Mbappé and Vinícius, a problem

José Mourinho faces a rather important dilemma this season. The lack of tactical harmony between Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Jr, the two stars of the club, remains uncertain at the start of the season, as was reflected against AEK Athens, where the Madrid team won in the final minutes without the Brazilian on the field.

The performance on the pitch shows that the Madrid side exhibits greater positional fluidity and effectiveness when Yan Diomande plays as a left winger, opening a direct debate on whether the Portuguese coach should bench the Brazilian star in the decisive matches of the 2026-2027 season.

The Frenchman has 16 goals and 3 assists in 15 matches this season, while the Brazilian has only one goal in 12 matches, worse numbers than those of Federico Valverde, Antonio Rüdiger, Cartlos Espí, Yan Diomande, Arda Güler, and Jude Bellingham. He has the same number of goals as Endrick, who has played much fewer minutes.

Incompatibility of spaces and collapse of the left interior flank

The tactical disagreement between the French attacker and the South American winger lies in the nature of their off-ball movements and their reading of spaces. Both players require starting or finishing their interventions on the left side: the French international needs to drop to that side to initiate diagonal runs towards the goal, while the Brazilian winger needs to receive the ball close to the sideline to take on his opponent in one-on-one situations.

When they are together on the pitch, their paths constantly overlap, reducing the action radius for both and allowing opposing defenses to accumulate support without becoming disorganized. Since the arrival of the French star in the Spanish capital, the individual performances of the number '7' have experienced a marked decline: less effective dribbling, loss of speed in making runs, and a continuous disconnection in the finishing phases of play.

The fluidity of the 4-2-3-1 with Diomande, Bellingham, and Arda Güler

In contrast to this congestion, the French forward has found his ideal habitat in the 4-2-3-1 formation when supported by a second line consisting of Yan Diomande on the left, Jude Bellingham at central attacking midfield, and Arda Güler on the right flank. The African player naturally widens the left side, pins the opposing full-back, and supplies filtered balls into the box without invading the interior lane where the Parisian striker operates.

Additionally, Diomande's presence frees up Bellingham and Güler to draw intermediate passing lines more clearly, contributing to a collective dynamism that has recently translated into comebacks achieved against AS Roma and AEK Athens once the Brazilian left the field.

The locker room management dilemma for José Mourinho

The Portuguese coach is at a technical and hierarchical crossroads regarding the upcoming LaLiga and UEFA Champions League matches. Keeping Vinícius Júnior in the starting eleven responds to the institutional need to protect his market value and maintain internal harmony within the locker room, but it penalizes the collective scoring performance. On the other hand, consistently opting for the young Ivorian talent rewards sporting merit and boosts Mbappé's numbers, at the expense of sending a strong message about the loss of untouchability of the South American winger.

The coaching staff will assess the team's emotional response during training at the Ciudad Deportiva de Valdebebas leading up to the next league match. With the return of domestic competition on the immediate horizon, José Mourinho must decide whether to keep Vinícius Júnior in his starting lineup – after he serves his suspension – or to solidify Yan Diomande as the definitive partner for Kylian Mbappé at Real Madrid.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Mbappé y Vinícius, un problema