice and retreated. He creates the very space that Bellingham later explodes into or that Kylian exploits on the counter. And about those “garbage passes” that's just conflating cause and effect because of inability to see the chain of events. when the only receiving options are static or behind the play every risk ball looks bad. Yet he still ends up top three in chance creation most weeks, which means your so called wasted runs are producing something tangible. "Damn it vini, pass pass pass!!!" To whom? Ghost of Tsushima? The reason is simple. back then he wasn’t sharing the pitch with football’s untouchable poster boy. Criticism was fair game until it wasn’t.
Head down, running into traffic : result of relying on athleticism and using common patterns too often.
So the problem is Mbappe ? that dude got torn apart , fairly so, last season. I don’t think Mbappe has anything to do with what is going with Vini
Or maybe the result of being abandoned up front while others admire the view from midfield. Quite tough to pick a pass when nobody bothers showing for it. Okay, lets's hear your theories for making vini a sacrificial lamb this time around. Is it a now prohibited trip to Ibiza mid week ?
Guys like a Guler or a Bellingham don't have the same issue. When your timing is off you run into closed spaces and are forced to shoot at the side netting. This isn't a discussion about right or wrong, it's a discussion about communication.
Communication goes both ways though. Hard to sync with teammates who aren’t even in the frame when the ball arrives. It's quite telling.
It’s also a discussion on concentration, or inability to read the defences movement or positions. It’s proper low IQ plays over and over again.
I haven’t said anything about Vini going to Ibiza lol I don’t pay attention to all that nonsense. I’m critical of how Vini behaved after being subbed out and that’s about it that had nothing to do with Mbappe
I'll give you another incident, a video this time. مدريدستا جبت لقطه فينيسوس كامله يوم حاول يراوغ ٥ مدافعين والناس يقولون وين امبابي ووين بلنغهام ..لحد يلعب عليكم هذا الاناني بطبعه مايغيره وطبعا المعلق تكلم عن انانيته وقال مو كل مره تضبط معاك ..شوفوا امبابي وبلنغهام وينهم الكل يدافع اولا الا هو ورجع يستلم كوره ولا مررها لامبابي pic.twitter.com/H1QgWcsig2— عبدالملكª(#Support_Xapi) ª (@luf707) November 11, 2025 Mbappe and Bellingham were both defending deep, Vini was lurking up front. And that's another factor why Vini is alone many times, he's ahead of everyone else and then just runs into defenses erratically instead of hogging the ball or waiting for his teammates. Bellingham rushes forward and never gets the pass. Instead Vini comically loses the ball and then argues with the referee..Que es eso, indeed This is Standard Vini Procedure
Fair enough, but the reaction clearly shifted once Mbappe entered the picture. Same behavior, different narrative. (Unless a better theory pops up) It's not a permanent tactical setup. it's a transitional moment in the game where the ball has just been turned over. Vini stays high to pin their last defenders and stretch the pitch, creating space for the midfielders to run into, all while dragging few more opponents to him. He's doing his job n taken offensive responsibility. The passing lane to centre is closed. By the time it might open, Vini has already had to make a decision 1. try a low percentage pass through a forest of legs or 2. try to create something himself. He chose the latter & thats when he loses the ball because he's trying to beat three players in a phone booth. If mbappe showed half of Vini's urgency, he'd actually be in the box to receive a hypothetical cross.
I love how the never ending hiring process of authoritarian - father figure - authoritarian - father figure never stops shocking fans. Clearly the club felt things got out of hand a bit last season and Xabi had the clear goal or reigning things in a bit.
So he chooses to go Kamikazi mode, dribble 5, miscontrol the ball and argue with the referee instead of passing to Jude? Also we've established that Jude and Mbappe, unlike Vini, were back defending. But you call it "urgency" when it's plain selfishness and poor decision-making.
You want your winger to what? Play it safe to the fullback and then go for a cup of tea? He doesn't "choose" to dribble five. He's forced into it because the "selfless" teammates you're so fond of were still jogging back from their defensive duties. By the time cavaliers arrive at the party, the bouncers have already got Vini cornered and then the passing lane is a memory. The only play left is to try and be a superhero. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
I just wrote a post in the transfer thread about how Doku is different from Vinicius and this was very visible in the Liverpool matches. Basically he picks his moments much better when to attack and when to recycle the ball according to the situation. Much more aware about whats going on around him instead of going route one every time and then leave the defensive structure exposed once he loses the ball. His decision making is miles ahead of Vinicius. Thats the kind of player we need because hes the perfect blend of winger for possession and transition game that Xabi is trying to install.
For starters, take a half decent PK Last I checked, this is a team sport. You don't incessantly take on half of the opposition side on your own and hope for the best, "heroes" don't do stupid sh!t and then ask for gratitude. This is not how it works especially when the opposition is organized and deprives you of space. So why didn't Bellingham get the pass? The dribbling lanes were closed as we saw one and a half seconds later. Oh wait..he "tried"
I’ve said this many times over, but the issue with Vinny is his chaos. Mbappes/Jude/Rodrygo can only run so many times and never get the ball - they can never predict the timing of when to run or where because Vinny holds the ball too long/short and has his head down. He’s also extremely predictable and defenders know he will dribble until he makes it to the byline the cut off his 45 degree pass or let him shoot into the side netting. Rinse and repeat. Why waste energy to run when you know you’re never getting the ball?
Doku is fine player. When Vini loses the ball trying to beat three men, it's "exposing the defense." When Doku loses the ball, it's just an "unfortunate turnover in the final third." It's the same goddamn thing since risk is inherent to the position. The difference is ppl have got a boner for the "controlled" environment Doku plays in so you give him a pass.
No it's not, it's still stupid and careless but we don't care because Doku doesn't play for RM while demanding to be the highest paid player in the club..
That's like complaining that Picasso was a shit plumber. It might be true but it's so spectacularly missing the point. Even mbappe missed a bunch, no big deal. You're right. It's a team sport where the other ten players are supposed to be in the same postcode as the guy with the ball. When your "team" consists of ghosts who are still admiring their own defensive work from the last phase, the "team sport" argument goes right out the freaking window. So yeah, heroes also do stupid shit and sometimes it comes off and they win you the Champions League. Vini had to make a split second decision in a sea of legs and he chose to back his own ability rather than play a hail mary pass into a defender's path. You say that he "tried" like it's a dirty word. Im glad he tried. So let me get this straight. The exact same action of losing the ball while trying a difficult dribble is a fireable offense for Vini, but for Doku, it's just "stupid and careless"? The defining variable isn't the tactical situation, the risk/reward or the context of the game. It's his freaking salary. You sound like an accountant with a grudge. Might as well resort to "I don't like his face, and I don't like his paycheck, therefore every single thing he does on the pitch is wrong." while we're at it.
The difference is the amount and the percentage. https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/4293725 Doku has 6.8 completed dribbles out of 10.8 attempted (62 percent success rate). Vinicius has 3.3 out of 8.0 (42 percent success rate). The difference is massive. And this is only raw dribbling numbers. It doesn't capture the context of how, when, where and how often their turnovers hurt the team defensively. Doku simply picks his moments much better and doesn't go headless chicken mode nearly as often leaving his team exposed. Its a matter of decision making. And when he turns it over he actually tracks back consistently. Sorry but youre arguing for the sake of arguing here. This is not about debating skills. People can see reality regardless of demagogy and sugarcoating. Again, I love Vini. And I would rather have him here than Doku because of the legacy he has at Madrid. Hes part of the family. Also I believe that at their very best maximized potential, he can be a better player than Doku. But for Vini to be at his very best he needs to get his head straight. Doku already has that. That man is basically a choir boy.
The pass to an open Bellingham was a Hail Mary –and this is one incident– but taking on 5 defenders when is act of justified heroism because he's won us 2 CLs? Come on now. It works sometimes, fails 90%, so why do it 100% for years? We've known Vini since he used to slip when controlling the ball, this is who he is, he never worked to develop himself in better decision making and team play. And now that he's getting instructions, told to defend like every winger must and is sat down to watch videos of what needs to improve, he becomes a brat and wants to leave. Vini has to glue his head on straight and work for the team but some here are adamant on the idea that Vini is the team and can do whatever he damn well pleases. Fvck that.